Tennessee Vols morning report: SEC men’s basketball schedule revealed
Preparation for the Tennessee Vols football matchup with the Pittsburgh Panthers is in full swing, and the season is fully underway for all fall sports. However, a winter sport shockingly made the news for UT Wednesday, and it was a big headline.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with news surrounding the men’s basketball SEC schedule. To be fair, there is plenty of football news to cover, including an SEC teleconference interview, a uniform reveal, a ranking and an interview with two assistants.
This post will cover news from Tuesday and Wednesday. We also have a women’s soccer matchup to cover along with scheduling in women’s tennis and the addition of a new track and field staff member, so there’s plenty to get to. Let’s start with men’s basketball.
SEC men’s basketball schedule revealed – SECSports
Although the opponents were already revealed, the dates for the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team’s Southeastern Conference slate were revealed Wednesday. UT opens SEC play Wednesday, Dec. 28 at the Ole Miss Rebels.
"Each SEC team plays the other 13 teams at least one time during league play. They will then play their three permanent opponents a second time with the remaining two games changing annually."
Josh Heupel talks Pitt at teleconference – Matt Ray, SI.com
Three days ahead of the Tennessee Vols football team’s matchup at the Pittsburgh Panthers, head coach Josh Heupel discussed the game at the SEC teleconference. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“It’s been a good week of practice so far and looking forward to finishing the preparation before we head out to Pittsburgh later this week. We faced them a year ago and understand who they are and what they’re about, and we’re excited to go show who we are and excited to go play this one.”"
Uniforms for Pitt revealed – Patrick Brown, 247Sports
White jerseys with white pants will be Tennessee football’s uniform combo at Pitt. Last year in the game, they wore orange jerseys with orange pants. The combo was revealed on the football program’s Twitter account Wednesday.
"Tennessee is set to travel to Pittsburgh (Pa.) on Saturday for a top-25 matchup against No.17 Pitt at 3:30 pm ET on ABC. The Vols will look to avenge last season’s 41-34 loss inside of Neyland Stadium."
Joey Halzle, Tim Banks talk Week 2 – UTSports
Quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle and defensive coordinator Tim Banks met with the media Tuesday to discuss the Tennessee Vols football team’s matchup with Pitt. Halzle talked Hendon Hooker’s development. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“Hendon’s a completely different guy. His confidence, his fundamentals, his development since that point – he’s a completely different quarterback from the mental side, the physical, the entire aspect of playing the position, and that’s why you’ve seen the success and the growth, kind of using that game as a jumping-off point from last year.”"
Banks talked about the defense not getting any sacks in the opener against the Ball State Cardinals. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“I thought for the most part, we showed some flashes in terms of what we want to be and what we’re capable of being. I thought those guys did a good job obviously of getting rid of the ball quickly, but when he held it, I thought we applied some pressure. Was it perfect? Absolutely not, but I thought for the most part, those guys did a good job of executing what we asked them to execute.”"
Football cracks AP top 25 – APNews.com
They are still one spot out of the Coaches Poll top 25, but Tennessee football came in at No. 24 in the AP Poll for Week 2. Pitt is No. 17 in the AP Poll and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll.
"The official page for the AP Top 25 college football poll, a tradition since 1936. Keep up to date and view the latest ranking updates each week."
Soccer to face Kennesaw State – Eric Woods, UT Daily Beacon
At 2-1-2, the Tennessee Lady Vols soccer team will face the Kennesaw State Owls Thursday night. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET as UT, on a two-game winning streak, looks to get above .500 for the first time this year.
"Kennesaw State is coming off a game against Georgia, where the Bulldogs defeated the Owls 7-0. KSU finished 9-8-2 last season and was the runner-up in the ASUN tournament. Tennessee is 4-0-2 against ASUN opponents all-time."
Track and field assistant announced – UTSports
Erik Whitsitt has been named the throws coach for the Tennessee Vols track and field program. Duane Ross made the announcement Tuesday.
"A veteran coach, Whitsitt comes to Rocky Top after spending the past 10 seasons in Eugene, Oregon, with the Ducks. During his time in the Pacific Northwest, Whitsitt coached student-athletes to two NCAA titles, 10 Pac-12 titles and six Oregon school records."
Women’s tennis announces fall competition schedule – UTSports
Coming off a 16-10 record and a loss to the N.C. State Wolfpack in the NCAA Tournament, the Tennessee Lady Vols tennis team ironically begins its fall slate in an event hosted by N.C. State. The fall competition schedule was revealed Tuesday, and UT will kick things off at the Wolfpack Invitational, which lasts from Thursday, Sept. 22 through Sunday, Sept. 25.
"With a new school year freshly underway, the Tennessee women’s tennis team gears up for a strong fall competition schedule that will see the Lady Vols compete in eight tournaments, with the potential for a ninth if UT has a qualifier at the ITA National Fall Championship.Tennessee’s fall schedule is highlighted by a pair of events taking place on Rocky Top, beginning with the 2022 ITA Ohio Valley Regional on October 19."