Big Orange Report March 20, 2025


 Time to Dance


The basketball teams are headed for the Big Dances and both the men and women have a legitimate opportunity to grab some headlines in the NCAA tournament. Rick Barnes' Vols battled all the way to the championship game in the Southeastern Conference tourney after knocking off Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers in the semi-finals. Auburn was the regular season champion and No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
In the title tilt against Florida, UT trailed for the entire game and fell behind by 14 points in the second half. The Vols battled back to get within five points but simply could not handle the Gators' rugged inside game. Florida out rebounded Tennessee 39-25 and had 15 offensive boards in the 86-77 win. Super sub Jordan Gainey netted a season high 24 points for the Vols and led the rallies after intermission.
The Volunteers will open play in the tournament on Thursday when they will tangle with the Terriers from Wofford. UT is a two seed and will play in Lexington, Ky. Houston landed on the one seed line in this region. The games will be broadcast across four networks, CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. This opening contest will air on TNT at approximately 5:50 p.m.
Coach Kim Caldwell's Lady Vols surprised more than a few folks with some unexpected successes in the regular season. The highlight this winter was a homecourt victory over No. 3 ranked UConn. It was the Lady Vols' first triumph over Geno Auriema's national powerhouse since 2009.
The No. 5 seeded Lady Vols will begin play on Friday in Birmingham, Ala. regional.  UT will face the No. 12 seed, South Florida. in Columbus, Ohio in the lid lifter.  The ESPN network stations will be broadcasting the women's tournament this year.
Diamond Vols Are Rolling
The defending national champion, Tennessee, remains the only unbeaten baseball squad in the college ranks after completing an impressive three game sweep of No. 6 ranked Florida over the weekend. The Vols are now 20-0 in the early going. Coach Tony Vitello obviously has an eye for talent as he almost completely rebuilt the roster through recruiting and the transfer portal. UT will hit the road this weekend for a three game series against Alabama.
The Lady Vols swept another non-conference series this past weekend against UConn. Tennessee is now 25-4 overall and 2-1 in the league. UT will entertain a reeling Arkansas team this weekend after the Razorbacks dropped three in a row to No.. 1 Oklahoma. All three of these games are set to be televised on the SEC network.
Spring Break
The Tennessee football squad has the week off for spring break from school. The team worked in helmets and shoulder pads last Friday before completing the first week of spring drills. Several players are still rehabbing from medical procedures or other injuries but the team is expected to be at near full strength for the annual Orange-White contest on April 12. 

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