Big Orange Report April 3, 2025

Good News


About the only really positive news for Tennessee athletics over the weekend was the fact that the Lady Vols softball squad took two of three games from the defending national champions, Oklahoma. Tennessee beat the Sooners' ace, Sam Landry, twice in the series and Karlyn Pickens, who had relieved in the first two games, twirled a four hitter in the final to pick up her 14th victory of the season. In a recent game, Pickens set a new college softball record for fastest pitch ever thrown at 78.2 miles per hour.
By the way, Tennessee's No. 1 ranked baseball team swept another series, this time beating South Carolina three games in a row.
Flipping the Script
Tennessee's men's basketball team had lost twice to Kentucky during the regular season. However, the Cats found out in the Sweet 16 that is very difficult to beat a good team three times in a row. Give head coach Rick Barnes and his staff a significant amount of credit for this victory, they composed a new defensive game plan that bewildered UK for the majority of the battle.
In the two losses during the conference schedule, the Wildcats used the three ball to subdue the Big Orange. In both wins, Kentucky drained 12 of 24 three-point shots, giving them 24 of 48 for 50 percent from behind the arc. The Vol defense was prepared to challenge and defended against the UK marksmen in a 78-65 verdict that propelled Tennessee into the Elite 8 and a showdown with No. 1 seed Houston. Kentucky was able to launch just 15 long range attempts and connected on six (40 percent) of those shots. That is a difference of 18 points in each of the two losses to the Cats.
Meanwhile, the Volunteer guards generated plenty of offense UT. The guards, led by Chaz Lanier (17 points), Zakai Zeigler (18 points) and Jordan Gainey (16 points) booked 55 of Tennessee's total of 78 points in the contest.
Final Four Remains Elusive
After a near flawless performance against Kentucky, the Tennessee men's team laid a losing egg against Houston. The Vols set a new tournament record for least number of points scored in the first half by a 2 seed in the history of the tournament (15). UT fought back to within 10 in the second half but faded down the stretch and lost by 19 points, the same margin that Houston enjoyed at halftime.
If a team lives by the three, sometimes they die by the three. The Vols missed their first 14 attempts from behind the arc and finished the game a very pathetic 5 of 29 on three point attempts.
Lady Vols Bow Out
Kim Caldwell's first season in Knoxville ended Saturday when Tennessee fell to No. 1 seed Texas. The Lady Vols battled the entire game and actually outscored the Longhorns in the second and third quarters of the contest. However, Tennessee struggled with turnovers (18) and at the foul line where the team hit just 4 of 10 freebies. The strength of their offensive game this season was shooting threes but, in this loss, UT converted on just 5 of 26 shots from behind the arc.
Still, Caldwell and the program certainly appear to have a very bright future. She lured the No. 1 recruiting class in the country to sign with Tennessee and the staff is already working the transfer portal for a low post player and a forward for next season.
Young Vols Stepping Up (Part 1)
Several sophomores, red shirt freshmen and freshmen are attracting a considerable amount of attention as spring drills wind towards the Orange-White scrimmage on April 12. The staff is looking for quality depth at almost every position on the team and a healthy number of youngsters are answering the call.
Despite the fact that durable and talented running back Dylan Sampson has moved on to the NFL draft, the cupboard is far from bare. DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis both have SEC level size and speed and both flashed some potential for the future when they did get into games in 2024. Both underclassmen have been working overtime on receiving passes out of the backfield and their pass blocking techniques when called on to protect the quarterback.
At wideout, former five-star Mike Matthews is getting most of the attention but red-shirt freshman Braylon Staley is beginning to look like a "Keeper" and one of the most improved players on the squad this off season. Staley was a warrior in weight training during the winter and it was already known that he has elite speed and very good hands as a pass catcher.
Two other eager candidates, red shirt freshman Amari Jefferson and true freshman Travis Smith are also trying to elbow their way into the rotation. Jefferson transferred back to his home state after spending one year at Alabama and Smith is a highly regarded first year man, early enrollee and one of the top rated wideout recruits in the Class of 2025.
One youngster who is getting extra attention is offensive center William Satterwhite. He is the projected starter replacing long time pivot man Cooper Mays. 

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