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Links are back! Your daily source of Tennessee Volunteers news and notes….
Lady Vols come up shot in Coach Caldwell’s return
A strong opening and finishing quarter wasn’t enough for the Tennessee Lady Vols to spring the upset on No. 2 South Carolina. Tennessee jumped out to an early lead, but the Gamecocks showed why they’re on their way to yet another No. 1 seed during the second and third quarters. A furious comeback late fell short, as South Carolina put away Tennessee to win 70-63.
It was head coach Kim Caldwell’s return to the sideline after missing the Texas matchup last week following the birth of her son. However, a 3-26 shooting night from three-point range doomed a solid effort otherwise. The Lady Vols will head to Missouri on Sunday looking to get back on track.
Tennessee set for another ranked showdown vs. Kentucky
Welcome (back) to the rivalry, Mark Pope. The new Kentucky head coach is hoping to have better success against Tennessee than John Calipari did. Rick Barnes is 11-10 since arriving in Knoxville against the Wildcats. He’s 5-4 at home and 7-3 against Kentucky when both teams are ranked.
Kentucky is 3-3 in league play and has dropped two straight games — at home against Alabama and at Vanderbilt. Tennessee will be looking to make that three straight tonight (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Tennessee basketball to host five-star Nate Ament
Tennessee is set to host five-star small forward Nate Ament during the Kentucky game. The 6-9, 185 pound prospect ranks inside the top five overall in the class of 2025. Tennessee has struck out on a handful of top prep prospects over the last couple of cycles, but will be looking to change that here with Ament. With Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Masack, Igor Milicic and Zakai Zeigler on the way out following the season, Rick Barnes is going to be faced again with replacing the bulk of his scoring.
Kentucky will be without key player vs. Tennessee
Speaking of Kentucky, the Wildcats will be without starter Lamont Butler against Tennessee on Tuesday night. The senior guard has been dealing with a shoulder injury. Butler averages 13.2 points per game and shoots 40 percent from three-point range.