KNOXVILLE, Tn — In a season filled with poor harm look, the well being bug bit Tennessee once more within the opening minutes of its Senior Day matchup in opposition to Arkansas. Regardless of. With out its vitality chief, Tennessee created its personal vitality and suffocated Arkansas 75-57 at Thompson-Boling Enviornment.
Right here’s three fast takeaways on a formidable effort.
Zakai Zeigler Exits With Harm
I wrote about it with extra element right here however any story about this sport has to incorporate the horrific break that occurred simply 2:54 within the sport when Tennessee level guard Zakai Zeigler exited the sport with what gave the impression to be a left knee harm.
Zeigler is Tennessee’s solely true level guard and by far its greatest offensive creator. That’s all on high of being the vitality chief for the group with what he brings on the defensive finish each evening.
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In opposition to a stout and bodily Arkansas protection, the harm set Tennessee again in a significant method. The harm’s impact was even larger as a result of unavailability of guard Tyreke Key. The senior isn’t a real level guard however performs the place when Zeigler is out of the sport.
However that put the burden on largely Santiago Vescovi, who has proved to be a a lot better participant when he can play with out the ball. Vescovi wasn’t implausible working the purpose however did sufficient to maintain Tennessee afloat, meting out 5 assists to a few turnovers whereas including 14 factors.
Even Jahmai Mashack, who hasn’t performed a second of level guard in his Tennessee profession, spent a while at level guard in opposition to the Razorbacks.
With Zeigler sidelined, Tennessee needed to lean on the nitty gritty method of scoring factors. It responded in very spectacular style.
The Future Delivers
Rick Barnes stated earlier this season that he sees sophomore guard Jahmai Mashack and freshman large man Tobe Awaka the way forward for this system in a number of methods.
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The duo confirmed why Barnes believes that when the Vols’ most wanted them Tuesday evening. Mashack and Awaka are uncooked prospects however they each did what they do greatest in opposition to the Razorbacks.
For Mashack that was be a menace on the defensive finish of the court docket. The California native performed with unrelenting vitality and made life extraordinarily tough for Arkansas all evening. Mashack recorded 4 steals on the evening and whereas he wasn’t nice offensively, he bought to the road a handful of instances and totaled six factors.
Awaka rebounds. He additionally has good contact across the rim for a freshman whose sport continues to be very uncooked.
He did each in opposition to Arkansas, grabbing eight rebounds (5 on the offensive) and scoring seven factors.
When Zeigler went down it was clear Tennessee was going to need to win with vitality and difficult play. Mashack and Awaka each introduced an abundance of it.
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Tennessee Wins With Protection, Rebounding
The Tennessee males’s basketball group took a web page out of the good Pat Summitt’s e-book Tuesday evening. The Vols beat Arkansas with protection and rebounding.
Let’s begin on the defensive finish the place Tennessee held the Razorbacks to 57 factors on a dismal .905 factors per possession. The Vols’ success began with their ball stress as they turned Arkansas, and its shaky backcourt, over 16times.
Maybe probably the most spectacular a part of Tennessee’s defensive efficiency was the truth that Arkansas — the SEC’s worst three-point capturing group — shot the ball nicely from the perimeter. Arkansas made eight-of-22 (36%) of its three-point makes an attempt and was satirically one of the best a part of its offense.
On the glass, Tennessee was tenacious and seemed prefer it needed it extra in opposition to what’s a great rebounding and intensely athletic Arkansas group. The Vols received the rebounding battle 35-32 and 10-9 on the offensive finish. Tennessee totaled 13 second probability factors whereas Arkansas mustered solely 4. These numbers severely evened out within the sport’s remaining minutes.
Dealing with adversity, Tennessee responded and dominated a strong opponent with defensive and rebounding. There’s little question about it, Pat Summitt would have been happy with the Vols’ effort.
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Last Stats
Up Subsequent
Tennessee travels to the plains for its common season finale in opposition to Auburn Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. ET with ESPN broadcasting the sport.
Tonnage shipped on the Arkansas River in 2024 totaled 12.446 million tons, up 1.95% compared with 2023 tonnage. The increase was driven by a 13% increase in sand, gravel, rock shipments, and 8% and 41% gains, respectively, in wheat and soybean shipments.
December tonnage was 1.01 million tons, below the 1.032 million tons in December 2023, according to a report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
However, river activity surged in the fourth quarter with shipments in the final three months carrying 3.387 million tons, up 15.8% compared with the same period in 2023.
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Inbound shipments – those coming from off the river system – totaled 3.793 million tons during 2024, down 16% compared with 2023. Outbound shipments totaled 4.769 million tons, up 134% compared with 2023. Internal shipments – those sent between port operations on the river – totaled 3.884 million tons, up 10%.
Following are the top five shipment categories by tonnage in 2024, with the percentage change from 2023. • Sand, gravel, rock: 4.591 million tons (up 13%) • Chemical fertilizer: 2.438 million tons (down 9%) • Minerals and building products: 1.06 million tons (down 0.12%) • Iron and Steel: 987,223 tons (down 20%) • Wheat: 889,443 tons (up 8%)
“Tonnage for Five Rivers Distribution saw an 8% increase in 2024. Tonnage remains strong with favorable river conditions and our rail volumes have also increased,” said Marty Shell, owner of Van Buren-based Five Rivers Distribution, which manages port operations in Van Buren and the Port of Fort Smith. “Inbound and outbound trucks into the facilities are also heavy with the winter months of supplying the animal agriculture business. We foresee a strong 2025, but the uncertainty of tariffs still loom for the upcoming years and we will have to pivot to those changes.”
Bryan Day, executive director of the Port of Little Rock, said the port posted a 27% decrease in barge tonnage in 2024 compared with 2023. Tonnage from rail at the port was up 26%. He said the state’s largest port also saw a fourth quarter surge, working 87 barges compared with 58 in the same period of 2023. Day estimates barge and rail tonnage at the port will increase in 2025, and he also believes river traffic will continue to increase.
“Our estimation for 2025 is that river tonnage will increase based on preliminary conversations with some of our industries,” Day noted.
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TONNAGE HISTORY, RIVER INFO Tonnage shipped on the river in 2023 totaled 12.208 million, up 10.9% compared with 11.011 million tons in 2022. Shipments of sand, gravel, rock and chemical fertilizers helped drive the 2023 gains.
Inbound shipments – those coming from off the river system – totaled 4.491 million tons during 2023, up 30% compared with 2022. Outbound shipments totaled 4.175 million tons, up 6% compared with 2022. Internal shipments – those sent between port operations on the river – totaled 3.542 million tons, down 1% compared with 2022.
The Arkansas River system – McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) – is 445 miles long and stretches from the confluence of the Mississippi River to the Port of Catoosa near Tulsa, Okla. The controlled waterway has 18 locks and dams, with 13 in Arkansas and five in Oklahoma. The river also has five commercial ports: Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Fort Smith, Muskogee, Okla., and the Tulsa Port of Catoosa in Oklahoma.
Susie Maynard was named Arkansas Elementary Art Teacher of the Year for 2023-24, but the White Hall School District instructor is quick to give credit to her coworkers.
“The only thing that sets me apart is that I have the best team,” Maynard said Tuesday. “That’s what makes me so good is the team. We have the best art team.”
The team puts together a district-wide art show every year at the White Hall Community Center featuring drawings, paintings, sculptures and more.
“We try to include every avenue of art,” Maynard said.
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Maynard was acknowledged for her award at a WHSD board meeting. Arkansas Art Educators presented the honor to Maynard during the fall semester.
Maynard teaches kindergarten through fifth grades at Moody and Hardin elementaries. She has taught in the WHSD for at least 15 years and also spent a year in the Little Rock School District.
She values giving students a chance to problem-solve and think for themselves.
“I don’t feel like they have enough of that, and art is such a great avenue for them to make their own decisions, to make their mistakes and figure out, how do I solve this mistake?” she said. “How do I turn it into something really cool?”
Before approaching those questions, students do learn the basics from Maynard.
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“We teach how to use the paintbrush, how to hold your pencil, how to draw different shapes and how to put it together, and then the student picks it up and carries it from there,” she said.
Other teachers nominated Maynard for the award and the AAE board decided on the winner, she said. Despite such a prestigious honor, she remains humble.
“I don’t think I stand out,” Maynard started, “but I …”
“Yes, she does,” Debbie Jones interjected. Jones is the assistant superintendent for curriculum. “There is creativity that she brings to the table, and it’s also opportunity for students to explore within their art.”
Arkansas’ economic expansion continued in the last months of 2024 and positions the state to continue building momentum as the year opens, according to a regional economic analysis released Wednesday.
Nevertheless, rising prices could hinder growth and business executives are worried about persisting inflation and the potential economic hurdles that tariff increases could create. Christmas holiday sales were uplifting, coming in better than expected and brightening the outlook for 2025.
Sales were helped by a late Thanksgiving that fueled a spending spree and delivered a kickstart to the year, the Federal Reserve Bank reported Wednesday in its Beige Book economic analysis. The report covers 12 regional districts, including Arkansas and surrounding states in the St. Louis district.
“Retailers in our district indicated that December sales were stronger than in previous years,” Charles Gascon, the Fed economist for the Arkansas region, said Wednesday.
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