Tennessee
Here's who Suns fans should be watching during March Madness
Believe it or not, the Phoenix Suns are slated to have a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and they could end up selecting one of the stars of the NCAA Tournament which starts this week.
As things currently stand, Phoenix still holds four first rounders between the 2024 and 2030 drafts, although they don’t have sole possession of any.
For 2024, the Suns will take the least favorable first rounder between the Memphis Grizzlies’ pick, the Washington Wizards’ pick and their own. Right now, the least favorable of the three is their own, sitting at No. 19 after the loss on Sunday to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Here are some players who could have a big impact in March Madness before being in play at No. 19 — or wherever the Suns’ pick ends up.
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee, No. 13 on ESPN’s Top 100
Knecht has the best chance to knock off Purdue big man Zach Edey for National Player of the Year with how he’s led Tennessee this season.
The 6-foot-6, 213-pound wing has worked his way up through junior college to low-major Northern Colorado and now to Tennessee where he led the Volunteers to the SEC regular season title.
The fifth-year senior enters the tournament averaging 21.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists on a career best 39.7% on 6.2 3s per game.
First March Madness matchup: No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s on Thursday at 6:20 p.m. on TNT.
Ryan Dunn, Virginia, No. 20 on The Athletic’s mock draft (to Phoenix at the time)
The 6-foot-8, 216-pound sophomore doesn’t offer a ton offensively, but he may be the best defender in the country, with the toughness to hang with bigger players as well.
Dunn is a career 24% shooter on 3s but is a much better 61.9% on 2s. He also blocks nearly 2.5 shots per game in just 27.6 minutes, including five against Duke a couple weeks ago.
First March Madness matchup: No. 10 Virginia vs. No. 10 Colorado State on Tuesday at 6:10 p.m. on truTV.
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton, No. 25 on The Athletic’s mock draft
After starring at Millennium High in Goodyear and AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, Holmes has dominated the A-10 for three seasons now, showing a smooth and versatile game that not many bigs have.
This season, Holmes added a 3-point shot and is hitting 38.5% on 2.5 attempts at 6-foot-10. He attempted just 26 over his first two seasons combined. Averaging over 20 points and two blocks per game, he’s poised to take the Flyers on a run.
First March Madness matchup: No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Nevada on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. on TBS.
Phoenix is without a second-round pick in this draft because it was rescinded after the league found the Suns to have tampered in acquiring Drew Eubanks last summer.
They do have to fill out a G League roster for next season though, so general manager James Jones may end up bringing in undrafted rookies, something he hasn’t really done in his tenure.
Here are some players Jones and the Suns could be looking at in the tournament.
Alex Karaban, UConn, No. 50 on ESPN’s Top 100
Shooting is the big draw for this 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore who shot 39.8% on nearly 350 attempts over the two seasons he played for the Huskies, with a chance to have championship rings in each season.
UConn’s offense is probably the closest to an NBA offense in all of the field, and Karaban’s ability to connect within that offense — career 3.1 assists per 100 possessions — should endear him to NBA front offices.
First March Madness matchup: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 Stetson on Friday at 11:45 a.m. on CBS.
Tyon Grant-Foster, Grand Canyon, unranked
One of the best stories in college basketball because of the medical hardships he has endured, the 6-foot-7 wing is versatile on offense and obsessive on defense.
Grant-Foster is one of the best in the country at getting to the line and creating his own shot in the mid-range, averaging over three stocks (steals plus blocks) on the other end.
He would make for a great marquee headliner for the Suns’ G League team as he develops into a potential difference-maker for the Suns, where his cousin Ish Wainright is on a two-way contract.
First March Madness matchup: No. 12 Grand Canyon vs. No. 5 St. Mary’s on Friday at 7:05 p.m. on truTV.
The Tennessee Volunteers are in the middle of a bye-week, after last weekend’s loss to Oklahoma.
The playoffs are out of the picture, but there is still plenty of work left to do. The Vols will use this week to work on getting some guys healthy as they prepare for New Mexico State on November 15.
It will be interesting to see if there are any changes for the New Mexico State in terms of players. Will the Vols decide to go a bit younger and work in some younger guys as a way to jumpstart some guys who may battle for playing time and/or a starting position next season.
Josh Heupel met with reporters earlier today to discuss a few things as the team prepares to move forward.
Josh Heupel’s Opening Statement
“How’s everybody doing? Uh, good work today. Um, got another day tomorrow and then some of the coaches will hit the ground recruiting this week. Big focuses again on us during the bye and how we get better. So, open it up,” Heupel said.
Balancing Act
“Yeah, I think wherever your feet are and what’s important at that moment is what you got to be doing. So, uh the development of our current players, our preparation of the opponent that we’re playing, you know, for me, at times the projection of the following year in all departments you’re looking at. So, it’s a combination of all those things. December has changed a little bit on the calendar as well. That gives you a little bit more time potentially in December as well,” Heupel said.
Rotating Young Guys
“Guys that prove that they’re ready to play and play at a really high level, championship level. They earn the right to play and compete and that’s ongoing throughout the course of this season. These guys have worked really hard, disappointed in the results Saturday and a couple other during the course of the year, for sure. But man, it’s constant and consistent growth from everybody,” Heupel explained.
Click HERE to watch and listen to everything Tennessee Football head coach Josh Heupel said during his Wednesday media availability during the bye-week.
Follow Our Social Media Pages and YouTube
• Follow us on X HERE
• Follow us on Facebook HERE
• Follow us on Instagram HERE
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel HERE
Follow Our Staff:
Tennessee
Tennessee provides $5 million emergency food funding during government shutdown affecting SNAP benefits
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee is providing $5 million in emergency funding to food banks as the government shutdown continues to block federal food assistance for low-income families across the state.
The funding comes from TennCare reserve funds and will go to Second Harvest Food Bank, which will distribute the money to food banks statewide based on the number of SNAP recipients in each community.
“It’s an initial response to an immediate need,” Gov. Bill Lee said.
The emergency measure comes as food pantries report overwhelming demand. The Well’s food pantry in Spring Hill served as many families in one hour as they typically see in an entire day.
“It’s hard to see hungry families, senior citizens who have no other alternatives except to wait in the long line at a food pantry,” said Shelly Sassen, CEO of The Well.
SNAP benefits, the federal program that helps low-income families buy groceries, stopped during the shutdown, creating a food emergency across Tennessee.
“They ought to open the government now,” Gov. Lee said.
Even if the Trump administration follows a judge’s order to unlock emergency funds that could provide at least half the normal SNAP amount, Gov. Lee warns the process won’t be immediate.
“But if they release partial funding, the complexity of loading cards with a different formula than before is going to be difficult,” Gov. Lee explained.
The state’s emergency funding represents “the sort of most streamlined way to get dollars to people out, even in rural areas,” Gov. Lee added.
Food pantry volunteers describe the emotional toll of seeing increased need firsthand.
“We’re telling some folks to come back later in the day,” said one volunteer at The Well.
“When you’re here looking people in the eyes and see that they are hungry, that they need some help. That’s what really hits,” another volunteer said.
You are invited to make monetary donations, but Second Harvest Food Bank would also greatly appreciate food donations. Here is a list of suggested items:
- Peanut Butter
- Canned Meat (Chicken or Tuna)
- Canned Vegetables
- Canned Fruit
- Canned Meals (Entree or Soup)
- Pasta
- Pasta Sauce
- Cereal
- Rice
- Beans (Canned or Dry)
You can drop off food donations at the following locations:
- Second Harvest Nashville — 331 Great Circle Road Nashville, TN
- Second Harvest Symrna — 1958 Almaville Road Smyrna, TN
- Second Harvest Camden — 69 Benton Industrial Road Camden, TN
- Any Middle Tennessee Kroger location
You can find your nearest Kroger location by clicking here.
Are you someone being affected by not receiving SNAP benefits? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@Newschannel5.com
Vandy’s band of misfits turns heads with 7-1 start
This is a story I immediately went home and showed my boys – young athletes with big dreams. The Vanderbilt football team’s success has stolen the spotlight – what I love about Steve Layman’s story is he reveals the individual hardships it took to get there. As Clark Lea says, “we all have scuff marks.” This team proves perseverance pays off!
– Carrie Sharp
Wide receiver Chimere Dike is the first Tennessee Titans player to find the end zone on a punt return since Darius Reynaud back in 2012.
Dike returned a punt 67 yards in the first quarter to give the Titans a 14-3 lead in the first quarter of the team’s Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Dike spoke about what it felt like to get his first touchdown on a punt return.
“Oh, it’s good. I mean, I think that — I’m more happy for our unit. We talk about it all the time. So, those guys work their tail off for me every Sunday. Finally do my job and finish off the run and get into the endzone,” Dike said postgame.
Dike nearly scored a touchdown earlier in the season, but it was called back after a penalty from linebacker Cedric Gray. This time, the special teams unit prevailed as Dike got his score.
“Yeah, in a meeting him and KB (Kendell Brooks), we talked about it as a unit, we’ve been increasing teams and having explosive returns, but you know we wanted to have a spark for the offense and the rest of the team and put it in a box, so to be able to do that it felt good,” Dike said of the special teams unit.
Dike has been getting snaps at wide receiver and special teams and it has led to him leading the league in all-purpose yards over the course of the first half of the season. He has a knack for getting strong returns.
“I caught it, I saw the gunners were both split, both of the zeros did a really good job. It was a one-on-one with their net, then he got missed and then popped out to the right. And I saw about three rip by and then a bunch of blue jerseys. I knew it was a touchdown,” Dike said of his scoring play.
Despite Dike’s efforts, the Titans lost the game to fall to 1-8 on the season. They now advance to the bye week, where they will have a chance to correct some errors.
“Yeah, I mean, I think the penalties in first half were really big,” Dike said. “I think just the negative plays, right? We’re running the football really well, but getting behind the sticks is tough. And I’m sure we’re going to look back and there’s other things. But I think that comes to mind.”
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
The Strategies Transforming Fashion and Beauty’s Customer Experience
Contributor: I’m a young Latino voter. Neither party has figured us out
Many of Altadena’s standing homes are still contaminated with lead and asbestos even after cleanup
Lakers takeaways: Luka Doncic’s defense (yes, defense) helps hold off Spurs
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
EU risks ‘losing credibility’ if it fails to enlarge, Montenegro’s deputy PM warns
Trump urges GOP to end shutdown. And, SCOTUS skeptical of reasoning behind tariffs
Read the Judge’s Order
UFC legend endorses pro-law enforcement pick for California governor: ‘We need his strength’
Israel’s focus on political drama rather than Palestinian rape victim
-
Milwaukee, WI1 week agoLongtime anchor Shannon Sims is leaving Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV (Channel 4)
-
News1 week agoWith food stamps set to dry up Nov. 1, SNAP recipients say they fear what’s next
-
Culture1 week agoVideo: Dissecting Three Stephen King Adaptations
-
Seattle, WA4 days agoESPN scoop adds another intriguing name to Seahawks chatter before NFL trade deadline
-
Seattle, WA1 week agoFOX 13’s Aaron Levine wins back-to-back Jeopardy! episodes
-
San Diego, CA1 week agoAdd Nick Hundley, Ruben Niebla to list of Padres’ managerial finalists
-
Education1 week agoOpinion | New York City Mayoral Candidates: Who Would Be Best?
-
Culture1 week agoCan You Pair Up These 1980s Novels and Their First Lines?