Tennessee

Judges block Tennessee move to cut Nashville council in half

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2023

Judges block Tennessee move to cut Nashville council in half

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Democratic-leaning metropolis of Nashville’s Metropolitan Council will get to maintain all 40 of its seats for now, underneath a short lived determination issued Monday by three state judges. The ruling stymies an effort by state Republican lawmakers to chop the council in half after it blocked the the 2024 Republican Nationwide Conference from coming to the Music Metropolis.

Nashville has operated underneath a mixed city-county authorities system with 40 council members since 1963, when leaders had been wrestling with consolidating town and surrounding county as advocates labored to make sure Black leaders maintained robust illustration there.

The brand new statute at difficulty would require Nashville to craft new council districts by Could 1, a deadline metropolis officers say is unreasonable.

Three state courtroom trial judges — one from Nashville, one from Shelby County and one in Athens, Tennessee — agreed, saying there’s a “compelling public curiosity in preserving the integrity of the Metro election course of that’s already underway.”

Nashville authorities officers who filed the lawsuit have argued that altering the council’s make-up now will throw this yr’s elections into chaos, partially as a result of it might require redrawing district boundaries after greater than 40 candidates have launched campaigns.

Monday’s ruling blocked the requirement pending the lawsuit’s end result.

“The Court docket finds the implementation of the Act and its discount provisions at this late date leads to upheaval of the election course of, dangers voter confusion, and probably includes the integrity of Davidson County’s August 3, 2023 basic election,” the judges wrote.

Lawyer Normal Jonathan Skrmetti’s workplace is defending the state towards the lawsuit. His spokesperson, Elizabeth Lane, mentioned the workplace continues to be reviewing the choice.

Wally Dietz, the legislation director for Nashville’s city-county authorities, which is searching for to overturn the brand new legislation, mentioned in a press release that Nashville officers are “grateful that the courtroom issued an injunction based mostly on its unanimous discovering that Metro is more likely to succeed on our declare that the Legislature violated the Structure by altering the foundations for Metro alone in the course of an election.”

The state legislation, which solely applies to metropolis or city-county governments, would reduce Nashville’s mixed council to twenty folks. No different Tennessee metropolis or city-county authorities has greater than that.

If a metro authorities can’t make the modifications in time for the subsequent election, present members’ phrases are imagined to be prolonged for one yr to accommodate the modifications, and the subsequent four-year time period can be diminished to 3. The election cycle would then return to as soon as each 4 years.

Metropolis officers have mentioned the scheme violates the state Structure.

1 / 4 of Nashville’s council seats are held by Black members, half by ladies and 5 members who determine as LGBTQ+.

Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Statehouse handed the legislation halving the variety of seats earlier this yr, one in all many proposals Republicans have launched to upend Nashville politics.

One invoice would have renamed a portion of Nashville Rep. John Lewis Solution to Trump Boulevard. That laws has since been spiked for the yr. One other measure would reconfigure police oversight boards in Tennessee and a 3rd would block cities from utilizing public funds to reimburse workers who journey out of state to get an abortion. Tennessee’s abortion ban is among the strictest within the nation. Some slim exceptions are awaiting the governor’s signature.

___

Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville contributed to this report.

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Tennessee

Tennessee college basketball is final undefeated team this season under coach Rick Barnes

Published

5 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee college basketball is final undefeated team this season under coach Rick Barnes

Tennessee basketball is the final undefeated team in Division I men’s college basketball this season.

The No. 1 Vols moved to 14-0 with a 76-52 win against Arkansas on Saturday, while Florida and Oklahoma lost in their SEC openers.

No. 5 Florida fell 106-100 to No. 11 Kentucky at Rupp Arena for its first loss after a 13-0 start. No. 10 Oklahoma tumbled 107-79 to No. 6 Alabama at Coleman Coliseum after the Sooners also started 13-0.

Drake (12-1), which entered 2025 without a loss, was beaten by UIC 74-70 on Jan. 1.

The Vols (14-0, 1-0 SEC) play at Florida (13-1, 0-1) on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPNU).

Tennessee’s start is tied for the best in program history. The 1922-23 Vols also opened 14-0 in a 17-game season.

UT has been ranked No. 1 for four straight weeks, which is tied for the longest streak in program history. It likely will hold the top spot Monday for a record fifth week. The Vols also were ranked No. 1 for four weeks in the 2018-19 season.

UT was ranked No. 12 in the preseason coaches poll, and moved up to No. 9 after starting the season 2-0 with wins against Gardner-Webb and at Louisville. It stayed No. 9 after going 4-0.

Tennessee rolled through the Baha Mar Championship with wins against Virginia and Baylor to reach 6-0 and rise to No. 6. It hopped to No. 3 after beating UT Martin before ascending to No. 1.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

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Inside Igor Milicic Jr’s 18-rebound game for No. 1 Tennessee basketball vs Arkansas

Published

14 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Inside Igor Milicic Jr’s 18-rebound game for No. 1 Tennessee basketball vs Arkansas

John Calipari’s first observation about this Tennessee basketball team compared to last year’s is the Vols are a year older.

The second was about “the transfer in.”

The Arkansas coach was talking about Igor Milicic Jr., which was readily apparent as Calipari detailed what that unnamed transfer did Saturday. He stretches the floor for Tennessee. He helps the Vols.

He had double-digit rebounds, the key facet of Calipari’s description as Milicic had the best rebounding performance by a player in coach Rick Barnes’ decade at Tennessee.

“Igor was spectacular,” Barnes said.

Milicic grabbed 18 rebounds with six offensive boards and 13 points as No. 1 Tennessee (14-0, 1-0 SEC) pounded Arkansas (11-3, 0-1) on Saturday at Food City Center. It was his career best and the best by a Vol under Barnes.

Igor Milicic explains his 18 rebounds for Tennessee vs Arkansas

Milicic provided a simplified explanation for his rebounding success. His teammates block out and clear the way for him.

“I just need to go jump and get it,” Milicic said. “It’s not that hard, honestly.”

Milicic made it look that easy against Arkansas. The 6-foot-10 forward had nine rebounds before halftime, notched his 10th rebound 33 seconds into the second half, and kept going.

The Charlotte transfer is the fourth Vol in the past 20 years to have at least 18 rebounds in a game.

Milicic preached consistency as a key to being a good rebounder. You have to keep crashing the boards even when you are tired. You have to accept contact.

Barnes credited Milicic for his anticipation skills, quickness and good hands. He added more credit to his effort. He got that overall against Arkansas as Tennessee outrebounded Arkansas 51-29 with 24 offensive rebounds.

Milicic was the tone-setter because he makes it a priority, guard Zakai Zeigler said.

“Even if he is not shooting the ball well, I can count on him to go get 10 rebounds or go get five O-boards,” Zeigler said. “It is just really impressive he does it day in and day out.”

Why rebounding is fun to Igor Milicic Jr.

Tennessee knew Milicic was a good rebounder coming from Charlotte, where he averaged 8.5 rebounds last season.

His offensive rebounding has impressed. The Vols play faster than Charlotte, which means more rebounding opportunities. They also put more of an emphasis on offensive rebounding than Charlotte, which Milicic has enjoyed.

“It just another opportunity to score,” Milicic said. “It is all of us. We get extra opportunities to score and it shows with the shooting that we have here. It is really fun — and of course sometimes you get a putback, right?”

Milicic is averaging 8.9 rebounds after his 18-rebound game. The only other Vol to average that many in a season in the past 20 years is Jarnell Stokes, who had 9.6 per game in 2012-13 and 10.6 in 2013-14.

The Croatian has three straight games with at least 10 rebounds. He has double-digit rebounds in four of the past five games and six of the past eight. He had nine in one of those games.

He rocketed past those impressive games with his best one yet Saturday. That prompted Calipari’s attention and an understatement when he stated Milicic is “pretty good.”

A more fitting description is the compliment that followed: Milicic is doing what Calipari wishes his players would do. He’s an all-out rebounder and he’s one of the best at it.

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No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 23 Arkansas: Game information, lineups, notes

Published

1 day ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 23 Arkansas: Game information, lineups, notes

Tennessee emerged from its non-conference slate unbeaten and has topped the major polls for four-straight weeks.

Now, the No. 1 Vols (13-0) begin their biggest challenge: SEC play.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Tennessee opens league action against No. 23 Arkansas (11-2) at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the first of back-to-back games against ranked teams and one with a number of intriguing storylines.

The Razorbacks, winners of four-straight, are led by a familiar face in John Calipari, who is in his first season after leaving Kentucky where he went up against the Vols in several notable games in the previous 15 years. Saturday also marks the return of former Vols forward Jonas Aidoo, now on the visitors side.

Aidoo will be facing a few of his former teammates, but Tennessee’s impressive start has been helped by the addition of two transfers of their own in starting guard Chaz Lanier and forward Igor Milicic Jr.

Lanier leads the Vols in scoring with 19.6 points per game and has scored 20-plus in six of 13 games, while Milicic is the team’s top rebounder, pulling down 8.2 per game.

The staples of Tennessee’s roster that were key in winning the league one year ago will again be key in its success in an SEC that has 10 teams ranked in the polls and 13 projected to reach the NCAA Tournament.

That includes the league’s assists leader in Zakai Zeigler and one of its most stingy defenders in Jahmai Mashack. And the bench, tested after the loss of JP Estrella to a season-ending injury and the abrupt exit for Cam Carr, has at least two proven options in Jordan Gainey and Cade Phillips.

How all of their contributions translate to what has proven to be the best conference in college basketball after a month and a half will soon be determined.

Here is everything you need to know about Tennessee’s SEC opener.

GAME INFORMATION

Who: No. 23 Arkansas (11-2) at No. 1 Tennessee (13-0)

When: Saturday, Jan. 4 | 1 p.m. ET

Where: Food City Center | Knoxville

TV: ESPN (Karl Ravech, play-by-play; Jimmy Dykes, analyst)

Radio: Vol Network (Bob Kesling, play-by-play; Bert Bertelkamp, analyst)

Series: 49th meeting all-time (Tennessee leads, 26-22)

KenPom: Tennessee 76, Arkansas 64

PROJECTED LINEUPS

NUMBERS EDGE

POINTS PER GAME

Arkansas 82.5

Tennessee 80.1

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Arkansas 51.5%

Tennessee 48.9%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE

Arkansas 36.8%

Tennessee 35.5%

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Three thoughts ahead of Tennessee basketball’s SEC opener vs. Arkansas

ASSISTS

Tennessee 16.8

Arkansas 16.8

REBOUNDS

Tennessee 38.9

Arkansas 36.2

BLOCKS

Arkansas 5.7

Tennessee 5.5

PREGAME NOTES

— Rick Barnes and John Calipari are meeting again as two of the winningest active head coaches in college basketball. Calipari is No. 1 among Division I coaches with 824 victories while Barnes is second with 819. Barnes is 13-12 vs. Calipari in head-to-head match ups.

— Tennessee will look to continue its success as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Vols are 13-2 all-time as the top-ranked team in the poll, and 12-1 under Rick Barnes, including a five-game win streak since jumping to No. 1 four weeks ago.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Rick Barnes assesses Tennessee basketball ahead of SEC play

— Tennessee and Arkansas’ non-conference schedule included three common opponents. The Vols went 3-0 vs. Baylor, Illinois and Miami, winning by an average margin of victory 10.0 points while the Razorbacks went 1-2 against those teams, beating Miami and losing to Baylor and Illinois at neutral sites.

— Arkansas guard Johnell Davis was listed as “probable” on the initial SEC availability report on Friday night. Davis hasn’t played since Dec. 14, sidelined by a wrist injury. Davis began his career at Florida Atlantic. He scored 15 points against Tennessee in the Sweet 16 in 2023. He is averaging 9.2 points with the Razorbacks.

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