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Shooting lulls and Zakai Zeigler: Unpacking Tennessee basketball’s Maui Invitational play

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Shooting lulls and Zakai Zeigler: Unpacking Tennessee basketball’s Maui Invitational play


Rick Barnes walked on the University of Hawaii campus and was taken back to 1986.

The Tennessee basketball coach remembered the loaded field at that year’s Rainbow Classic, widely discussed when he was an Ohio State assistant. He had flashbacks as he pondered the high-profile field at this year’s Maui Invitational featuring five of the top 10 teams in the nation.

In the days following that walk, Tennessee faced the top two teams on its way to a fourth-place finish, and Barnes left thinking his team can be great, but isn’t there yet.

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“I think we’ve got a chance to be as good as anybody in the country, but we’re going to have to get better,” he said.

No. 8 Tennessee (4-2) finished fourth, losing to No. 2 Purdue and No. 1 Kansas after beating Syracuse in its opener. The tournament result matched UT’s best in its four Maui Invitational appearances.

Here is what we learned in UT’s three-game tournament:

Zakai Zeigler needs time to get back to form

Zakai Zeigler, who had ACL surgery in March, wasn’t cleared for Tennessee until late October. He didn’t play until Nov. 6 against Tennessee Tech. He hasn’t looked comfortable yet.

The junior point guard had a brutal trip in Maui. He was 1-for-12 on 3-pointers and 4-for-22 shooting. He had 14 points and 11 turnovers.

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The preseason All-SEC pick isn’t himself yet, which is understandable. But Tennessee won’t get close to its ceiling without Zeigler, who is an elite defender, capable shooter and a high-level playmaker. It’s clear he wasn’t ready for the level of play in Maui. He will have ample time through the remainder of the nonconference schedule to dial it up.

The Vols need him to get there.

Tennessee had shooting woes and offensive lulls

There were long offensive gaps in the two games the Vols lost. They had two field goals in an almost 18-minute span against Purdue, and a 3-for-19 shooting stretch against Kansas.

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They were 22-for-71 shooting against Kansas after going 19-for-57 against Purdue, and a combined 17-for-63 on 3-pointers in those games.

“We didn’t have a great tournament here where I thought we shot the ball the way we’re capable of,” Barnes said.

UT’s lulls were costly in both games and left Barnes saying the Vols are inconsistent. He is still wanting to learn what Tennessee is going to get from players on a night-to-night stretch.

Santiago Vescovi is ever reliable

Santiago Vescovi settled in against Syracuse, dominating the zone defense in the final 10 minutes. He was even better in the first half against Kansas. The fifth-year senior found his 3-point shot against the Jayhawks, which was a welcome sight.

Vescovi is the player Barnes likely knows the most about what he will get in each game, and he was reminded of that in Maui.

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“Really and truly we tell him we need him to shoot the ball a bit more,” Barnes said. “But he knows when he’s got it, when he doesn’t. And if he doesn’t have it, he’s gonna find a way to impact the against some other way.”

Does Tennessee have enough in the post?

It might be unfair to judge Tennessee’s post players after games against probably the two most dominant players in college basketball in Purdue’s Zach Edey and Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson. But the lack of experience and depth in the post was a concern entering the season and remains one after six games.

“We still need a presence with our post guys,” Barnes said. “We need those guys that understand we need them.”

Jonas Aidoo has been a pleasant surprise. He has had good games, including a 14-point, 11-rebound day against Syracuse on Monday. Tobe Awaka battled through an ankle injury in the final two games, but has not shown he can stay on the court or provide steady offense. He has not played more than 14 minutes in a game.

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J.P. Estrella provided good minutes against Syracuse, but isn’t ready for a game-by-game role. Cade Phillips barely played after being the third forward through the first three games.

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





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Tennessee

West Tennessee man sentenced to 20 years for enticement of a minor – WBBJ TV

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West Tennessee man sentenced to 20 years for enticement of a minor – WBBJ TV


West Tennessee Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Enticement of a Minor

Jackson, TN – Garrett Baughman19, of Wildersville, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for soliciting sexually explicit images and videos from a thirteen-year-old child.  Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

📸: TBI Sex Offender Registry

Baughman was charged with one count of production of child pornography; one count of use of a facility and means of interstate commerce to persuade, induce, entice a minor to engage in sexual criminal acts; and one count of receipt of child pornography. Following his guilty plea to the enticement of a minor charge, United States Senior District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Baughman to 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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Additionally, Baughman must comply with the conditions of the Sexual Offender Registry upon his release.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Nashville-Jackson Resident Agency Child Exploitation Task Force and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Caroline Parish prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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TN Lottery player wins $510,000 Daily Tennessee Jackpot in Savannah – WBBJ TV

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TN Lottery player wins 0,000 Daily Tennessee Jackpot in Savannah – WBBJ TV


PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TENNESSEE LOTTERY:

$760,000 TENNESSEE CASH WINNER IN SNEEDVILLE, $510,000 DAILY TENNESSEE JACKPOT WINNER IN SAVANNAH

SNEEDVILLE/SAVANNAH – What a night! Two popular Tennessee Lottery in-state games saw jackpot winners last night: One player in Sneedville scored a $760,000 Tennessee Cash win, while another player in Savannah won the Daily Tennessee Jackpot top prize of $510,000.

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The Tennessee Cash winning $760,000 ticket was sold at Fastop Market, 127 Tazewell Hwy. in Sneedville.

The Daily Tennessee Jackpot winning $510,000 ticket was sold at Pit Stop, 795 Clifton Road in Savannah.

No additional information is available until the prizes are claimed.

The Lottery reminds players to have fun and play responsibly.

About the Tennessee Education Lottery
The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation operates from the revenue it generates through the sale of its products. Since January 20, 2004, the Lottery has raised more than $8 billion to fund designated education programs, including college grants, scholarships, and K-12 after-school programs. In addition to the educational beneficiaries, players have won more than $21.7 billion in prizes and Lottery retailers have earned more than $2 billion in commissions.

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For additional information, visit tnlottery.com and follow the TEL on Facebook, X & Instagram.

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AP College Football Rankings: Georgia Bulldogs Ranking Following Win Over Tennessee

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AP College Football Rankings: Georgia Bulldogs Ranking Following Win Over Tennessee


The Associated Press has released a new batch of college football rankings following week three of the 2025 college football season.

Week three of the 2025 college football season is in the books as teams all across the country turn their attention to week four. With another exciting week of college football now complete, the Associated Press has released another batch of college football rankings.

Multiple exciting games took place over the weekend and resulted in some massive upsets. Multiple teams inside the top-15 were upset, as 12th-ranked Clemson was defeated by Georgia Tech, 11th-ranked South Carolina was handled by Vanderbilt, and eighth-ranked Notre Dame suffered a shocking loss to Texas A&M at home.

The Georgia Bulldogs were another team to play in an exciting matchup, as they won an overtime thriller against the 15th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on the road. The victory was the Bulldogs’ ninth consecutive win over the Vols and their fifth straight in Neyland Stadium.

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The Bulldogs will be off for week four as they partake in their first bye week of the 2025 season. The Dawgs will return to action on Saturday, September 27th, when they host the Alabama Crimson Tide in Athens. It will be the first meeting between these two teams in Sanford Stadium since 2015.

Editor’s note**: This article will be updated as the rankings are released

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