Tennessee

Who should Tennessee root for in March Madness First Four between SMU vs Miami (Ohio)?

Published

3 months ago

March 17, 2026

Who should Tennessee root for in March Madness First Four between SMU vs Miami (Ohio)?

Tennessee basketball has to wait before knowing its opponent in the NCAA Tournament.

The Vols (22-11) earned a No. 6 seed in March Madness. They’ll match up with the winner of a First Four game between two No. 11 seeds, Miami of Ohio (31-1) and SMU (20-13), who will play at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, on March 18 (9:15 p.m. ET, TruTV).

The winner plays Tennessee at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on March 20 (4:25 p.m. ET, TBS).

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Here’s why we think the Vols should pull for Miami (Ohio) in their First Four matchup vs. SMU.

Miami (Ohio) has no record against power conference opponents

Miami (Ohio) had a historic regular season run with a 31-0 record, but it didn’t consistently play against top competition. The RedHawks didn’t have any games against power conference opponents, and it only played two NCAA Tournament teams in No. 12 Akron (29-5) and No. 13 Wright State (23-11).

While SMU had an 8-10 record in the ACC, the Mustangs regularly contended with some of the top teams in the country. They earned two big conference wins over North Carolina and Louisville, and added a victory over Mississippi State of the SEC. SMU only lost by four points to Louisville (without second-leading scorer Mikel Brown Jr.) in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

Tennessee can bully Miami (Ohio) on the interior

The RedHawks’ frontcourt consists of 6-foot-9 center Antoine Woolfolk, 6-8 forward Brant Byers and 6-8 forward Almar Alatson, who comes off the bench. Eian Elmer, a 6-6 guard, leads the RedHawks with six rebounds per game. As a team, Miami (Ohio) totaled 35.5 rebounds per game, but averaged a league-worst 8.3 offensive rebounds per contest.

Starting guards Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament may be the stars of Tennessee, but the Vols’ identity is rooted in the post. J.P. Estrella and Felix Okpara both come close to 7-feet, yet the 6-10 Ament leads the Vols with 6.6 rebounds per game. Jaylen Carey and DeWayne Brown II, both 6-8 forwards, platoon off the bench.

Tennessee is third in the nation in total rebounds with 42.6 per game and is second in offensive rebounds at 16, essentially doubling the RedHawks. The Vols already lean heavily on their frontcourt in SEC play, and would do so even more against Miami (Ohio).

Miami (Ohio) luck may be running out

Nine of the RedHawks’ wins were determined by five points or less. They went 4-0 in overtime, and their final three wins were all decided by two points. The late game luck for Miami (Ohio) dried up in the MAC Tournament, when it lost 87-83 to UMass in the quarterfinals.

The Vols are overdue for some late game magic. They are 4-7 in games decided by five points or less and had one-score losses Syracuse, Alabama and twice against Kentucky.

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

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Tennessee

Tennessee Democrats drop lawsuit against new map

Published

4 hours ago

June 9, 2026

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Tennessee Democrats drop lawsuit against new map

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Tennessee

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency announces boating compliance checkpoint on the Tennessee River

Published

15 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Press Room

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency announces boating compliance checkpoint on the Tennessee River

JACKSON, Tenn. (WBBJ) – On Saturday, June 27, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will be conducting a boating compliance checkpoint on the Decatur County section of the Tennessee River r in the vicinity of River Mile 145.5.

Game Wardens will monitor compliance with boating safety regulations and encourage all boaters to prioritize safety while enjoying Tennessee’s waterways. All vessels must adhere to safety requirements, including, but not limited to, having U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets (PFDs) for every passenger on board. Additionally, all occupants under the age of 13 are required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times when the vessel is underway.

For more information about boating safety and requirements, please visit the boating in Tennessee website.

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Tennessee

Brody Trosclair commits to Tennessee baseball as Northwestern State transfer pitcher

Published

1 day ago

June 9, 2026

Press Room

Brody Trosclair commits to Tennessee baseball as Northwestern State transfer pitcher

Brody Trosclair has committed to Tennessee baseball as a transfer from Northwestern State, he announced on Instagram on Monday.

Trosclair was on Tennessee’s campus for an official visit on Sunday. Trosclair took visits to Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida and LSU. Ole Miss was also in the picture before he committed to the Vols and coach Josh Elander.

Trosclair shined as a freshman at Northwestern State with a 5-1 record and a 1.89 ERA in 10 appearances with four starts. The southpaw logged 38 innings of work, struck out 55 and walked 11. Opponents tallied a .222 batting average against him. The freshman allowed just eight extra base hits in 2026.

Trosclair was named the 2026 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Southland Conference Pitcher. The pitcher was unscored upon in his first five relief appearances and did not allow an earned run in 13.2 innings of relief work.

He suffered a season-ending injury in April. He is not eligible for the MLB Draft until 2028.

Trosclair becomes the second transfer portal commit of the cycle for the Vols, joining Mercer two-way player Braydon Kersey.

Trosclair is one of the top-ranked players in the portal. The transfer portal officially opened on June 1 and Trosclair announced his intentions to enter on the first day.

Keep up with the Tennessee baseball transfer portal movement over the next couple of weeks HERE.

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