SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament Preview: Can Vandy Make Something Happen?

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Pictured: Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball team celebrating its win over ranked Florida. Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

The SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament is set to begin today (March 2) with Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team taking on Texas A&M at 11 a.m. at Bridgestone Arena.

The highly anticipated tournament will feature some of the country’s best teams and programs from across the nation, such as No. 1 and SEC favorite South Carolina, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 23 Florida and No. 24 Georgia.

Though the Commodores are the 12th seed out of 14, they aren’t the same Vandy team from recent years. Behind first year head coach Shea Ralph, the team has been able to pick up a few key wins against Auburn, Kentucky and ranked Florida just last week on Feb. 24.

Vanderbilt holds a record of 13-17 and had one of the worst SEC records, but lost five conference games by less than 10 points. This team has played excellent at home, finishing the season with a record of 11-5 at Memorial Gym.

Though they won’t be playing at Memorial, they will be playing right down the street at Bridgestone. If they can carry that home game energy and momentum into the tournament, they could win a few games and make some noise.

The squad currently has three All-SEC players–Jordyn Cambridge, Iyana Moore and Sacha Washington–that will be vital to any success Vanderbilt may have in the conference tournament.

Cambridge was named to the All-Defensive Team for the second time in her career for her defensive prowess. She is currently 10th in program history for career steals (214) and fourth for single-season steals (109). The Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list honoree is second in steals and third in steals per game nationally in addition to leading the SEC in steals. Cambridge led the Commodores in minutes played per game (33.5), defensive rebounds (105), assists (122) and steals. On Feb. 20, she became the only Division men’s or women’s player to reach 100 steals and 100 assists this season.

Both Moore and Washington were named to the All-SEC Freshman team as Moore averaged 11.8 points per game and Washington averaged 6.2 rebounds per game.

Moore leads the team in made 3-pointers and free throw percentage and is ranked inside the top-100 nationally for minutes played, 3-pointers made and 3-point field goal percentage. In the SEC, Moore is ranked in the top 25 for scoring, points per game and 3-pointers made.

Washington had back-to-back double-doubles which were instrumental in Vanderbilt’s win over No. 15 Florida and aided the Commodores down the stretch in the regular-season finale against Alabama.

Along with these three players, senior Brinae Alexander will need to come up huge against the Aggies. She leads the Dores in scoring at 14.8 points per game due to her shooting precision from behind the arc. She leads the team in points per game, 3-point percentage (36%).

Vandy and Texas A&M met three weeks ago in College Station, Texas, where the Aggies won 76-58. Texas A&M (14-14) has dropped five straight coming into the postseason.

Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. today at Bridgestone Arena and can be watched on SEC Network.

TN Sports Authority Shares Final Report On A Professional Women’s Sports Team In Nashville

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2021 WNBA champion Chicago Sky. Photo: Courtesy of the Chicago Sky

CAA Icon’s Brain Slater laid out his final report on the viability, interest and success that a women’s professional sports team would have in Nashville at the Metro Sports Authority Board Meeting on Feb. 17.

As outlined in the first report, CAA Icon found that either a professional basketball team (WNBA) or soccer team (NWSL) will be the best options for the city if they were to add a professional women’s team.

This final report answered many questions in regards to league interest, market analysis, focus group data, and economic impact analysis.

The findings from the web-surveys were overwhelmingly positive with 53% of residents supporting the initiative and 26% saying they may support it. About 52% of the survey participants were male, while only 43.4% were female. According to this survey, out of 5, the interest for a NWSL team was 3.4, while NWBA was 3.09.

Nashville’s market demographics for the NWSL compare well with Portland and Kansas City, both of which have teams. For WNBA, Music City compared well with Las Vegas and Indianapolis, who also sport WNBA teams.

“The [NWSL] said they could be expanding over the next four years,” Slater explained. “There have been numerous ownership groups around the country that have expressed interest in a potential franchise, so that does create some sense of urgency.”

One of the pros of the NWSL coming to Music City is that Nashville has become a booming soccer town with the impressive growth of Nashville SC. With a new soccer-specific stadium opening on May 1, adding another team to the brand new facility would make a lot of sense. Not to mention that much of the support for NSC could bleed over to a NWSL team.

The league also saw a 216% increase in viewership last year from 2019, and the 2019 Women’s World Cup was viewed by a record 1 million people globally.

Some of the cons of an NWSL team, though, could be an over-saturation of soccer in the market, according to the CAA Icon study. The soon-to-open Nashville SC Stadium will be the largest soccer-specific stadium in North America, which may be difficult to fill for a NWSL match. The study also mentioned the recent treatment of its players being a potential issue.

WNBA makes sense in a lot of ways too, but isn’t clear of cons.

Viewership for the WNBA jumped 51% in 2021 from 2020, and the WNBA’s presence in media and live game coverage has dramatically increased as well. On Feb. 4, the WNBA announced the closing of a $75 million capital raise, with a reported implied value of $1 billion. It is not a reach to say that the WNBA is in the early stages of peaking as a league and only looking to grow.

The study looked to the popularity of both the Lady Volunteers basketball team as well as MTSU’s women’s basketball teams as examples of the sport’s viability. Another important thing to mention is the growth of Belmont’s women’s basketball team as it becomes one of the best programs in the nation.

The 2019 Belmont women’s basketball team. Photo: Courtesy of Belmont Vision/Colby Crosby.

Also, because there is no other professional basketball team in the city, WNBA would own the market. The league’s season takes place in the summer so, if played at Bridgestone Arena, it wouldn’t interfere with the Predators schedule or any college tournaments.

Some of the cons included in Slater’s report were that the league hasn’t defined any plans to expand. Bridgestone Arena was voted the most preferred event space for a possible WNBA team, but Bridgestone may be too big for the average WNBA attendance and could affect the game day experience.

Another huge factor to consider is the economic impact on the city. The CAA Icon study looked at the 20-year net present value (NPV) of both leagues and found the NWSL’s output was at $140 million and the labor income was at $71.6 million. Meanwhile, the WNBA’s output was $235.6 million and labor income was $119.5 million.

On the surface, the WNBA could be more profitable for the city and the jobs created. However, this study did not include fan spending before and after the games (hotels, bars, restaurants, etc.), nor did it include the potential revenue made in sports betting.

The support from the top executives of Nashville’s three professional sports teams–the Titans, Predators, and Nashville Soccer Club–was overwhelming and made clear at the board meeting.

Titans CEO Burke Nihill, Ingram Industries (Nashville SC) CFO Mary Cavarra and Predators President and CEO Sean Henry all showed huge amounts of support in the Sports Authority’s effort to bring a professional women’s team to the city.

“Our organization is owned by, I believe, one of the best owners in professional sports who also happens to be a female, so we’re in,” Nihill shared at the Sports Authority board meeting. “From your report, our venue seems to be the least helpful to attract a women’s sports league, but whatever we can do to help–by using my network, by using our influence–we are absolutely happy to help.”

“We are certainly 100% behind this. We support women’s sports, whatever they are,” added Cavarra. “Clearly right now we have our hands full with our new stadium…  but we are still behind this 110% so please let us know what else we can do.”

“Like my partners, we’re in this. Period. I think we’ve shown that time and time again with the women’s SEC [basketball] tournament, the All-Star game for the NWHL–the first time it was ever produced and in a big venue–so we’re in,” said Henry.

With all this information, the next clear step would be for the city to start pursuing an ownership group. Information gathered from focus groups indicated fans would want an inclusive ownership that would consist of women, as well as minorities.

At the time of reporting, there are no prospective owners or ownership groups.

College Corner: Jill Jelnick, UTK’s Kennedy Chandler, MTSU Football

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Jill Jelnick Joins Belmont’s Bruins Sports Network

Belmont University Athletics has announced that Fox Nashville’s Sports Director Jill Jelnick will serve as a contributing broadcaster for Bruin Sports Network’s baseball and softball broadcasts on ESPN+.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jill Jelnick to our Bruin Sports Network broadcasts on ESPN+,” says Assistant Athletic Director for Broadcasting & Media Relations Greg Sage. “Jill’s experience and enthusiasm will enrich our broadcasts and the overall presentation of our softball and baseball programs.”

Jelnick will serve as lead play-by-play announcer for select Belmont softball and baseball games. She served as play-by-play broadcaster for the 2021 Texas Collegiate League and color analyst for the American Athletic Conference, UTSA and Incarnate Word.

“I am ecstatic to be joining the Bruin family in the booth this year,” says Jelnick. “Looking forward to sharing the excitement of Belmont softball and baseball with the fans, as well as telling the personal stories of Belmont’s remarkable student-athletes.”

Jelnick joins WTVF’s Steve Layman and WKRN’s Emily Proud as Nashville television affiliate broadcasters within the Belmont Athletic’s broadcast team.

 

Tennessee’s Kennedy Chandler Named Bob Cousy Award Top 10 Finalist

Kennedy Chandler. Photo: Courtesy of the University of Tennessee Athletics

The University of Tennessee freshman Kennedy Chandler has been named as one of 10 finalists for the 2022 Bob Cousy Award.

This season, Chandler is the team’s second-leading scorer and assists leader this season, averaging 13.2 points and 4.7 assists per game. Chandler has scored in double figures 11 times this season and has led the Volunteers in scoring four times.

Chandler’s 4.7 apg ranks fourth in the SEC, while also ranking seventh in the SEC in field goal percentage and third amongst guards. His 1.75 assist/turnover ratio is seventh-best in the SEC. Chandler has also posted elite defensive numbers this year. Through his 19 games this season, Kennedy has posted a team-high 43 total steals.

The Bob Cousy Award is awarded each year to the top point guard in college basketball. Chandler is the only true freshman among the top 10 finalists. The list will be narrowed down to five finalists in late February.

 

 

MTSU Football Opens 2022 Season At James Madison 

The Middle Tennessee State University football team has announced it will face James Madison University in its 2022 season opener on Sept. 3.

The game is a late replacement for the previously scheduled home game against Missouri. The Tigers recently informed the Blue Raiders they would not be coming to Murfreesboro.

“We lost the Missouri game last fall as they chose to contractually buyout the game,” says Director of Athletics Chris Massaro. “Every avenue was taken in order to keep the game but to no avail. Missouri will have to pay us $800,000 to exercise the buyout part of the contract. There were not a lot of options so we are thankful JMU was willing to work with us.”

This will be just the second time these two programs have played each other. JMU won the first meeting 24-22 during the 1994 season.

The complete 2022 schedule will be announced at a later date by Conference USA.

Lipscomb’s Ashan Asadullah Sets Career ASUN Record In Points, Assists & Rebounds

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Ashan Asadullah. Photo: Courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics

Lipscomb senior Ahsan Asadullah has spent all season breaking records, but has now made history in the Atlantic Sun Conference accumulating 1400 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in a career.

Asadullah set this record on Saturday, Jan. 29 in the Bisons 77-74 win over North Florida. He finished with a line of 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals. He also set another record for most double-doubles this season, now with seven.

The Georgia native has made an impact on Lipscomb’s basketball program since he was a freshman, having been named to ASUN All-Freshman selection.

He’s been named to the All-ASUN First Team twice in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and the ASUN All-Tournament Team in 2019-20.

This season, he’s averaging 15.5 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game with 14 steals and 11 blocks.

College Corner: Belmont’s Grayson Murphy, Vanderbilt & Tennessee Baseball Preseason Poll Rankings

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Belmont’s Grayson Murphy Breaks OVC All-Time Assist Record

Grayson Murphy. Photo: Courtesy of Belmont Athletics

Belmont senior Grayson Murphy has broken the Oho Valley Conference’s all-time assist record with 702 assists. He picked up five assists in Monday’s (Jan. 24) win against Eastern Illinois University.

The point guard broke Bruce Jones‘ record from Eastern Kentucky, who held the record for 41 years. Murphy has been one of the pillars of Belmont’s current squad and averages 8.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 5.8 apg.

The Franklin, Tennessee, native has led the Bruins in assists and steals in each of the past three seasons. He is a two-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year and was the 2021 OVC Preseason Co-Player of the Year.

 

 

Vanderbilt Ranked No. 2 In Baseball America Preseason Poll

Photo: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics

As the college baseball season is just about a month away, Vanderbilt has been ranked No. 2  in Baseball America‘s preseason top 25 rankings.

Vanderbilt made its second straight trip to the College World Series in 2021, eventually losing to Mississippi State. The Commodores are among six other SEC teams in Baseball America‘s top 10: Mississippi State (No. 3), Florida (No. 6), Arkansas (No. 8), Ole Miss (No. 9) and LSU (No. 10.)

The Dores will welcome back some of the best players in the nation, including D1Baseball’s 2022 Top 100 MLB Draft Prospects Carter Young (No. 25), Spencer Jones (No. 60), Dominic Keegan (No. 66) and Nick Maldonado (No. 74).

Recently extended head coach, Tim Corbin, will lead Vanderbilt back on to the field on Feb. 18, when the Commodores welcome Oklahoma State, who is ranked No. 19 in Baseball America’s preseason poll.

 

 

University of Tennessee Ranked No. 17 In Baseball America‘s Preseason Poll

Photo: by Andrew Ferguson/University of Tennessee Athletics

Along with their cross-state rival, Vanderbilt, the University of Tennessee was also included in Baseball America‘s preseason top 25, being ranked No. 17.

The Volunteers had one of their most successful seasons ever in 2021, finishing with an overall record of 50-18 and an SEC record of 20-10. UTK hosted a regional for the first time since 2005 and hosted a super regional for the first time ever, posting a perfect 5-0 record in the NCAA tournament’s first two rounds before making the program’s fifth trip to the College World Series.

This season, the Vols are slated to play five of the top 10 teams in Baseball America‘s rankings, including a College World Series rematch with No. 1 Texas at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston on March 4.

Tennessee will also returns 24 letterwinners from last season’s team, including “Super Seniors” in Evan Russell, Luc Lipcius and Redmond Walsh.

Belmont University Announces Rick Byrd Character Formation & Leadership Program

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Pictured (L-R): Cheryl Byrd, Rick Byrd, Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones and Dr. Greg Jones. Photo: Courtesy of Belmont University

Belmont University is honoring retired basketball coach Rick Byrd with the establishment of the Rick Byrd Character Formation and Leadership Program.

The new initiative will create curriculum around Byrd’s leadership, coaching, and character formation philosophies which can be embedded in both academic courses and co-curricular programming across the University. The Rick Byrd Character Award will annually recognize an individual in the community who exemplifies the leadership and character of Byrd.

“Rick Byrd embodies the kind of character we hope our students will emulate,” says Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones. “A consummate professional who achieved unparalleled success in his field, Coach Byrd’s impact extends far beyond athletics. His integrity, grace and humility—along with his dedicated and disciplined leadership approach—will provide a tremendous model for our students to explore as we develop programming that will guide them in their own character formation. His example also is exemplary for leaders in our community as well as more broadly in the world.”

Byrd, who was recently inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame, tallied 805 wins in his over 33-year career at Belmont before his retirement in 2019. He led the Bruins from NAIA to NCAA Division I, growing the program to one of the most successful in the country. In his final season, he led Belmont to its first ever NCAA Tournament at-large bid and the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament win over Temple.

Along with the success Byrd brought on the court, he established a standard quo of academic excellence. Since 2001, Belmont men’s basketball leads the nation in Academic All-America selections with 18 and is the only program to rank among the nation’s best every year since the inception of the Academic Progress Rate (APR).

“Rick has previously noted how much he was influenced by his own father, a sports columnist, as well as the personal character and Christian commitment of another legendary coach, John Wooden,” shares Milton Johnson, retired Chairman/CEO of HCA Healthcare and current chair of Belmont’s Board of Trustees. “It’s exciting to me to imagine the future men and women who will note Rick Byrd as their influence in leading a life of integrity, kindness and excellence. Through these new initiatives, Belmont ensures Rick’s legacy and impact will endure as individuals across the university and in the community are inspired by his example.”

Vice President for Transformative Innovation, Character and Purpose Dr. Amy Crook; Associate Professor and Chair of Sport Administration Dr. Ted Peetz; and Assistant Professor of Management Dr. Paula Roberts will work with Byrd to develop the Character Formation and Leadership curriculum. Plans for the program’s implementation and for the inaugural Rick Byrd Character Award will be announced at a future date.

NCAA Updates COVID-19 Guidance For Winter Sports

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After multiple event cancellations over the past month, the NCAA has updated its guidance for winter sports competing during the current COVID-19 surge due to the highly contagious Omicron variant.

For the winter guidelines, the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group has developed a definition of “fully vaccinated” that considers both vaccination status and other immunity factors that may impact risks for Tier 1 individuals, including student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, physical therapists, medical staff, equipment staff and officials.

“The omicron variant has presented another surge of cases across the country,” says NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline. “This guidance was designed to align with the latest public health directives. Given how the pandemic continues to evolve, it’s important that staff on member campuses continue to work with their local and state health officials on protocols most suitable for their locations.”

Those considered fully vaccinated include people:

  • Within two months of having completed the primary series of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (one dose).
  • Within five months of having completed the primary series of the mRNA Pfizer vaccine, or within six months of having completed the primary series of the mRNA Moderna vaccine (two doses for both).
  • Who have received a booster vaccine if they are beyond two months of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or beyond five or six months of the mRNA Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, respectively.

A person who has had a documented COVID-19 infection in the past 90 days is considered the equivalent of “fully vaccinated.”

The updated guidance also extends to close contacts. Those who are not fully vaccinated should quarantine at home for five days with no participation in athletic activities, followed by masking for five additional days. Participation in athletic activities without a mask can be considered during days six through ten, following a negative PCR/NAAT test or antigen test.

The NCAA guidance was developed in consultation with the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Working Group, and Autonomy 5 Medical Advisory Group. They also take into consideration available recommendations from the CDC.

Jacobi Wood And Tuti Jones Lead Belmont Over Lipscomb In Battle Of The Boulevard Double Header

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Pictured: Belmont’s No. 24 Jacobi Wood. Photo: Courtesy of Belmont Athletics

The Belmont Bruins took both wins from the Lipscomb Bisons in the annual Battle of the Boulevard. The women’s teams played a gritty game with Belmont coming up victorious 67-62 while Belmont’s men’s team blew out Lipscomb 94-65.

Sophomore Tuti Jones led the Bruins to the first of the night after scoring a career-high 29 points, 16 of which came in the first half. She was 10-for-13 and carried Belmont when they were down 29-23 at halftime.

Jones also had six steals which was a massive factor in the Bruins win. Lipscomb turned the ball over 20 times and Belmont was able to score 16 points off those turnovers.

Former Bruin and current Lipscomb graduate transfer Maddie Cook led the team in points, scoring 20 off the bench in her return to the Curb Event Center. Cooke’s performance kept the Bisons in contention throughout the final quarter.

With the comeback win, the Bruins currently have a 49-26 lead in the all-time series and 27-11 lead over Lipscomb in the Division I era.

Pictured: Belmont’ No. 0 Tuti Jones. Photo: Courtesy of Belmont Athletics

The highly anticipated men’s game was not as close as the women’s game as the Bruins took an early lead and never faltered.

Belmont’s 3-point offense was as powerful as ever as the team shot 41.5 percent from behind the arc. Sophomore Jacobi Wood played his best game of the season so far, scoring 17 points with five 3-pointers.

Eight minutes into the first half, the Bruins already secured a massive 22-9 lead over the Bisons who were without their best player Ahsan Asadullah. Asadullah averages 17 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. The Bisons struggled immensely on both sides of the court without their star-center.

The Bruins were able to capitalize on the Bisons poor shooting, having 36 rebounds. Lipscomb only shot for 26 percent from the 3-point line and was only 1-10 from the arc at halftime.

Along with Wood, senior Nick Muszynski and junior Ben Sheppard had big games. Sheppard scored 16, shooting 4-8 from the 3-point line. Muszynski scored 15 points and played a major role on defense having eight rebounds and three blocks.

Belmont has won 17 of the last 19 meetings in this legendary rivalry and has cut Lipscomb’s all time series lead to 75-74 with Belmont having a chance to tie it next season.