University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols To Dance With North Carolina In Sweet Sixteen
March 21, 2000 | Men's Basketball
THE VOLUNTEERS The Vols are 8-3 in their last 11 games. In fact, four of UT's six losses have been to teams that were either ranked at the time or are now currently ranked. Tennessee won its eighth Southeastern Conference title and first since 1982 with an 83-66 victory over Georgia 3/4. The Vols rank second behind Kentucky in the total number of conference crowns. UT shares the title with Kentucky, Florida and LSU. It is the first time in league history as many as four teams will share the championship. The 26 wins posted by Tennessee this season is a school record, bettering the 22 total victories posted by the 1976-77 Vols and the 1984-85 team. The 1999-00 Volunteers became fastest squad in school history to reach the 20-win plateau in their 23rd game versus Georgia 2/9. The Vols have won at least 20 games the last three years, marking the first time since posting five-straight 20-win campaigns from 1980-81 through 1984-85 that the feat has been accomplished. They were off to their third-best unbeaten start in school history at 11-0 before dropping the championship game of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic to Tulsa. VOLS ADVANCE TO THIRD SWEET SIXTEEN TENNESSEE AGAINST THE SEEDS Tennessee has only matched up once against a No. 8 seed and that was a 61-57 victory over Southwestern Louisiana (now known as Louisiana-Lafayette) in the 1982 Mideast Region. NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
This is in stark contrast to the field goal department where the opponents have gone 46-of-120, compared to UT's 38-of-98.
Tulsa held UT to its lowest field goal percentage of 30.4 (21-of-69) in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic Dec. 23.
UT has been outrebounded 12 times this season and is 9-3 when not controlling the boards.
Tennessee needs just two more blocked shots to break the school-record of 190 set last season. The Vols have registered 189 blocks this season which ranks second on UT's all-time list. They lead the SEC at 5.9 blocks per game, registering at least five blocks in 21 of the 32 games, including coming up with 58 in the last 10 games. They had a season-high 12 against Southern Illinois, while swatting away 11 versus Georgia 3/4, Elon College 11/22 and Pittsburgh 12/4. C.J. Black (54), Isiah Victor (38) and Vincent Yarbrough (33) have combined for two-third's of the team's 189 blocks. SUCCESS AGAINST RANKED FOES AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA The Volunteers are 84-60 all-time against teams that comprise the Atlantic Coast Conference. NORTH CAROLINA SERIES 1910-11 at Chapel Hill 21-40 L1926-27 at Atlanta* 17-32 L1928-29 at Knoxville 26-28 L1931-32 at Atlanta* 25-35 L1947-48 at Chapel Hill 43-52 L1948-49 at Knoxville 84-56 W*Southern Conference Tournament VERSUS TULSA The Vols beat Tulsa 63-38 in 1949 and again in 1967 by a 56-48 tally. Both meetings were in Knoxville with the 1967 tilt coming at the Vol Classic. TULSA SERIES 1948-49 at Knoxville 63-38 W1966-67 at Knoxville 56-48 W1999-00 at Bayamon, P.R. 68-88 L VERSUS MIAMI They split two neutral site meetings, while UT won at Miami in 1996. The first meeting in 1955 came at the Montgomery Invitational Tournament held in Montgomery, Ala. The second meeting, in which the Hurricanes recorded their only victory over the Vols, came at the San Juan Shootout in 1992. MIAMI SERIES 1954-55 at Montgomery, Ala. 89-80 W1991-92 at San Juan, P.R. 60-72 L1995-96 at Miami 56-54 W1996-97 at Knoxville 78-65 W BLACK TIES FREE THROW MARK HOLDING A LEAD They led the Commodores 42-30 and were outscored 46-31 in the second stanza. Against the Crimson Tide, the Vols led 41-32 at the break and were outscored 48-34 in the final frame. Versus the Gamecocks, UT led 40-29 at the break and was outscored 46-28 after that. In the seven games in which they have trailed at the break, they have come back to win four against Pittsburgh 12/4, Memphis 12/18, Florida 2/12 and Louisiana-Lafayette 3/17. Only losses to Tulsa 12/23, at Kentucky 2/1 and at Alabama 2/26 has UT trailed in both halves. THREE STRAIGHT The year's bid is Tennessee's 12th trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Vols have a 8-12 mark in the tournament dating back to their first bid in 1967. FIRST SEC TITLE SINCE 1982 Florida's 85-70 loss at Kentucky opened the door for the Vols and LSU. Each won to gain a share of the league's overall championship. LSU defeated Ole Miss 64-60 in Baton Rouge to also end the season with a 12-4 league mark. This year's title is the eighth SEC Championship for Tennessee, ranking second all-time to Kentucky in league history. UT's other championship seasons are: 1936, 1941, 1943, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982 and 2000.
CBS.SPORTSLINE.COM NAMESGREEN NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR Green was also named the District VII Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. THREE VOLS NAMED ALL-SEC Yarbrough was named to the 1999 SEC All-Freshman team last season, while Victor's only previous honors came in 1998 when he was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. VOLS SET RECORD FOR WINS The Vols have also posted 67 victories over the last three years which ranks as the winningest three-year stretch in school history. The 1983-85 squads held the previous mark of 63 wins for a three-year period. VOLS SET 3-POINT RECORD The Vols are first in the SEC in 3-point percentage at .364 and second in 3-pointers made at 8.1 per game. They have made at least five 3-pointers in each game, hitting at least 10 on seven occasions, most recently against Georgia 3/4 with 10. UT tied a school record with 15 against S. Florida when they connected on 15-of-28. They have made at least five 3-pointers in 33 straight games dating back to last season. TEAM OFFENSIVE NOTES
They have been held under 40 percent five times this season, most recently by Louisiana-Lafayette 3/17 in the NCAA Tournament. They shot 36.9 percent against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament, 39.4 percent against Vanderbilt 2/19, 38.9 percent versus Kentucky 2/23 and a season-low 30.4 percent versus Tulsa. They shot a season-high 57.6 percent against Georgia 2/9 while hitting 12-of-25 3-point attempts.
Over 36 percent of the field goals attempted have been 3-pointers (715-of-1960).
In five of UT's six losses, they made more turnovers than assists and averaged 10.1 assists to 14.0 turnovers in those defeats. They are 3-3 when being held to under 10 assists.
VOLS DEFENSIVE NOTES
In fact, they held 24 opponents under 45 percent shooting, including 15 under 40 percent. UT has held four of its last five opponents to 40.4 percent or less.
They set a school-record with 22 steals against American-PR 12/21. The old mark was 20 set against Western Carolina last season. SEC TOURNAMENT FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTIONS They have combined for 828 points (25.9 pg) which is 32.3 percent of the scoring, pulled down 372 rebounds (11.6 pg) which is 31.9 percent of the individual rebounds and played 2293 minutes which is 35.4 percent of the total minutes played. Higgins has started 31 straight games and leads the freshmen with 28.0 minutes per game. He ranks third with 51 3-pointers and owns a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Played 12 games without a turnover. Slay ranks second among freshmen at 17.1 minutes while coming off the bench to average 9.6 points and 4.3 rebs. Scored in double figures 15 times, including eight of the last 11. Woods is a deadly long-range marksman, hitting 26-of-64 3-point attempts for 40.6 percent. He has hit 10-of-26 3-pointers last 10 games. Haislip is the most accurate shooter, leading the team at 59.1 percent, while hitting 9-of-17 3-pointers. Walker ranks fourth in assists and fifth in steals. VOLS ENJOY HOME COOKING The Vols are 20-4 in SEC play under Green at home. Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Mississippi State are the four SEC teams to win in Knoxville over the last three years. They have won 27 straight non-conference home games since a 73-62 defeat to Tenn. Tech in 1996-97, including going 23-0 under Green. This season, the Vols won at home by an average of 19.2 points, while averaging 85.4 points, shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 40.7 from 3-point range and 69.9 percent from the free throw line. Ten of UT's 15 home victories were by at least a dozen points, while seven were by at least 26 points, including three of the last seven SEC contests where UT posted a 38-point, 98-60, win over Mississippi, a 29-point, 105-76, triumph against Auburn and a 27-point, 110-83, victory versus Georgia. The Vols had their 11-game winning streak at Thompson-Boling Arena snapped with a 76-73 loss to Vanderbilt Jan. 12. VINCENT YARBROUGH He paces the Vols in scoring (14.9), rebounding (7.0) and steals (1.7). He ranks second in assists (2.4) and third in blocks (1.0) His 54 steals ranks as the seventh-best single-season total in school history and needs two more past Clarence Swearengen (1988) into sixth. Since a 20-point outing at Georgia 3/4, Yarbrough has scored 30 points the last three games while hitting 10-of-25 (.400) from the field, while connecting on 7-of-19 (.368) 3-pointers. Yarbrough posted his fourth double-double of the season and fifth of his career with a 16-point and career-high tying 14-rebound effort against Arkansas 3/1. He is tied with Isiah Victor with four double-doubles on the season. He had back-to-back double-doubles at Florida 1/18 (21 pts/10 reb) and at home against Auburn 1/25 (24 pts/ 10 reb). He had his first against West Virginia with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He ended the regular season with a 20-point, seven-rebound effort against Georgia 3/4, marking his eighth 20-point outing of the season. He was held to five points or less in three of the last nine games against Florida 2/12 (2 pts), Kentucky 2/23 (4 pts) and S. Carolina 3/10 (5 pts). Yarbrough posted two 20-point outings in that nine-game span, including matching his career-high with 25 points at Vanderbilt 2/19 after scoring a season-low two points vs. Florida 2/12. Yarbrough has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 19 games and 26 times for the season. He has also scored 20 points in a game eight times. He is averaging 15.4 points and 8.0 rebounds over the last 15 games with three double-doubles and five 20-point efforts against Georgia 3/4-20; Vanderbilt 2/19-25, Florida 1/18-21; Auburn 1/25-24; S Carolina 1/29-25. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles against Florida 1/18 and Auburn 1/25 with 21 points/10 rebounds and 24 points/10 rebounds respectively. He narrowly missed his third straight double-double versus S. Carolina 1/29 with a career-high tying 25 points and eight rebounds. Yarbrough has four double-doubles this season and five in his career. He posted 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against West Virginia. He was named co-SEC Player of the Week after averaging 24.5 points, 9.0 rebound and 3.5 assists in leading the Vols to wins over Auburn and S. Carolina. He connected on a career-high five 3-pointers against Kentucky (2/1) and dished out a career-high six assists versus Georgia. He also leads the team with 54 steals, averaging 1.7 per game. Three times he has recorded five steals in a game (Elon, S. Florida and American-PR). He has eight multi-block games on the season, including a season-high four at Pittsburgh. TONY HARRIS Harris' 72 three-pointers ranks as the fifth-best single-season mark in school history, trailing Allan Houston's marks of 99, 83, 82 and 82. He also ranks third on UT's career 3-point chart with 184, trailing Brandon Wharton's 231 and Allan Houston's 346. He leads the team in scoring (14.9), assists (4.1) and holds a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has made at least six assists in nine games, including a career-high 10 against MTSU. He has nine 20-point efforts on the season, including five of the last 10 games. He scored a career-high 29 points against South Florida 11/29. He had 27 vs. Kentucky 2/23; 26 vs. Florida 2/12; 24 vs. Miss. State, 23 vs. Arkansas 3/1, MTSU; 21 vs. Southern Illinois, Mississippi, Georgia 2/9. In each of UT's last three losses and in five of the six defeats, Harris has been held to seven points or less. In UT's six losses, he is 10-for-56 (.179) from the field, 5-for-30 (.167) from 3-point range and is averaging just 6.3 points per game. In Tennessee's last three losses to Vanderbilt 2/19, Alabama 2/26 and S. Carolina 3/10, Harris is 4-for-35 (.114) from the field and 1-for-20 (.050) from 3-point range, averaging 4.0 points. He has responded following losses, posting 20 points in four of the last five, including four consecutive 20-point outings at one point in leading the Vols to a victory. Harris is averaging 16.5 points over the last 11 games. He has 23 rebounds in the last eight with 22 assists and 17 steals during that span. The 27 points against Kentucky 2/23 was two shy of his career-high 29 set against South Florida earlier this season. He also knocked down six 3-pointers against the Wildcats which matched a season-high he set against Mississippi 1/15. Harris posted a career-first with three straight 20-point games, scoring 24 points vs. Miss. State (2/6), 21 vs. Georgia (2/9) and 26 vs. Florida (2/12). MORE HARRIS He had a string of making at least one 3-pointer in 11 straight games this season which was the third-longest streak in his career snapped against Vanderbilt 2/19. He had a 17-game streak as a freshman and 16-game streak as a sophomore. His current streak is five games. He has 184 career 3-pointers which ranks third on UT's career 3-point chart. Brandon Wharton ranks second with 231, while Allan Houston is first with 346. His 2.07 treys made per game in his career ranks second behind Allan Houston's 2.70 three-pointers per game in UT history. Harris also ranks seventh at UT in career assists with 386. He was named the SEC Co-Player of the Week Feb. 14 and the ESPN Player of the Week. He earned the league award previously as a freshman in 1998. Harris, who was named to the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic All-Tournament team after scoring 38 points in three games, scored only three points against the Golden Hurricane. Harris became the 33rd player in UT history to score 1000 points in a career when he knocked down the second of two free throw attempts at Florida (1/18) at 6:49 in the first half, finishing 14 points. He currently ranks 19th all-time with 1232 points. C.J. BLACK Black has shot over 50 percent from the field in 19 of the 31 games. Over the last 15 games, he is 50-of-92 (.543) from the field. In his first 16 games, he was 44-of-94 (.468) from the field. His rebounding has picked up as well, pulling down 6.0 caroms over the last 11 games, including 33 of 66 from the offensive end. He pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds vs. Arkansas 3/1. Black, UT's all-time blocked shot leader, ranks 13th all-time in SEC history with 211 and needs two more to pass Kentucky's Andre Riddick into 12th place. His 54 swats this season rates third on UT's single-season chart behind Doug Roth's 60 in 1989 and his personal best of 73 in 1998. He is averaging 1.7 blocks per game this season and has swatted away at least four shots in a game on five occasions. He tied his career-high with five against UNC Asheville and S. Florida earlier this season. Nearly half of his 165 rebounds, 80, have come from the offensive end. In fact, 46 of his 84 rebounds over the last 15 games have been offensive caroms. Black posted a season-high 19 points against Alabama 2/26. He hit up Vanderbilt 1/12 for 18 and had two 16-point efforts in a four-game span against South Carolina 1/29 and Georgia 2/9. The lone senior starter has posted 14 double-digit scoring efforts. RON SLAY He is shooting 61.5 percent (32-of-52) over the last six games while hitting four 3-pointers and going 15-of-21 from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in eight of the last 11 games, including tying his career-high 17 points three times during that span. He is averaging 20 minutes per game over the last 10 with five games of at least 20 minutes. He had only played at least 20 minutes five times in the previous 22 games. Slay's double-figure scoring efforts over the last 11 games, include 17 vs. Miss. State 2/6, 12 vs. Georgia 2/9, 13 vs. Vanderbilt 2/19, 17 vs. Alabama 2/26, 13 vs. Arkansas 3/1, 17 vs. Georgia 3/4, 13 vs. S. Carolina 3/10, 15 vs. La.-Lafayette 3/17. When he matched his season-high with 17 points against Georgia 3/4, it marked the fourth time he scored 17 (Elon 11/22, Miss. State 2/6, Alabama 2/26). He has also grabbed 49 rebounds (4.5 avg) during the last 11 games while shooting 57.0 percent from the field, hitting 53-of-93 during that span. He has blocked a shot in three of the last seven games after not blocking one in the first 25 games. Slay swatted away a season-high two against Connecticut. Tennessee's sixth man is averaging 9.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg in 17.1 minutes per game. He is also shooting 51.8 percent from the field and leads the team at the free throw line at 79.3 percent. He has pulled down 99 rebounds in the last 20 games (4.95 rpg), including a season-high 10 against Radford. He has recorded at least seven rebounds eight times. He started his career with a season-high 17 versus Elon. Slay made his only start against American-PR, scoring 11 points with four rebounds. He averaged 10.4 ppg in the first 10 games. ISIAH VICTOR In one four-game stretch, Victor had a 20-point game vs. Vanderbilt 1/12, a 22-point effort vs. Florida 1/18 and a 19-point outing vs. Auburn 1/25. He hit 7-of-8 field goals against Mississippi State 2/6 in a 15-point effort, and recorded his fourth double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Kentucky 2/1. Through the first six games, Victor averaged 14.2 ppg and 9.0 rpg. Then he went on a nine-game slump that saw his averages dip to 6.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg, with the low point coming against LSU (1/8) when he scored just one point with no rebounds. He then recorded his third double-double of the season and 11th of his career against Vanderbilt, posting 20 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in 26 minutes of action. He was 8-of-10 from the field and pulled down six offensive boards among his rebounds. Two games later against Florida, he scored a season-high 22 points, including the game-tying shot to send the contest to overtime with 0.3 seconds. Between then, he pumped in 12 points with eight boards in 20 minutes versus Mississippi. He began the season with double-doubles in two of the first three games with 16 pts/13 rebs against Elon and then had 12 pts/10 boards versus Long Island. ON HIGGINS He has made 50 assists while committing only 19 turnovers in the last 20 games, including going 10 games without one. His assist-to-turnover ratio during that span is 2.63-to-1. His minutes per turnover ratio has increased to one every 30.3. He has proven himself as an exceptional ball handler, committing only one turnover every 23.0 minutes on the season. Higgins has also come up with 22 rebounds in the last eight games and has played at least 30 minutes in six of the last eight games. Noted as one of Tennessee's 3-point threats, 51 of his 68 field goals (.750) made have been 3-pointers. He scored 36 points in a three-game stretch against Southern Illinois (12), Tulsa (13) and Radford (11). Versus SIU, he had a season-high eight rebounds. Higgins was inserted into the starting lineup in the second game against UNC Asheville after Jenis Grindstaff was lost due to a knee injury. He has made at least two three-pointers in 13 of the 23 games he has started and has seven games of making at least three 3-pointers. OFF THE BENCH Marcus Haislip has scored 13 points in the last five games...Came up with a career-high five blocks while pulling down five rebounds and scoring four points against Georgia 3/4...Played 18 minutes versus the Bulldogs, the second-most of the season. Seven points against Georgia 2/9, the most since a 10-point outing versus Mississippi 1/15...Made 48 of his last 76 field goal attempts for 63.2 percent, including going 9-for-16 from three-point range...Has made 12 of his last 16 from the free throw line after a 3-for-15 streak. He scored a season-high 22 points against West Virginia on 9-of-9 from the field, including two 3-pointers. He scored 29 points in three games at the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, hitting on 13-of-18 shots (72%). He scored 17 against AU-PR on 8-of-10 shooting and then went 3-for-3 with a trey versus Southern Illinois for eight points. Harris Walker has scored 15 points in the last nine games, going scoreless five times...Scored nine points against S. Carolina 3/10, his second-highest total of the season...Has 31 assists and 21 rebounds off the bench in the last 16 games. He played a season-high 23 minutes versus Mississippi...Scored eight points against Radford, his second-highest total of the season (12 vs. Elon)...Dished out a season-high seven assists versus W. Virginia. Terrence Woods has scored 40 points last 10 games (4.0 avg), hitting 10-of-26 3-pointers...Had three rebounds against Arkansas 3/1, his first in seven games...Went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for the second time in three games against Vanderbilt 2/19 with 10 points...Tied his season-high with 11 points vs. Georgia 2/9, going 4-for-4, including 3 treys. He scored 11 at Memphis while hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers...Hit a clutch free throw off the bench for an injured Ron Slay against LSU that gave the Vols a four-point, 63-59, lead with 30 seconds left. Vegas Davis has played over 10 minutes just six times...Missed his last 11 field goal attempts and last seven 3-pointers...He scored a season-high 8 against Auburn. NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
UT HITS CENTURY MARK The 110 points scored against Georgia was the most since a 113-point effort in a loss to LSU in 1990. It is the ninth-highest single-game point total in school history and it is third-most points ever scored in an SEC game by a Vol squad. SEC WINS UNDER GREEN UT is 20-6 in its last 26 games against the Eastern Division, including a 7-3 mark this season. They have won 13 of their last 16 versus Eastern Division foes and six of their last eight division road games. They are 22-5 the last three seasons against the SEC Western Division, and are 8-4 in the last 12 meetings. The Vols are 6-3 under Green on the road against the West. GREEN GETS 50TH WIN AT UT FASTEST TO 50 WINS AT UT Jerry Green 50 wins in 68 gamesJohn Mauer 50 wins in 69 gamesEmmitt Lowery 50 wins in 72 gamesDon DeVoe 50 wins in 75 gamesRay Mears 50 wins in 78 games GRINDSTAFF HAS SURGERY BAKER OUT WITH BROKEN FOOT Probable StartersTENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (26-6, 12-4 SEC Champions)Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown PPG RPGF 22 Vincent Yarbrough 6-7 210 So. Cleveland, Tenn. 14.9 7.0F 44 Isiah Victor 6-9 220 Jr. Hopkinsville, Ky. 9.6 6.2C 43 C.J. Black 6-8 255 Sr. Chattanooga, Tenn. 9.1 5.3G 42 Jon Higgins 6-3 190 Fr. Shaker Heights, Ohio 6.3 3.1G 14 Tony Harris 6-0 165 Jr. Memphis, Tenn. 14.9 4.1 ast RETURN TO TOP |
