University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols-Georgia Battle For SEC East Lead Saturday
January 25, 2001 | Men's Basketball
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| Tennessee (17-2, 4-1) at Georgia (12-7, 5-1)
TV: None Associated Press Poll (UT:6th/UGA:NR) THE COACHES: Georgia Bulldogs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vols Travel To Athens To Meet Georgia In Key SEC East Showdown After bouncing back from its first conference loss of the season to defeat Mississippi State at Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 20, the Tennessee Volunteers hit the road to meet the red-hot Georgia Bulldogs at 4 p.m. Saturday at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.. Tennessee improved to 4-1 in in Southeastern Conference action and 17-2 on the season with an 84-79 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday. The Vols, who were playing without the services of Charles Hathaway or Terrence Woods, led by as many as 19 points in the second half before MSU staged a late rally that fell short. Tony Harris, who set a career-high for free throws made with an 11-for-12 showing, led the Vols with 22 points. Tennessee is off to one of its best starts in school history. After 19 games, UT's 17-2 record is tied for its best mark in school history. It is the second straight season that the Vols have started a campaign with a 17-2 record. Last year they began the year with a 17-2 mark and cruised to a school record 26 wins and an appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The only other team in school history to begin a season with 17 wins in its first 19 games was the 1941-42 squad. The Vols will be playing their 10th game away from home this season when they visit Georgia. Tennessee has played four games at neutral sites and the Georgia game will be its sixth true road game. In all, the Vols are scheduled to play 15 home games and 15 road games this season. Tennessee is beginning a stretch where it plays four of its next five games on the road. The Vols visit Georgia on Jan. 27 before going to Florida on Jan. 30. After returning home to host Vanderbilt on Feb. 3, it's back to the road as UT visits Arkansas on Feb. 7 and Mississippi on Feb. 10. Tennessee ends the conference schedule by playing four of its final six league games at Thompson-Boling Arena. Georgia, who won its fifth consecutive game 82-73 at Vanderbilt Wednesday, enters Saturday's game with a 12-7 overall mark and an SEC-best 5-1 record. The Bulldogs, who have already exceeded last year's overall and conference win totals, own a five-game homecourt winning streak that includes wins over Auburn and LSU. Saturday's game will be the 123rd between Tennessee and Georgia. The Vols own a 76-46 all-time advantage in the series. Harris, Yarbrough Nearing Milestones Yarbrough, who leads the Vols in scoring this season (13.9) enters Saturday's game just 18 points away becoming Tennessee's 35th player to join UT's 1,000-point club. Yarbrough ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring (17.6) in league games only this season. Individual Game Tickets Now On Sale Looking At Georgia * Georgia's schedule is rated as the most difficult in the nation in the latest RPI from Collegiate Basketball News. The Bulldog non-conference schedule featured games vs. Utah, vs. Stanford, at Georgia Tech, vs. NC State, at Wake Forest, and at Fresno State. * The Bulldogs knocked off ranked opponents in back-to-back road games last week. Georgia defeated No. 21 Mississippi, 70-66, in Oxford on Jan. 13 and then traveled to Gainesville where they upset the No. 7 Florida Gators, 75-72, on Jan. 17. * Head coach Jim Harrick is 21-27 (.438) in his second season at Georgia and 424-209 (.670) in his 21st year as a head coach. * The Bulldogs have won five-straight home games after opening the season with a 79-91 loss to Georgia State at Stegeman Coliseum. UGA is 2-0 at home against Southeastern Conference teams this season with victories over Auburn and LSU. * Georgia has already recorded more overall wins and more conference wins than last year's squad. Last year, the Bulldogs were 10-20 on the season and 3-13 in the SEC. This year they are 11-7 on the campaign and 4-1 in the SEC. * While Tennessee is playing four of its next five games on the road, Georgia is in the midst of a stretch where it plays four of five at home. * Georgia has outrebounded all five of its Southeastern Conference opponents this season and 14 of all 18 opponents. * All five of Georgia's Southeastern Conference games have been decided by five points or less. Last Saturday they pulled away from LSU late in the game to earn a 68-63 win. On the season Georgia has won seven of its nine games decided by five points or less. * Junior guard D.A. Layne became the 32nd player in Georgia history to score 1,000 career points. Layne, who enters the Vanderbilt game with 1,211 career tallys, reached the 1,000-point mark against Stanford on Nov. 25. * Georgia's tallest starter is 6-foot-7 senior forward Anthony Evans, but 7-foot-1 senior center Robb Dryden is one of the first Bulldogs off the bench. The Georgia Series * Tennessee has won four in a row over Georgia. * Tennessee has won five of the last six meetings between the two schools. * Last year, the Vols swept the season series with the Bulldogs, taking a 110-83 victory in Knoxville and an 83-66 win at Athens. * Tennessee is 27-29 all-time when the series is played in Athens. * The Vols are 17-20 all-time against Georgia in Stegeman Coliseum. * Tennessee has won two straight on the Bulldogs' homecourt since ending a six-game losing streak in Athens in 1999. * The last time that Tennessee played a ranked Georgia team was on Jan. 20, 1996 when the unranked Vols upset the No. 22 Bulldogs 67-62 in Knoxville. * Tennessee is 4-2 all-time against Georgia when the Bulldogs are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. * The two teams have never met when both are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Last Year's Meetings With Georgia Tennessee 83 * Georgia 66 Mississippi State Recap * Charles Hathaway, who had started 17 of UT's previous 18 games at center, and Terrence Woods missed the game with the flu. * Ron Slay made his first start of the season in place of Hathaway. It was just the second career start for Slay. * UT's 64 percent shooting from the field in the first half is the Vols' best effort in a half this year. * UT used a season-low eight players in the win. * The Vols improved their homecourt winning streak to 17 games. * Tony Harris made a career-high 11 free throws while going 11-for-12 from the charity stripe. * Ron Slay played a career-high 33 minutes. * The Vols were outrebounded for the fourth-straight game this season. The Bulldogs held a 42-32 advantage on the boards. * Antonio Jackson led MSU with 21 points and seven assists while Tang Hamilton contributed 20 points and eight rebounds. Health Update * Charles Hathaway returned to practice on Monday after missing the Mississippi State game with the flu. * Terrence Woods returned to practice on Tuesday after missing the Mississippi State game with the flu. UT Ranked 5th in Coaches Poll, 6th in Associated Press Poll * Tennessee has spent four weeks (Dec. 11-18 and Jan. 8-15) this season ranked fourth in both polls. That ties for the highest ranking in school history. The Vols were also ranked fourth in the Jan. 16, 1968 Associated Press poll. * Tennessee has been ranked in 31 consecutive Associated Press polls. The last time the Vols were not ranked in the AP Poll was the Feb. 22, 1999 poll. * UT's current streak of 31 consecutive weeks of being ranked is the longest in school history. The previous best was 20 weeks from the 1975-76 preseason poll through the third week of the 1976-77 season. * Tennessee's No. 9 preseason ranking in the Associated Press poll this season ties for the highest preseason ranking in school history. Tennessee was also listed as the preseason No. 9 team prior to the 1998-99 season. Did You Know? * During the regular season, Tennessee will play 15 home games and 15 away from home (four neutral site games and 11 road games). Tough Schedule * Collegiate Basketball News' RPI ranks Tennessee's schedule No. 4 in the nation. * CollegeRPI.com ranks UT's schedule No. 5 in the nation. * Jeff Sagarin rates the schedule 15th in the country. Vols Ranked No. 2 in RPI Poll * Six SEC teams are ranked among the top 30 in the Jan. 20 RPI: Tennessee (2), Georgia (10), Ole Miss (16), Kentucky (26), Vanderbilt (27), Mississippi State (28). 17-2 Start Ties For Best In School History
There isn't just one reason that Tennessee leads the Southeastern Conference with 6.32 blocked shots per game, there are four reasons. Four Vols rank among the SEC's top 10 shot blockers. * Charles Hathaway ranks second in the SEC with 1.89 blocks per game while Marcus Haislip is fifth with 1.42 per game and Isiah Victor is sixth with 1.32 per game. Vincent Yarbrough ranks ninth with 1.21 blocked shots per game. Victor Joins 1,000-Point Club; Yarbrough Needs 18 Points For 1,000 * Victor is the third Vol to reach the 1,000 career point mark since the start of the 1999-2000 season. Last year, Tony Harris and C.J. Black joined the prestigious 1,000-point club. * Junior forward Vincent Yarbrough is the next Vol on pace to join the 1,000-point club. The Cleveland, Tenn., native has scored 982 points in 82 career games. * If Yarbrough should join the 1,000-point club this season, it would mark the second straight year that two Vols have reached the 1,000-point mark in the same season. Last year, Tony Harris and C.J. Black both joined the elite group. Harris and Yarbrough Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 Candidates * This is the third season that Tony Harris has been a candidate for the Wooden Award. He has been a finalist for the award two times. * Tennessee was one of six schools with two candidates list on the Midseason Top 30. Other schools are Stanford (Casey Jacobsen, Jarron Collins), Duke (Shane Battier, Jason Williams) Illinois (Cory Bradford, Frank Williams), Arizona (Loren Woods, Michael Wright) and Michigan State (Charlie Bell, Jason Richardson). Three Years Of Success Jerry Green Wins 300th Career Game; Ranks Fifth On Tennessee Wins List * Green passed W.H. Britton (1927-35), who posted an 80-73 record in nine seasons at UT, for fifth place on UT's career wins list. In his fourth season at Tennessee, Green has compiled an 84-27 record. * With a 92-81 win over George Washington on Dec. 28, Green recorded career win No. 300. It took him just 504 career games (59.5 percent) to reach that mark. * Green coached his 100th game at the University of Tennessee when the Vols played Southern Methodist on Dec. 7. In his fourth season on The Hill, Green has led the Vols to a 84-27 (.757) record. * The SMU game was the 500th game for Green as a head coach. In stops at UNC-Asheville (150-108 in nine seasons), Oregon (72-70 in five seasons) and Tennessee (84-27 in his fourth season) Green has compiled a 306-205 (.599) career record. Green Climbing Coaching Charts
Southeastern Conference Success * In 2000, UT won its first overall SEC crown since 1982 and its second straight SEC Eastern Division title when the Vols posted a 12-4 league record. * In 1999, Tennessee posted a 12-4 conference mark to win the SEC Eastern Division title. * In 1998, Green led the Vols to a 9-7 league mark, the school's first winning record against SEC teams since the 1990 campaign. Going to the Bench * I don't think there is another team in America that can go 10 deep with the quality of players they bring to the floor, ESPN announcer Dick Vitale said. That's how deep this team is. * Ten Vols are averaging at least 12 minutes per game this season. No one is averaging more than 30 minutes per game. * Nine players are averaging at least four points per game or more. * Ron Slay has been the first Vol off the bench in 15 of Tennessee's 19 games while Harris Walker has been the first off the bench four times, Marcus Haislip has been the first off the bench four times and Terrence Woods has been two times. (Includes multiple substitutions) Bench Production * Tennessee's bench is averaging 30.7 points per game (584 points in 19 games). * UT's bench has contributed 30 points or more in a game 10 times this season. The bench has contributed 40 points or more four times this year. * The Vol reserves combined to score 52 points in a 85-59 win over UNC-Asheville on Nov. 30. 2001 Vols Are Climbing Blocks Chart
Tennessee vs. Ranked Teams
More vs. Ranked Teams * UT has won 10 straight games against ranked teams in Thompson-Boling Arena. * The Vols are 11-1 (.917) under Green when playing a ranked team in Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee's last home loss to a ranked team came to seventh-ranked Kentucky on Jan. 24, 1998. * UT has posted a 4-5 record on the road against ranked opponents and a 2-3 record in neutral sites under Green's direction. * In the 2000-01 season, Tennessee is 4-1 against ranked teams. Milestone Watch * Tony Harris needs four three-pointers to pass Brandon Wharton for second place on Tennessee's career chart. Harris enters the Georgia game with 228 career treys. Wharton made 231 three-pointers from 1995-99. * Tony Harris needs eight assists to pass Tyrone Beaman (491 from 1980-84) for third on UT's career assist chart. Harris enters the Georgia game with 483 career assists. * Vincent Yarbrough needs 18 points to become the 35th player in Tennessee history to record 1,000 career points. Yarbrough, a junior, enters the Georgia game with 982 career points. * Isiah Victor needs 13 points to pass Fred Jenkins (1,149 points from 1984-87) for 29th on UT's career scoring list. Victor enters the Georgia game with 1,137 career points. * Isiah Victor needs two steals for 100 in his career. * UT has won 35 straight non-conference games at home. UT's last loss to a non-conference team at Thompson-Boling Arena was a 62-73 defeat to Tennessee Tech on Dec. 4, 1996. Dunk You Very Much
Next Game: at Florida (Jan. 30 at Gainesville--9 p.m./ESPN) * Against Auburn on Jan. 24, the Gators played with just seven scholarship players and dressed only nine players for the game. * Junior guard Teddy Dupay underwent surgery on Jan. 10 to repair a herniated disk in his lower back. Dupay, who had off-season surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, is expected to be out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks. * Sophomore guard Justin Hamilton, who started 11 of his 14 games this season, suffered a torn ACL against Georgia on Jan. 17 and is out for the remainder of the season. * Senior forward Brent Wright suffered a stress fracture in his right foot that required surgery on Jan. 4. Wright, who was averaging 15.9 points per game, returned to practice in a limited role on Jan. 22. * Billy Donovan is 89-53 in his fifth year at Florida and 124-73 in his seventh season as a head coach. * Each of Florida's Southeastern Conference games have been decided by three points or less. Two of the games were decided by shots at the buzzer. * Florida's three conference losses have been decided by a total of six points. Their biggest league loss this season has been a 72-75 decision to Georgia. * Udonis Haslem reached the 1,000 career point mark on Jan. 17 against Georgia. * Florida set a school record by scoring 100 or more points in a game five times this season. * Florida has made a three-pointer in 286 consecutive games. * In a preseason poll of SEC media, the Gators were picked to finish third in the SEC East while Udonis Haslem was a preseason first team all-SEC selection. The Florida Series * Florida has a 20-25 all-time advantage when playing in Gainesville. * The Vols swept last year's season series with an 81-79 double overtime win in Gainesville and then a 76-73 overtime win in Knoxville. * Tennessee has won three in a row, including four of the last five against Florida. * The Vols have won three straight against the Gators when playing in Thompson-Boling Arena. * Last year's 81-79 double overtime win in Gainesville ended an eight-game losing streak at Florida. * Tennessee's three-game winning streak against the Gators is its longest since sweeping the 1990 regular season series and then winning 70-67 at Florida on Jan 16, 1991. * The last time Tennessee won two in a row at Florida was during the 1990 and 1991 conference season. * Don DeVoe, who ranks second on Tennessee's career wins list with a 204-137 record from 1979-89, spent the 1990 season as the interim head coach of the Gators. DeVoe, who is now the head coach at Navy, recorded a 7-21 record in his lone season in Gainesville.
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