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| Ron Slay came off the bench to score 15 points in just 16 minutes in the Vols' 97-66 win over Appalachian State. |
Tennessee will try to build on a strong second half performance against Appalachian State when the Vols travel to Dallas, Texas, to meet the Southern Methodist Mustangs on Dec. 6. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. (EST) and will be broadcast on Comcast Sports Southeast.
Tennessee is coming off a 97-66 win over Appalachian State on Thursday, Nov. 29. The Vols took a three-point halftime lead and quickly built a comfortable margin on their way to their third victory of the season. The win improved Tennessee's record to 3-2 on the season.
The Vols will be making their first trip ever to the city of Dallas. UT owns a 1-0 series lead over Southern Methodist following an 85-76 Volunteer win in Knoxville last season.
All-America candidate Vincent Yarbrough leads the Vols with 20.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. The Cleveland, Tenn., native ranks 18th on the school's all-time scoring lists with 1,281 career points. He will be making his 100th career start in the SMU game this week.
A pair of Texans are also averaging double figures for the Vols. Thaydeus Holden, a native of Silsbee, is second on the team with 11.6 points per game. Brandon Crump, a redshirt freshman from Klein, 11.2 points and his 6.6 rebounds are second on the squad.
Buzz Peterson is in his first season at the helm of the Tennessee program where he owns a 3-2 record. A 1986 graduate of the University of North Carolina, he owns a 108-52 mark in six seasons as a head coach. Last year Peterson led the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to a 26-12 record and the National Invitation Tournament championship.
Injury Bug Bites
Injuries have hit the Vols right between the eyes this year. In three of their first five games, the Vols have had just eight scholarship players available to play. The rash of injuries has caused trainer Chad Newman to be one of the busiest people on the Tennessee campus this fall. As many as three Vols at a time have been forced to watch practices from the sidelines with injuries while Marcus Haislip has been able to practice with the team but will not be eligible to play until after the first semester due to academics.
*Ron Slay suffered a stress fracture the weekend of Oct. 28, to his fibula in his right leg and sat out UT's first two games until making brief appearances at the Great Alaska Shootout. He has played in each of Tennessee's last three games but has been limited to just 15.3 minutes per game over that span. ?
* Andy Ikeakor is out indefinitely after suffering a mid-foot injury in his left foot in mid-October.
* Del Baker was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right ankle on Thursday, Nov. 28, and is out for two weeks. He had previously suffered a sprained ankle to that ankle in practice on Monday, Nov. 5. The senior has been limited in practice and only able to play 26 minutes per game in four contests.
* Brandon Crump suffered a sprained left ankle on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and missed the opening exhibition game on Nov. 1. He has been able to return to the lineup but is still trying to get back to 100 percent.
* Injuries have been so rampant on the Vol squad that even the team's travel coordinator went down with an ankle injury.
| Team Statistical Comparisons |
| Tennessee | | SMU |
| 74.4 | Points | 76.8 |
| 67.4 | Opponent Points | 72.8 |
| +7.0 | Scoring Margin | +4.0 |
| 48.0 | Field Goal % | 47.0 |
| 40.5 | Opponent Field Goal % | 43.3 |
| 43.0 | Three-Point % | 34.1 |
| 29.0 | Opponent Three-Point % | 37.1 |
| 69.6 | Free Throw % | 62.4 |
| 37.6 | Rebounds | 41.2 |
| 33.8 | Opponent Rebounds | 32.8 |
| +3.8 | Rebounding Margin | +8.3 |
| 17.6 | Assists | 12.8 |
| 19.0 | Turnovers | 14.7 |
| 2.8 | Blocks | 4.3 |
| 6.4 | Steals | 6.2 |
| 3-2 | Record | 3-3 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders |
| Tennessee | | SMU |
| Yarbrough, 20.8 | Points | Hancock, 20.7 |
| Yarbrough, 8.0 | Rebounds | Simpson, 7.7 |
| Higgins, 5.4 | Assists | Hancock, 4.2 |
| Crump. 61.1 | Field Goal % | Castro, 64.3 |
| Yarbrough, 48.0 | Three-Point % | Ross, 44.1 |
| Grindstaff, 1.000 | Free Throw % | Ross, 70.4 |
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Looking At SMU
SMU owns a 3-3 record entering a Tuesday night game at North Texas. The Mustangs are coming off a 1-1 showing at the Hawkeye Classic in Iowa City, Iowa, last weekend. SMU defeated LaSalle 72-63 in the first round to earn a spot in the championship game against Iowa. The Hawkeyes, ranked seventh in the Nov. 26 Associated Press poll, won the championship 86-69 despite 24 points from all-tournament selection Quinton Ross. Damon Hancock, who also earned all-tournament honors, was second on the team with 14 points against the Hawkeyes.
* Preseason all-Western Athletic Conference selection Damon Hancock scored his 1,000th career point against Baylor on Nov. 27. He enters the Tennessee game leading the Mustangs with 20.7 points per game.
* The tandem of Damon Hancock (20.7 ppg) and Quinton Ross (17.7 ppg) have accounted for nearly 50 percent (230 of 461 points) of SMU's scoring this season.
* SMU starts two freshmen and has three more come off the bench to play significant minutes.
* SMU has averaged 18 wins per year over the last five seasons. Last year, the Mustangs finished the season with an 18-12 record.
* The Mustangs finished the 2001 season with a 10-2 record when playing at home. This season, SMU is off to a 2-1 home record with their only loss in Moody Coliseum a 78-75 decision to Texas Tech.
* Head coach Mike Dement ranks fourth all-time on SMU's career wins list with a 99-81 record. The Mustangs have posted winning records in each of Dement's six seasons at SMU.
The SMU Series
Tennessee leads the all-time series with SMU 1-0 after an 85-76 Volunteer win last Dec. 7 in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee is 8-7 all-time against current members of the Western Athletic Conference.
* Tennessee is making its first trip to Dallas.
Last Meeting With SMU
Tennessee used 39 points from its bench to overcome a 14-point first half deficit to defeat Southern Methodist, 85-76, on Thursday, Dec. 7. Ron Slay scored a career-high 22 points and Marcus Haislip contributed 14 points as the UT bench outscored SMU's bench, 39-9. The Mustangs, who held a 43-36 advantage at halftime, led 55-46 with 15:40 left in the game when Slay hit a pair of free throws, then Haislip drained a three-pointer and then scored on a dunk to pull the Vols within 55-53 with 14:03 remaining. The two teams traded leads until Tennessee took the lead for good at 72-69 on a three-pointer from Slay with 5:46 left in the game. The Vols then outscored the Mustangs 16-7 over the final minutes of the game.
* Marcus Haislip scored 12 of his 14 points during a four-minute span in the second half.
* Ron Slay recorded a then career-high 22 points off the bench. It was the second straight game he had either tied or set a career-high for scoring.
* Ron Slay scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half.
* 15 NBA scouts attended the game.
* SMU was receiving votes in both major polls but was not ranked.
Three New Faces In Starting Lineup
In each of Tennessee's first five games this season, head coach Buzz Peterson has only been able to use two experienced players in the starting lineup. True freshmen Derek Stribling (2 starts) and Elgrace Wilborn (4 starts) along with redshirt freshman Brandon Crump (4 starts) have been in the starting lineup for Peterson's Vols. Junior college transfer Thaydeus Holden (5 starts) has also been a part of the starting lineup this year. That leaves only Vincent Yarbrough and Jon Higgins as the only Vols who played for UT last season who have been in the starting lineup this year. Veterans Jenis Grindstaff and Del Baker have been valuable reserves off the bench for Tennessee this year.
7 Of UT's First 11 games Are On The Road
The Vols' Dec. 6 game at SMU will be Tennessee's fourth game away from home in six outings this season. Tennessee traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, for the Great Alaska Shootout in November and then returned home to play Appalachian State on Nov. 29. The month of December sees the Vols travel to SMU (Dec. 6), Memphis (Dec. 15), Louisville (Dec. 20) and Wisconsin (Dec. 29). The Vols host Radford (Dec. 17) and West Virginia (Dec. 22) during the month of December.
Playing The Percentages
Tennessee has made 50 percent or better of its field goals in two games this season, including a 60 percent (27-of-45) effort against Marquette (11/21/01).
* In four of UT's five games, the Vols have shot 45 percent or better.
* The Vols have made at least half of their three-pointers two times this year, including a 52.6 percent (10-of-19) outing against Marquette.
Higgins Takes The Point
Junior Jon Higgins has moved from his natural shooting guard position to take over the point guard duties this season without missing a beat. Through his first five games this year, Higgins has 27 assists against just 10 turnovers. He is also averaging 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. In Tennessee's game against Marquette in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout the Shaker Heights, Ohio, native recorded a career-high nine assists.
Looking Back At Appalachian State
Tennessee turned a 37-34 halftime lead into a 97-66 win over Appalachian State on Thursday, Nov. 29, at Thompson-Boling Arena. Thaydeus Holden led the Vols with a career-high 20 points while Vincent Yarbrough added 17 points and seven assists. Holden gave the Vols a three-point lead at the half with a trey from deep in the corner at the buzzer. The Vols came out of the locker room for the second half and went on a 22-9 run to take control of the game.
* Ron Slay came off the bench to score 15 points in 16 minutes of action. In that time he also managed to gather five rebounds.
* Elgrace Wilborn just missed his first career double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.
* Jenis Grindstaff poured in a career-high 13 points.
* Buzz Peterson served as the head coach of Appalachian State from 1996-2000. Current ASU head coach Houston Fancher was his top assistant during his time in Boone, N.C.
Tennessee Texans
Three Volunteers are from the state of Texas. Junior guard Thaydeus Holden is from Silsbee and played one season at Lamar University before transferring to Seward County Junior College. Sophomore forward Andy Ikeakor is from Houston. Freshman center Brandon Crump is a native of Klein, just outside of Houston.
SMU Connection
SMU assistant coach Simon Cote began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee. Cote served as a student manager and then graduate assistant in the Volunteer program from 1994-97. He received an undergraduate degree from UT in 1995 and his master's in 1997.
Five Sign With Vols In Early Period
Buzz Peterson officially announced during the early signing period that five student-athletes have signed national letters of intent with Tennessee to join the Volunteer basketball team beginning with the 2002-03 season. Joining the Vols are Stanley Asumnu, C.J. Watson, John Winchester, Justin Albrecht and Justin "Boomer" Herndon.
* Asumnu, a 6-foot-4 wing from Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, is rated as one of the Top 10 fifth-year prep school players this season. Last year he averaged 23 points and five assists while playing for Westbury Christian School in Houston, Texas.
* Watson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev., who is a consensus Top 100 player, was the 2001 Nevada State Player of the Year after averaging 15 points, four assists and three steals per game.
* Winchester, a 6-foot-3 guard from Milford Academy in Milford, Conn., who is a consensus Top 75 player, Winchester averaged 20 points and six rebounds last season at Marist School in Bayonne, N.J.
* Albrecht, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, averaged 10 points, six rebounds and three assists as a freshman last season. A starter in every game last year, Albrecht led Iowa Western with 44 charges drawn.
* Herndon averaged 22.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 7.7 blocks at Donelson Christian Academy in Nashville, Tenn., last year. The 7-foot, 240-pound center increased his scoring average from 12.4 points to 22.8 points per game between his sophomore and junior season.
Yarbrough Named SEC Player of the Week On Nov. 19
Senior forward Vincent Yarbrough was named the SEC Player of the Week on Nov. 19 after his 26 point, 11 rebound performance in UT's season-opener against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 16. Yarbrough scored 22 of his 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field in the second half in leading the Vols to a 72-63 win. The 26 point effort by Yarbrough fell just two points of his career high of 28 against Kentucky (2/14/01).
* The conference player of the week award is the second for Yarbrough. He was also SEC co-Player of the Week on Jan. 31, 2000.
* It is the 14th time that a Vol has received the award since the 1992-93 season. Isiah Victor (Jan. 1, 2001) was the last UT player to win the award.
Yarbrough On Wooden Watch List
For the second consecutive year, Vincent Yarbrough was on the John R. Wooden Award's preseason list of its top 50 candidates for the Wooden Award All-America team. Yarbrough, who was one of six SEC student-athletes on the preseason list, has been a second team All-SEC selection each of the last two seasons. The Wooden Award committee will announce its All-America team on March 26, 2002 and then the recipient of the Wooden Award Trophy on April 7, 2002.
All-SEC Performers Return
Tennessee returns two players who earned All-Southeastern Conference honors following the 2000-01 campaign. Vincent Yarbrough was a second team All-SEC pick after averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-7 forward ranked among the top 10 in 10 different statistical categories against conference foes. Ron Slay earned third team All-SEC accolades after he came off the bench to score 12.9 points and gather 5.3 rebounds per game. Widely considered one of the best sixth men in the game last season, the 6-foot-8 forward led the Vols in scoring eight times.
Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena has been one of the most difficult places for opponents to play over the last four seasons.
* Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 57-7 (.891) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee is 43-5 (.896) since the 1998 season at home. UT recorded a 14-1 record in 1999, a 15-1 mark in 2000 and 12-3 in 2001.
* The Vols are 25-7 against SEC teams at home over the last three seasons.
* UT has won 37 straight non-conference games at home.
* Last season Tennessee was 12-3 at home.
Buzz Ball Begins
A new era in Tennessee basketball begins this season with Buzz Peterson taking over the helm of the Volunteer program. Peterson, 38, came to Tennessee from the University of Tulsa where he led the Golden Hurricane to a 26-11 record and a National Invitation Tournament championship during the 2000-01 season. In his sixth season as a head coach he has recorded a 108-52 career record that also includes a 79-39 mark in four seasons at Appalachian State. Winning has been a trademark of Peterson's on every level. In high school, he was named the top player in the state of North Carolina. In college, at the University of North Carolina, he was a part of the Tar Heels' 1982 NCAA Championship team. As an assistant coach he helped direct Appalachian State, East Tennessee State, North Carolina State and Vanderbilt to a combined 154-117 record and appearances in the NCAA Tournament and NIT. As a head coach he has directed teams to NCAA Tournament appearances, conference championships and a National Invitation Tournament title. In all, he has coached six teams to postseason tournament action, including three NCAA Tournament appearances and three National Invitation Tournament appearances. Additionally he played in four NCAA Tournaments at North Carolina. He has won conference championships (as the head coach at Appalachian State), NCAA championships (as a player at North Carolina) and NIT championships (as the head coach at Tulsa).
Yarbrough: Mr. Versatility
In his three seasons at Tennessee, Vincent Yarbrough has proven that he can do most anything on the court for the Vols. Entering his senior campaign, Yarbrough has proven himself worthy of being a two-time Wooden Award candidate. Following are some of the 6-foot-7 forward's accomplishments:
* Ranks among the Top 10 at Tennessee in three-pointers made and attempted.
* Has scored 1281 career points to rank 18th at UT.
* Ranks eighth all-time with 113 career blocks.
* Ranks third all-time with 162 career steals.
* Ranked among the Top 10 in 10 different categories against SEC teams in 2001.
* Has led the Vols in scoring, rebounding and steals in each of the last two seasons.
* Has 224 career offensive rebounds to his credit, an average of 2.2 per game.
* Scored in double figures 65 times and has 16 career double figure rebounding efforts.
* Led Tennessee in scoring 29 times and rebounding 39 times in his career.
Higgins Is SEC's Top Returner In Two Statistical Categories
Jon Higgins, a junior guard from Shaker Heights, Ohio, is the SEC's top returning three-point shooter and he also owns the best returning assist-to-turnover ratio. As a sophomore, Higgins led the SEC by making a school record 48.6 percent of his three-point attempts, including an SEC-best 55.6 percentage in league play. His 2.29 assists for every turnover ranked second in the conference last season and the top returning mark. Florida's Teddy Dupay led the SEC with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.43.
Looking At Memphis
The Tigers are 6-2 on the season entering a Dec. 7 game at Mississippi. The Tigers have won their last three outings after dropping back-to-back games against Alabama and Iowa at the Guardians Classic.
* Freshman Dajuan Wagner leads Memphis with 23.1 points per game this season. The true freshman scored a career-high 32 points against Old Dominion on Nov. 14 and has scored in double figures in each of his games this season.
* Head coach John Calipari is 220-88 in his 10th season as a head coach on the collegiate level. He owns a 27-17 record at Memphis. In three seasons as the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets, Calipari recorded a 72-112 record.
* Kelly Wise was a preseason all-Conference USA selection after he averaged a double-double (15.3 points and 10.1 rebounds) last season. His 363 rebounds last year were a Conference USA record.
* Junior college transfer Chris Massie did not play basketball in high school. In his Division I debut against Wofford on Nov. 13, he recorded a double-double with 13 poitns and 11 rebounds.
The Memphis Series
Tennessee leads the all-time series 10-5, including a 4-3 advantage when playing in Knoxville.
* Tennessee is 3-2 against the Tigers when playing in The Pyramid.
* Tennessee's three wins against Memphis in The Pyramid are the second-highest total of any Tiger opponent.
* The Vols are one of just four teams who have played more than one game in The Pyramid to have a winning record at the arena against Memphis.
* The Vols have won five in a row over the Tigers. Memphis' last win in the series came on Dec. 16, 1995 when the No. 6 Tigers barely held on to a 57-55 win over the Vols in Memphis.
* Tennessee has won four of the last five meetings in Knoxville. The only Tiger win coming on Dec. 17, 1994 when they defeated the Vols 50-46.
* The last four meetings have been decided by a total of 18 points. The largest margin of victory in that span was last year's 10-point Tennessee win, 86-76.
* Eleven of the 15 all-time meetings between the two schools have been decided by 10 points or less.
* Tennessee is 48-44 all-time against current members of Conference USA.
Last Meeting With Memphis
Tennessee bolted out to 10-0 lead to start the game and never trailed in an 86-76 win over Memphis on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2001, at Thompson-Boling Arena. Memphis, which fell to 2-5 on the season with all five losses coming to ranked teams, rallied to cut the Volunteer lead to three points (64-61) with 7:21 left in the game. The Vols then used a 8-0 run to rebuild their lead to 11 points with 5:43 remaining in the game. The Vols made 16 of 18 free throws in the final seven minutes to seal the win. Vincent Yarbrough led Tennessee with 23 points while Ron Slay came off the bench to score 17 points.
* Tennessee won its fifth in a row over Memphis. The Vols took a 10-5 lead in the series.
* Tony Harris moved into 15th place on UT's career scoring lists with 1,333 points.
* Charles Hathaway scored his 500th career point and blocked his 100th career shot.
* Vincent Yarbrough scored his 800th career point. His 23 points in the game are the most by a Vol this season.
* Ron Slay tied his then career-high with 17 points and established new career marks with 10 free throws made and 12 free throw attempts.
* Memphis forward Kelly Wise broke the Thompson-Boling Arena record for rebounds with 21. The old mark was 20 by UT's Dyron Nix against UT-Chattanooga on Dec. 2, 1988.
Peterson Familiar With Memphis
Tennessee head basketball coach Buzz Peterson is familair with the University of Memphis. Peterson's Tulsa squad defeated the Tigers 72-64 in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament in New York City last spring. Tulsa went on the win the NIT with a victory over Alabama in the championship game.
* Each of Tulsa's final three opponents in the NIT are on Tennessee's schedule this year. The Golden Hurricane defeated Mississippi State, Memphis and Alabama on its way to the NIT championship.
All-SEC Performers Return
Tennessee returns two players who earned All-Southeastern Conference honors following the 2000-01 campaign. Vincent Yarbrough was a second team All-SEC pick after averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-7 forward ranked among the top 10 in 10 different statistical categories against conference foes. Ron Slay earned third team All-SEC accolades after he came off the bench to score 12.9 points and gather 5.3 rebounds per game. Widely considered one of the best sixth men in the game last season, the 6-foot-8 forward led the Vols in scoring eight times.
Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena has been one of the most difficult places for opponents to play over the last four seasons.
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Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 56-7 (.888) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
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Tennessee is 42-5 (.894) since the 1998 season at home. UT recorded a 14-1 record in 1999, a 15-1 mark in 2000 and is 12-3 in 2001.
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The Vols are 25-7 against SEC teams at home over the last three seasons.
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UT has won 36 straight non-conference games at home.
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Last season Tennessee was 12-3 at home.
Vols On TV
At least 21 of Tennessee's 29 scheduled games this season will be shown on television. The Vols' games against Memphis, Syracuse, Kentucky and Florida will each be shown on ESPN while ESPN2 will show UT's game at Louisville. Jefferson Pilot Sports will broadcast seven games while Fox Sports Net will show five and Comcast Sports Southeast will televise three games. Additionally, ESPN will show four games of the Great Alaska Shootout, including potential second and third round games for Tennessee. Jefferson Pilot Sports will also broadcast all of the first three rounds of the SEC Tournament in Atlanta while CBS will show the championship game on March 10.
