Tennessee Plays Host to Florida Sunday

QUICK FACTS

Florida (17-5, 7-4) at Tennessee (18-7, 5-6)

Game 26

Feb. 18, 2001

Tipoff: 2 p.m. (EST)

Television: CBS

Thompson-Boling Arena - (24,535)

Tickets - Purchase on Line -or-
call: 1-800-332-VOLS

The Series

Tennessee leads 58-40

at Knoxville: UT leads 34-12

at Gainesville: UF leads 25-20

Last Meeting
Florida 84, Tennessee 74
Jan. 30, 2001 at Gainesville

RADIO: Vol Network (Bob Kesling, Bert Bertlekamp). Listen to Vol Network on the Web

TV: CBS (Tim Brando & James Worthy)

Associated Press Poll (UT:15th/UF:11th)
ESPN/USA Today Poll (UT:13th/UF:9th)

Vols in the Polls

THE COACHES:
Tennessee Volunteers
Jerry Green (Appalachian St. 1968)
Overall Record: 18th year -- 307-210
at Tennessee: 4th year -- 85-32
2000-01 Schedule/Results
2000-01 Statistics

Florida Gators
Billy Donovan (Providence 1988)
Overall Record: 7th year -- 130-73
at UF: 5th year -- 95-54
2000-01 Schedule/Results
2000-01 Statistics

Probable Starters

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
Pos	No./Name	Ht	Wt	Yr	PPG	RPG	APG
F	="" target="_blank">35 Ron Slay	6-8	225	So.	12.9	5.2	0.9
F	44 Isiah Victor	6-9	220	Sr.	14.2	7.0	0.9
C	55 Charles Hathaway	6-10	265	Sr.	5.6	4.9	0.6
G	42 Jon Higgins	6-3	190	So.	6.8	3.4	2.5
G	22 Vincent Yarbrough	6-7	210	Jr.	14.2	7.1	2.8

Florida Gators
Pos	No./Name	Ht	Wt	Yr	PPG	RPG	APG
F	15 Matt Bonner	6-9	232	So.	13.0	7.3	1.3
F	25 Major Parker	6-4	218	Sr.	4.6	2.7	1.8
C	50 Udonis Haslem	6-8	265	Jr.	16.6	7.5	1.1
G	10 Brett Nelson	6-3	185	So.	14.9	2.8	4.4
G	11 Saul Smith	5-11	178	Jr.	13.7	1.8	2.4

Other Vol Links
Coach Green Interview with Bob Kesling

Inside the Numbers: Vols vs. Florida
UT Record Book Update

GAME NOTES

Tennessee Hosts Florida in Sunday Afternoon Affair

The Tennessee Volunteers continue their three-game homestand when the Florida Gators visit Knoxville this weekend. The Vols, who lost at Florida on Jan. 30, host the Gators in a 2 p.m. game on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

Vincent Yarbrough scored a career-high 28 points in the Vols' 103-95 loss to Kentucky Wednesday.

This is the second game of a three-game homestand for the Volunteers. The Vols opened the three-game stretch against Kentucky on Feb. 14 and will then close the homestand with Georgia visits Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 21. Tennessee then hits the road for games at Vanderbilt and South Carolina before concluding the regular season schedule with a home date against LSU on March 3.

Sunday’s matchup pits two of the highest scoring teams in the Southeastern Conference. Florida leads the SEC with 83.2 points per game while Tennessee is second in the conference with 83.1 points per game. Arkansas (81.5 ppg) and Auburn (80.6 ppg) are the only other teams in the league averaging more than 80 points per game.

Tennessee leads the all-time series with Florida, 58-41. The Vols, who have won three straight over the Gators when playing in Knoxville, hold a 34-12 advantage in the series when playing at home.

Vols & Gators Ranked

The Vols slipped to 13th in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll and 15th in the Associated Press poll after falling at Arkansas and Ole Miss last week. Florida is ranked ninth by ESPN/USA Today and 11th by the Associated Press.

This will be the second meeting this season between Tennessee and Florida. On Jan. 30 the Vols traveled to Gainesville, Fla., where they fell to the Gators, 67-81. Florida, which shot 52.8 percent from the field, was led by Matt Bonner’s 21 points and 10 rebounds. ="" target="_blank">Ron Slay led Tennessee with 18 points off the bench.

UT Hoping to End Streak

The Vols are looking to put an end to just their second three-game losing streak in the Jerry Green era at Tennessee. This streak, which has seen the Vols fall at Arkansas, at Ole Miss and to Kentucky, is the longest since January 1998 when the Vols opened Southeastern Conference play with losses at Florida, to Auburn and at Vanderbilt.

Tennessee has been tough at home this season. The Vols have won 11 of their 12 home games this year with their only home loss coming to Kentucky earlier this week. The loss to the Wildcats ended Tennessee’s 18-game home winning streak. During Jerry Green’s four years at Tennessee, the Vols are 54-5 in Thompson-Boling Arena.

Injury Bug Hits
Tennessee and Florida have both been bitten by the injury bug lately. Tennessee has been without the services of senior point guard Tony Harris for the most part of the last four games with a sprained wrist and a high sprain to his right ankle. Florida has lost the services of Justin Hamilton for the season with a torn ACL. Teddy Dupay had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back on Jan. 10 but was able to return to the lineup against UT on Jan. 30. Brent Wright missed four games earlier this season to correct a stress fracture in his right foot and then underwent surgery again this week to repair a broken thumb suffered on Feb. 20. Both Tennessee’s Harris and Florida’s Wright may play on Sunday.

Hot Gators

Florida enters Sunday’s contest having won six of its last seven contests, including two in a row. The Gators are coming off an 81-74 overtime win at LSU on Tuesday night. Brett Nelson and Udonis Haslem each had 18 points to lead the Gators. Haslem, a 6-foot-8 junior center leads UF and ranks fifth in the SEC with 16.6 points per game. His field goal percentage of 58.5 leads the SEC. Nelson is second on the team with 14.9 points per game while Dupay (13.7 ppg), Wright (13.6 ppg) and Bonner (13.0 ppg) are also averaging in double figure scoring.

Looking at Florida

F lorida enters Sunday’s game with a 17-5 overall record and a 7-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference after surviving an 81-74 overtime battle at LSU Tuesday night. The Gators came back from a 62-60 deficit with 3.2 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime and then Teddy Dupay scored 11 of Florida’s 19 points in the extra period. Brett Nelson and Udonis Haslem led the Gators with 18 points each while Matt Bonner and Dupay added 17 each.

• The Gators have overcome a 1-3 start in SEC play to go 6-1 since then. Florida’s lone loss in its last seven games was a 71-70 decision at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena on Feb. 6.

• Florida is ranked ninth in the latest ESPN/USA Today poll and is rated 11th by the Associated Press.

• Senior forward Brent Wright underwent surgery to place two screws in his right thumb on Tuesday after breaking the digit against Arkansas on Saturday. Wright, who missed the LSU game, missed four games earlier this season after having surgery to repair a stress fracture on his right foot in early January. Wright has not been ruled out of playing in Sunday’s game.

• Dealing with injuries this season is nothing new for the Gators. Brent Wright, Teddy Dupay and Justin Hamilton have all missed significant action due to injuries. Two times this season the Gators have dressed just seven scholarship players because of depleted numbers.

• Florida has rallied from halftime deficits in each of its last two games. Against Arkansas on Jan. 6, UF overcame a 35-29 halftime deficit for a 73-63 win. LSU had a 32-25 lead at halftime before the Gators rallied for the 81-74 overtime victory.

• Sophomore Justin Hamilton, who suffered a torn ACL against Georgia on Jan. 17, underwent surgery to repair the knee on Feb. 5 and will not return this season. Hamilton started 11 of his 14 games, averaging 6.6 points per game.

• The Tennessee game is Florida’s fourth road trip in its last five games. The Gators play three of its final four games at home.

• Florida coach Billy Donovan is 95-54 in his fifth season in Gainesville and 130-73 in his seventh year as a head coach.

• Udonis Haslem leads the SEC in field goal percentage by making 58.5 percent of his shots. He ranks fifth in the SEC with 16.6 points per game and sixth in rebounding with 7.5 per game.

• Brett Nelson, who has either led or tied for the team lead in scoring in each of UF’s last four games, leads the SEC with 18.3 points per game against league foes.

The Florida Series

S unday’s meeting in Knoxville will mark the 100th all-time meeting between the two schools with Tennessee holding a 58-41 series advantage.

• Tennessee leads the series 34-12 when playing in Knoxville.

• Florida won this season’s first meeting, 81-67, on Jan. 30 in Gainesville.

• Sunday’s game will be the fourth meeting in a row between Tennessee and Florida when both teams are ranked among the Associated Press Top 25. In each of those four meetings at least one team has been ranked in the Top 10.

• Florida has a 26-20 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 out the last four and four of the last six against Florida.

• The Vols have won three straight against the Gators when playing in Knoxville.

• Last year’s 81-79 double overtime win in Gainesville ended an eight-game losing streak at Florida.

• Don DeVoe, who ranks second on UT’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.

Last Meeting With Florida

F lorida 81 • Tennessee 67

J anuary 30, 2001 • Gainesville, Florida

It was a night when the injured Gators suddenly got healthy. Teddy Dupay made a surprise return to the Florida lineup as the 13th-rated Gators upset the eighth-ranked Vols, 81-67, Tuesday, Jan. 30, in Gainesville. Dupay, who was supposed to be out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks following back surgery, drilled a pair of three-pointers during a 12-6 Florida run late in the game. Tennessee had tied the score at 53 with 7:30 left in the game when ="" target="_blank">Ron Slay’s two buckets led the Vols on a 10-0 run. It was then that the Gators mounted the 12-6 run that gave them the lead for good. Brent Wright, playing in just his third game since returning from foot surgery, also played a key role during Florida’s late run with a 12-footer that gave UF a 67-59 lead. Wright finished the game with nine points in 22 minutes. Matt Bonner led UF with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

• ="" target="_blank">Ron Slay led Tennessee with 18 points off the bench on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. Isiah Victor added 12 points while Vincent Yarbrough had 11 and Tony Harris contributed 10 points.

• Vincent Yarbrough scored his 1,000th career point in the first half of the game.

• The loss was UT’s third SEC road loss in a row.

• It was the first time since the 1998-99 season that the Vols had lost back-to-back games.

• Florida’s 52.8 percent shooting from the field marked the first time this season that a Tennessee opponent had shot 50 percent or better from the field.

• It was the third road game in a row that the Vols had faced a sellout crowd.

• Jon Higgins tied his season-high with five assists.

• Tennessee was making its third appearance on ESPN’s Super Tuesday.

Kentucky Recap

T he Wildcats were simply on fire in their 103-95 win over Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 14. Kentucky shot a blazing 61 percent from the field, including an unbelievable 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from three-point range in the win. Tayshaun Prince led UK with a career-high 30 points on 6-of-7 shooting from behind the three-point arc. The Vols began the game by taking a 12-3 lead but the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run to take a 14-12 lead. UK built its lead to 50-39 going into the locker room at halftime. “Kentucky played as nearly a perfect a first half as I’ve seen while I’ve been at the University of Tennessee,” head coach Jerry Green said of UK’s opening period. In the second half the Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 19 points before the Volunteers could mount a rally. Isiah Victor scored five straight points in leading UT on a 13-1 run to cut Kentucky’s lead to four (93-89) with 2:19 left in the game. However, the ’Cats were 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the game’s final two minutes to seal the win.

• Tennessee’s 18-game home winning streak came to an end with the loss. The Vols had not lost a home game since Vanderbilt won in Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 12, 2000.

• Kentucky improved its winning streak to six games.

• Tennessee was without the services of point guard Tony Harris for the second game in a row. Harris was sidelined with a sprained ankle.

• Kentucky’s 10 first half three-pointers were as many as UT had allowed in an entire game all season. The Wildcats finished the game going 14-for-21 from behind the arc.

• Tennessee’s three-game losing streak is its longest since January 1998 when the Vols dropped their first three SEC contests.

• Vincent Yarbrough threw in a career-high 28 points to lead the Vols. Isiah Victor added 21 while ="" target="_blank">Ron Slay had 18 and Harris Walker had 12.

• ="" target="_blank">Ron Slay made his second start of the season and just the third of his career. Slay started at small forward while Vincent Yarbrough started at the shooting guard position.

• Isiah Victor moved into UT’s all-time top 20 scorers list with 2,137 career points.

Milestone Watch
• Tony Harris needs one three-pointer to pass Brandon Wharton for second place on Tennessee’s career chart. Harris enters the Ole Miss game with 231 career treys. Wharton made 231 three-pointers from 1995-99.

• Tony Harris needs four assists to pass Tyrone Beaman (491 from 1980-84) for third on UT’s career assist chart. Harris enters the Ole Miss game with 488 career assists.

• Tony Harris needs one steal to pass Allan Houston (1989-93) for sole possession of sixth on UT’s career steals list. Harris enters the Ole Miss game tied with Houston with 133 career steals.

• Isiah Victor needs seven points to pass Mike Jackson (1,243 points from 1974-77) for 18th on Tennessee's career scoring list. Victor has scored 1,237 points in his 117 career games at Tennessee.

• Charles Hathawayy needs 11 points for 600 in his career. The senior center has scored 589 points in 118 career games entering the Kentucky contest.

• 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.

Vols Ranked 13th in Coaches Poll,

15th in Associated Press Poll

T ennessee slipped to the No. 13 position in the Feb. 11 ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and to the No. 10 spot in the Feb. 4 Associated Press poll after falling at Arkansas and No. 25 Ole Miss last week.

• 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 34 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 34 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.

Playing Before Full Houses On The Road
Tennessee has been the biggest draw of the season for several of its opponents this season. The Vols have played on an opponents’ home court nine times this season, seven of those have resulted in the highest announced attendance for that opponent. Following are the places where the Vols have helped set a season-high for attendance this year:

Date	Opponent	Attendance	Capacity
12/22	at Syracuse	23,164	33,000
12/30	at Hawaii	8,291	10.330
1/6	at Auburn	10,500	10.500
1/16	at Kentucky	23,621	23,000
1/27	at Georgia	10,523	10,523
1/30	at Florida	12,048	12,000
2/10	at Ole Miss	8,388	8,135

SEC Home and Road Comparisons

M ost of Tennessee’s struggles through the first half of the SEC schedule have come on the road. While the Vols are 4-1 at home against SEC teams, UT is just 1-5 on the road.

• Three of UT’s SEC road games have gone into overtime, including two that have gone into double overtime. The Vols have a 1-2 record in those games.

• Following are UT’s Southeastern Conference statistics at home and on the road.

Home		Road
83.2	Points	76.7
74.4	Opponent Points	83.2
+8.8	Scoring Margin	-6.5
47.8	Field Goal %	42.6
42.1	Opponent Field Goal %	44.8
36.8	Three-Point %	35.6
33.1	Opponent Three-Point %	36.2
68.8	Free Throw %	65.6
37.8	Rebounds	40.0
41.4	Opponent Rebounds	42.2
-3.6	Rebounding Margin	-2.2
18.2	Assists	13.0
13.6	Turnovers	18.0
5.6	Blocks	5.3
10.6	Steals	5.0
4-1	Record	1-5

Vols Ranked No. 5 in RPI Poll

T ennessee is ranked No. 5 in the nation in the Feb. 10 RPI from Collegiate Basketball News. The weekly poll is a duplication of the official RPI that the NCAA uses as a factor during the NCAA Tournament selection process.

• Seven SEC teams are ranked among the top 40 in the Feb. 10 RPI: Tennessee (5), Ole Miss (10), Kentucky (14), Georgia (16), Mississippi State (35), Vanderbilt (37), Florida (38).

Victor Leading The Vols

Isiah Victor has picked his game up for his senior season. The Hopkinsville, Ky., native is leading the Vols in scoring and rebounding with 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. In SEC games he is averaging 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

• His 16.4 points per game against SEC teams ranks fifth in the conference.

• Ranks second in the SEC by connecting on 56.5 percent of his field goals this season.

• He owns two of the top four scoring performances by a Vol this season. He scored 34 points at Auburn (Jan. 6) and then scored 25 points at Arkansas (Feb. 7).

• His 34 points against Auburn are the most by an SEC player this season.

• Currently ranks 19th on UT's career scoring charts with 1,237 points. He needs seven points to move into 18th on Tennessee’s career scoring list.

Harris Slowed By Ankle Injury

S enior point guard Tony Harris has been limited to just 11 minutes of action over Tennessee’s last four games due to injury. Against Vanderbilt on Feb. 3 he suffered a sprained wrist while giving a teammate a high-five, limiting his playing time to eight minutes. Early in the game at Arkansas on Feb. 7 he suffered a high sprain to his right ankle that caused him to miss all but three minutes of the game against the Razorbacks and all of UT’s game at Ole Miss and against Kentucky.

• Harris’ status is listed as questionable entering the Florida game while dealing with the high ankle sprain.

• When he missed the Ole Miss game it ended a streak of 100 consecutive games played by the senior. Harris hadn’t missed a game since January of his freshman season when he suffered a stress fracture in his left femur.

Jon Higgins Having Strong Season

W hile players like Tony Harris, Vincent Yarbrough, Ron Slay and Isiah Victor are often times bogarting most of Tennessee’s headlines, Jon Higgins is sometimes overlooked. The sophomore guard has started each of Tennessee’s 25 games this season, averaging 6.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

• Against SEC opponents he is averaging 8.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

• In league games, Higgins leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage by making 53.7 percent of his treys.

• He leads the SEC in assists-to-turnover ratio in league games with 3.08 assists for every turnover.

• He always draws Tennessee’s toughest defensive assignment on the perimeter. He has held Austin Peay’s Trenton Hassell, SMU’s Jeryl Sasser, Syracuse’s Preston Shumpert and Iowa’s Luke Recker to sub-par outings this season.

• This month he has registered career-highs for points (16 at Arkansas on Feb. 7) and assists (7 vs. Vanderbilt on Feb. 3).

• Over the last five games he is averaging 8.6 points, 4.2 assists, 1.4 turnovers and 4.4 rebounds per game. During the five-game stretch, he is shooting 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the field and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from three-point range.

Yarbrough Joins Victor in 1,000-Point Club

J unior Vincent Yarbrough became the 35th player in Tennessee history to score 1,000 career points when he drilled a 15-foot jumper at the end of the first half during UT’s Jan. 30 game at Florida. Yarbrough joins Isiah Victor as the newest members of Tennessee’s 1,000-point club. Victor became the 34th member of the elite group during the Vols’ game against Virginia at the Jimmy V Classic in East Rutherford, N.J., on Dec. 19.

• Yarbrough has scored 1,072 career points in 88 games. He owns a 14.2 scoring average this season and has averaged 12.2 points per game in his career.

• Victor has scored 1,237 points in 117 career games. He owns a career scoring average of 10.6 points which includes a scoring average of 14.2 as a senior.

• The UT roster currently sports three 1,000-point scorers. In addition to Victor and Yarbrough, Tony Harris scored his 1,000th point last season. Harris has scored 1,525 points in his career.

• This is just the second time in school history that Tennessee has had three players who have reached the 1,000 career point mark on a squad at the same time. During the 1976-77 season Ernie Grunfeld, Bernard King and Mike Jackson had already reached the 1,000 point milestone or did so that season.

• This is the second year in a row that two Vols have reached the 1,000 career point milestone. Last year, Tony Harris and C.J. Black joined the prestigious 1,000-point club.

Slay One Of The Best Off The Bench

T ennessee super soph ="" target="_blank">Ron Slay is arguably one of the best sixth-men in college basketball. The 6-foot-8 forward is third on the team with 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season.

• Slay has been the first player off the Tennessee bench in 19 of the Vols’ 25 games this season.

• ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said, “ ="" target="_blank">Ron Slay brings energy and enthusiasm when he comes in the game. He’s the best sixth man in college basketball.”

Dickie V Honors UT’s Kesling
Tennessee radio announcer Bob Kesling was recently named to Dick Vitale’s All-Cawood Ledford team honoring the nation’s best radio announcers. Also on the list are Kentucky’s Ralph Hacker, Georgia Tech’s Wes Durham, North Carolina’s Woody Durham, Florida’s Mich Hubert, Duke’s Bob Harris, Stanford’s Bob Murphy, Clemson’s Jim Phillips, UCLA’s Chris Roberts, Illinois’ Jim Turpin, Maryland’s Johnny Holliday, Indiana’s Don Fischer, Kansas’ Max Falkenstein and Bob Davis, Florida State’s Gene Deckerhoff and UConn’s Joe D’Ambrosio.

Grunfeld Named SEC Basketball Legend
Ernie Grunfeld was one of 12 greats from around the Southeastern Conference named to the 2001 class of the Chick-fil-A SEC Basketball Legends released on Feb. 7. Grunfeld, who currently is listed as the school’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,249 points, will be honored at halftime of Tennessee’s first game at the SEC Tournament in Nashville. Grunfeld combined with Bernard King in the mid-1970s to form one of the most dominating scoring duos in the nation. Grunfeld led the SEC in scoring with 25.3 points per game in 1976 and finished second to King in the scoring race in 1975 and 1977. The two-time All-America went on to play nine seasons in the NBA and is currently the General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tough Schedule
Tennessee has faced 13 opponents this season that have either been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 or was receiving votes in the poll at game time. The Vols have recorded an 8-5 record in games against opponents receiving recognition in the national poll.

• Collegiate Basketball News’ RPI ranks Tennessee’s schedule No. 3 in the nation.

• CollegeRPI.com ranks UT’s schedule No. 3 in the nation.

• Jeff Sagarin rates the schedule 7th-toughest in the country.

Harris and Yarbrough Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 Candidates
Tennessee senior guard Tony Harris and junior forward Vincent Yarbrough were each listed among the 30 candidates named on Friday, Dec. 29, for the John R. Wooden Award. The Midseason Top 30 is based on player performance through the first half of the season. The Wooden Award and the Wooden Award All-America team will be presented in a ceremony at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 7.

• 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).

Quadruple Threat On The Blocks
There isn’t just one reason that Tennessee leads the Southeastern Conference with 6.0 blocked shots per game, there are four reasons. Four Vols rank among the SEC’s top 11 shot blockers.

• Charles Hathaway ranks third in the SEC with 1.6 blocks per game while Marcus Haislip is seventh with 1.32 per game, while Vincent Yarbrough is eighth with 1.25 per game and Isiah Victor is just outside the top 10 with 1.16 per game.

2001 Vols Are Climbing Blocks Chart
This year’s team is continuing a recent trend as one of the best shot blocking squads in school history. Following is a list of the top shot blocking teams in UT history:

Team Season Blocked Shots
193	1999-00 (33 games)
190	1998-99 (30 games)
174	1997-98 (30 games)
149	2000-01 (25 games)
133	1988-89 (30 games)

Three Years of Success
Tennessee has posted a 65-23 record over the past three seasons. The Vols would need to win three more games this year to set a school record for most wins over a three-year period. The 1999-2000 squad set the school record by winning 67 games (67-25) from 1998 to 2000 season. They broke the previous record of 63 by the 1983-85 teams.

Tennessee vs. Ranked Teams
Tennessee has played seven teams this season who were listed among the Associated Press’ Top 25 teams in the nation and another six who were receiving votes in the polls. The Volunteers are 4-4 against ranked teams this season. Following is a list of ranked opponents and their AP rank at game time.

Date	Opponent	Result
11/21	#18 Wisconsin	W, 66-56
12/19	vs. #14 Virginia	L, 89-107
12/22	at #12 Syracuse	W, 83-70
12/29	vs. #23 Iowa	W, 80-68
1/9	vs. #16 Alabama	W, 86-69
1/30	at. #13 Florida	L, 67-81
2/10	at. #25 Ole Miss	L, 71-87
2/14	vs. #22 Kentucky	L, 95-103

More vs. Ranked Teams
Tennessee head coach Jerry Green is 17-13 (.586) against ranked opponents since coming to Tennessee before the 1997-98 season.

• UT had won 10 straight games against ranked teams in Thompson-Boling Arena before Wednesday's 103-95 loss to Kentucky.

• The Vols are 11-2 (.846) under Green when playing a ranked team in Thompson-Boling Arena.

• UT has posted a 4-7 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 4-4 against ranked teams.

Individual Game Tickets Now On Sale
Individual game tickets to each of Tennessee's five remaining home games are now on sale at the University of Tennessee Ticket Office. Included among those games available is the Vols' Feb. 14 game against Kentucky. Also remaining on UT's schedule this season are home dates against Vanderbilt (Feb. 3), Florida (Feb. 18), Georgia (Feb. 21) and LSU (March 3). To order tickets, call the ticket office at 1-800-332-VOLS or order ONLINE by clicking here.

Southeastern Conference Success
Tennessee’s success has not been limited to non-conference teams since Jerry Green’s arrival in Knoxville. The Vols have won two SEC Eastern Division titles and one overall SEC championship in Green’s three previous seasons. Green has compiled a 38-20 record against Southeastern Conference teams.

• 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.

Jerry Green Wins 300th Career Game; Ranks Fifth On Tennessee Wins List
This has been a season of milestones for UT coach Jerry Green. The 2000-01 season has seen him win his 300th career game, coach his 500th career game and his 100th game at Tennessee.

• 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 85-30 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 85-30 (.739) 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 (85-30 in his fourth season) Green has compiled a 307-208 (.596) career record.

Green Climbing UT Coaching Charts
Jerry Green became the fastest Tennessee coach to reach the 50-win mark with a 74-69 triumph over the Memphis Tigers on Dec. 18, 1999. He reached the milestone in his 68th game, bettering the mark of 69 games set by John Mauer, who coached the Vols from 1939-47. Green, who is 307-210 (.594) in his 18th season as a head coach, is in his fourth season at Tennessee with an 85-32 (.727) record. In his fourth season at UT he already ranks as one of the five winningest coaches in Vol history.

Coach	Seasons	Years	Record	Pct.
Ray Mears	1963-77	15	278-112	.713
Don DeVoe	1979-89	11	204-137	.598
Emmett Lowery	1948-59	12	169-110	.606
John Mauer	1939-47	8	127-41	.756
Jerry Green	1997-Pres.	4th	85-32	.727
W.H. Britton	1927-35	9	80-73	.523

Five Vols Have Proven They Can Score Big
Jerry Green has several options to go to when the Volunteers need points. Five different Vols have proven they can score 20 points in a game for Tennessee. Tony Harris (4 times), Isiah Victor (5), Vincent Yarbrough (4), ="" target="_blank">Ron Slay (2) and Terrence Woods (1) have each scored 20 points or more in a game this season. Isiah Victor’s 34 points against Auburn on Jan. 6 are the most by a Tennessee player since Allan Houston had 36 against Georgia during the 1992-93 season.

Willing to Work Overtime
Three of Tennessee’s contests this season have required more than the standard 40 minute workday. Two of the Vols’ games have required multiple overtime periods. The Vols defeated Auburn 96-88 in double overtime on Jan. 6 and fell at Georgia 77-75 in double overtime on Jan. 27. On Feb. 7, the Vols fell 82-77 at Arkansas in one overtime period.

• Jerry Green is 4-3 in overtime games at Tennessee.

• UT is 2-1 in double overtime games under Jerry Green.

• Tennessee is 26-38 all-time in overtime games.

• Tennessee is 9-11 all-time in double overtime games.

UT Tough At Home
Thompson-Boling Arena has been one of the most difficult places for opponents to play in Jerry Green’s three seasons at Tennessee.

• Green has led the Vols to a 54-5 (.915) record in Thompson-Boling Arena.

• Tennessee is 40-3 (.930) since the 1998 season at home. UT recorded a 14-1 record in 1999, a 15-1 mark in 2000 and is 11-1 in 2001.

• The Vols are 24-5 against SEC teams at home over the last three seasons.

• UT has won 35 straight non-conference games at home.

• This season Tennessee is 11-1 at home, including a 4-1 mark against SEC teams.

Dunk You Very Much
Tennessee has wowed the crowds this season with its aerial acrobatics. The Vols have recorded 99 dunks this season. Following is a list of the Vols’ dunk leaders:

2000-01 DUNK LEADERS
1. Isiah Victor	31
2. Vincent Yarbrough	25
3. Charles Hathaway	16
4. Marcus Haislip	14
5. Ron Slay	10
6. Harris Walker	4

Reunion a Success
Tennessee hosted its first reunion of former basketball players for the South Carolina game on Jan. 13. Players from as early as the 1920s to as recent as the 1990s attended the reunion that featured a banquet in downtown Knoxville on Friday night and then a shootaround at Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday morning. At halftime of the South Carolina game the former players were recognized on the court where they received a rousing applause from the crowd.

• Nine 1,000-point scorers were in attendance as were two All-Americas.

• Legendary coach Ray Mears attended the event along with former assistant coach Tommy Bartlett. Mears is UT’s all-time winningest coach with 278-112 record in 15 seasons.

• Fred Brown, who is the oldest living Tennessee letterman, was in attendance. Brown played for the Vols during the 1929 and 1930 seasons and was a teammate of Bobby Dodd at UT.

New Bleachers Added At TBA
A new retractable riser system has been added to the west end zone of Thompson-Boling Arena that will provide a better courtside vantage point for the student section. The new seating section will bring the student section much closer to the basketball court. “I think this will give the students a chance to be more of a part of the game now,” Jerry Green said of the new addition. “Our students have been great here but they have been further back from the court. This will bring them a lot closer to be a part of the game.”

Tennessee’s 13 Wins By Jan. 1 Sets Record
Tennessee’s 13 wins before Jan. 1 are the most ever by a Volunteer team. The Vols finished the months of November and December with a 13-1 record. The previous high for wins prior to the New Year was 11 which was done in the 1999-2000 season (11-1) and the 1997-98 campaign (11-0).

Great Starts
A loss to Virginia on Dec. 19 ended a nine-game winning streak by Tennessee to begin the 2000-01 season. Tennessee’s 9-0 start to the season was the third time in the Jerry Green era and the sixth time in school history that the Vols began a season by winning its first nine games. It was the third time in the modern era (since World War II) that UT has started 9-0.

• The best start to a season in the modern era was last year’s 11-0 start the the campaign.

• The all-time best start to a season was in 1922-23 when the Vols began the year with a 14-0 record. They finished with a 15-2 record.

Non-Conference Success
Tennessee is 44-8 (.846) in non-conference games under fourth-year head coach Jerry Green.

• In home games against teams from outside the Southeastern Conference, UT is a perfect 30-0.

• The Vols were 12-2 against non-conference teams during the 2000 season with both losses coming at neutral sites (Tulsa and North Carolina).

Victor Named SEC Player of the Week Jan. 8
Tennessee senior forward Isiah Victor was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 8 after he led the Vols to a 96-88 double-overtime win at Auburn on Jan. 6. Victor led Tennessee with a career-high 34 points on 60 percent (12-of-20) shooting from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range. The Hopkinsville, Ky., native also set career marks for field goals (12), field goal attempts (20) and minutes (40). Victor, who scored 12 points in the two overtime periods, went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in overtime. His 34 points are the most by an SEC player this season and the most by a Vol since Allan Houston had 36 points against Georgia on March 6, 1993.

• This is the first SEC Player of the Week honor for Victor.

• It is the second time this season that a UT player has received the honor. On Nov. 27 Tony Harris was named the player of the week after a 22 point, six assist performance against Wisconsin.

Harris Named SEC Player of the Week Nov. 27
Tennessee senior guard Tony Harris was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 27 for his 22 point, six assist performance in the Vols’ 66-56 win over No. 18 Wisconsin on Nov. 21. Harris, who scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, shot 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from the field, including 50 percent (4-of-8) from three-point range against the Badgers. During the game he became just the fifth Volunteer to reach the 400 career assist plateau. He finished the game with 404 career assists.

• It is the third SEC Player of the Week honor for Harris. He also earned player of the week honors during his freshman and junior seasons.

• Harris was the last Vol player to win the award when he shared SEC Player of the Week honors with LSU's Brian Beshara on February 14, 2000

• It marked the 14th time a UT player has received this accolade since the 1991 season.

Vols Sign Two In Early Period
UT coach Jerry Green announced that Derek Stribling, a small forward from Rickards High School in Tallahassee, Fla., and Elgrace Wilborn, a power forward from South High School in Springfield, Ohio, have signed national letters of intent to play for the Vols beginning in the 2001-02 season.

• The 6-foot-6, 185-pound Stribling is listed as a Top 50 prospect according to some recruiting services. Stribling averaged 22 points and five assists as a junior. He is considered one of the top five players in the state of Florida.

• At 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, Wilborn averaged 13 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks as a junior. A Top 100 prospect by some recruiting services, Wilborn recently recorded a 44-inch vertical leap. Last summer, he attended the prestigious Nike Camp in Indianapolis.

Baker And Yarbrough Have High School Jerseys Retired
Senior guard Del Baker and junior forward Vincent Yarbrough had their basketball jerseys from Cleveland High School retired by the school on Monday, Nov. 20. Baker, who wore No. 32, and Yarbrough, who wore the No. 22 jersey, attended the event along with head coach Jerry Green. “It is an honor to have our jerseys retired,” Yarbrough said. “It feels good to be able to go home and be recognized as one of the better players to come out of your high school.”

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