University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols-Dogs Meet in Rematch of Double Overtime Thriller
February 19, 2001 | Men's Basketball
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| Georgia (14-11, 7-5) at Tennessee (18-8, 5-7)
RADIO: Vol Network (Bob Kesling, Bert Bertlekamp). Listen to Vol Network on the Web TV: JP (Tim Brando & Barry Booker) Associated Press Poll (UT:22nd/UGA:nr) THE COACHES: Georgia Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vols Meet Georgia In Rematch of Double Overtime Thriller In Athens The Tennessee Volunteers complete their three-game homestand when the Georgia Bulldogs visit Knoxville Wednesday. The Vols, who lost to the Bulldogs in double overtime on Jan. 27 in Athens, hosts Georgia in an 8 p.m. game on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at Thompson-Boling Arena. This is the final game of a three-game homestand for the Volunteers. The homestand featured the top three teams in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division. The Vols opened the three-game stretch against league-leading Kentucky on Feb. 14 and then hosted Florida on Feb. 18. After Wednesday’s Georgia game, Tennessee 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. Vols Fall in National Polls This will be the second meeting this season between Tennessee and Georgia. On Jan. 27, Tennessee fell to the Bulldogs 77-75 in double overtime in Athens. The Vols held a 13-point halftime lead but only managed to score 19 points in the second half as the Bulldogs stormed back to force the game into overtime. After the two teams were tied 68-68 at the end of the first overtime period, Rashad Wright connected Chris Daniels on a long pass that resulted in a lay-up with 7.3 second left to give UGA the upset win over the sixth-ranked Vols. Isiah Victor led the Vols with 15 points and 13 rebounds while D.A. Layne led Georgia with 24 points. Vols Looking to End Streak Tennessee, which dropped home games to Kentucky and Florida last week, is looking to avoid its first three-game home losing streak since January and February of 1995 when the Vols lost five home games in a row. Despite dropping its last two decisions at home, Tennessee has been tough at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols have won 11 of their 13 home games this year with their only home losses coming to Kentucky and Florida last 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 54-6 in Thompson-Boling Arena. Walker Progressing Georgia, which is coming off a week off, ended a four-game losing streak on Feb. 14 with a 70-68 win over Vanderbilt. After beginning the SEC schedule with a 6-1 record, the Bulldogs have seen their record fall to 7-5 in the Southeastern Conference and 14-11 overall. Layne, a junior guard who has led the Bulldogs in scoring five of their last seven games, leads Georgia and ranks third in the SEC with 17.0 points per game. Ezra Williams (12.0 ppg), Anthony Evans (11.5 ppg) and Shon Coleman (10.2 ppg) are the other Bulldogs averaging in double figure scoring.Wednesday will mark the 124th all-time meeting between Tennessee and Georgia with the Volunteers holding a 76-47 series advantage. When the series is played in Knoxville, the Vols own a 45-12 advantage in the series. Looking at Georgia • The four-game losing streak was UGA’s longest of the season. During the streak the Bulldogs lost home games to Kentucky and Florida and road games to South Carolina and Alabama. • Georgia is just 4-6 in road games this season but is 3-3 in SEC road games. • Since Georgia played Tennessee on Jan. 27, the Bulldogs are 1-4 and the Vols are 1-5. • Georgia’s last two wins (over Tennessee and Vanderbilt) have been by a combined total of four points. Their four losses are by an average of 7.8 points. • D.A. Layne became Georgia’s all-time leading three-point shooter against Vanderbilt last week. The junior guard passed Litterial Green for first place on the school’s list for career three-pointers made with 220. • Georgia has more than doubled its SEC wins from last year. In 2000, the Bulldogs posted a 3-13 conference record while this year’s squad has posted a 7-5 mark in the league with four games left on the schedule. • Jim Harrick is 24-31 (.436) in his second season at Georgia and 427-213 (.667) in his 21st year as a head coach. • Georgia is 3-4 against ranked teams this year. • Georgia’s schedule ranks as the most difficult in the nation in the Feb. 17 Collegiate Basketball News RPI Ratings. CollegeRPI.com ranks the Bulldog’s schedule No. 1 in the nation as does Jeff Sagarin. • D.A. Layne leads the Bulldogs with 17.0 points per game this season, including 17.8 points against SEC teams. • Ezra Williams is second on the team with 12.0 points per game while Anthony Evans (11.6 ppg) and Shon Coleman (10.2 ppg) are the only other Bulldogs averaging in double figures. • Anthony Evans and D.A. Layne are the only two Bulldogs to start all of Georgia’s 25 games this season. • Georgia finishes the conference schedule with home games against South Carolina and Mississippi State before traveling to Arkansas to conclude the regular season. The Series • Tennessee holds a 45-12 series lead when playing in Knoxville. • The Vols have won the last three meetings with the Bulldogs in Thompson-Boling Arena. • Georgia ended a four-game Tennessee winning streak in the series with a 77-75 double overtime win in Athens on Jan. 27. • Tennessee has won five of the last seven 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 27-30 all-time when the series is played in Athens. • The Vols are 17-21 all-time against Georgia in Stegeman Coliseum. • 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 Meeting With Georgia • The battle matched the teams with the best records in the SEC entering the contest. Georgia entered the game with a 5-1 league record while UT was 4-1 in conference action. • In their conference opener, the Vols defeated Auburn 96-88 in double overtime. • Isiah Victor led the Vols with his sixth double-double of the season. The senior forward had 15 points and 13 rebounds against the Bulldogs. • Tony Harris , who scored his 1,500th career point in the loss, finished the game with 11 points. • D.A. Layne led Georgia with 24 points while Anthony Evans had 16. • Georgia blocked 15 Tennessee field goal attempts. Shon Coleman had a team-high five blocks. • Vincent Yarbough’s five blocked shots were one short of tying the school record of six. It was the second time this season a Vol has had five blocks in a game. • Tennessee shot 26.7 percent (8-for-30) from the field in the second half and was 0-for-4 from the free throw line. For the game, the Vols shot a what was then a season-low 38.5 percent. Familiar Faces • UGA basketball strength coach Brian Brown joined the Georgia strength and conditioning staff last October after spending the 1999-2000 season as the strength coach for the Vol basketball team. • Georgia basketball SID Tim Hix is a 1984 University of Tennessee graduate. Florida Recap • Brett Nelson led all scorers with 25 points while Teddy Dupay contributed 22 points. The duo combined to go 10-for-17 from three-point range. • Harris Walker turned in one of his best games as a Vol. The Chattanooga native had a career-high 13 points to go with six assists and no turnovers. • Terrence Woods came off the bench to score 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting behind the three-point arc in just 12 minutes of action. • Tennessee’s four-game losing streak is the longest in the Jerry Green era at UT. • The Vols lost back-to-back home games for the first time since February 1997. • Vincent Yarbrough contributed his fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds. • Tennessee’s bench outscored Florida’s bench, 39-18. • Tony Harris returned to the Vol lineup after missing most of the Arkansas game and all of the Ole Miss and Kentucky games with a high ankle sprain. • Florida ended a three-game losing streak in Knoxville. The win was Florida’s first over the Vols in Thompson-Boling Arena since 1997. Milestone Watch • Tony Harris needs three assists to pass Tyrone Beaman (491 from 1980-84) for third on UT’s career assist chart. Harris enters the Ole Miss game with 489 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. • Charles Hathaway needs nine points for 600 in his career. The senior center has scored 591 points in 120 career games entering the Georgia contest. • Isiah Victor needs three points to pass Mike Jackson (1,243 points from 1974-77) for 18th on Tennessee’s career scoring list. Victor has scored 1,241 points in his 118 career games at Tennessee. Vols Haven’t Lost Three In A Row At Home Since 1995 Vols Ranked 21st in Coaches Poll, 22nd 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 35 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 35 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
SEC Home and Road Comparisons • 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.
Vols Ranked No. 10 in RPI Poll • Seven SEC teams are ranked among the top 40 in the Feb. 10 RPI: Kentucky (8), Ole Miss (9), Tennessee (10), Georgia (16), Mississippi State (32), Alabama (35), Florida (39). Victor Leading The Vols • His 15.3 points per game against SEC teams ranks ninth in the conference. • Ranks second in the SEC by connecting on 55.3 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 1,241 points. He needs three points to move into 18th on Tennessee’s career scoring list. Harris Slowed By Ankle Injury • Harris played 32 minutes in Tennessee’s loss to Florida on Feb. 18. • 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 • Against SEC opponents he is averaging 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists. • In league games, Higgins is second the SEC in three-point field goal percentage by making 50.0 percent of his treys. • He leads the SEC in assists-to-turnover ratio in league games with 3.15 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 new career-highs for points (16 at Arkansas on Feb. 7) and assists (7 vs. Vanderbilt on Feb. 3). • Over the last six games he is averaging 7.2 points, 4.2 assists, 1.3 turnovers and 4.5 rebounds per game. During the six-game stretch, he is shooting 45.5 percent (15-of-33) from the field and 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from three-point range. Yarbrough Joins Victor As Newest Members OF 1,000-Point Club • Yarbrough has scored 1,092 career points in 89 games. He owns a 14.4 scoring average this season and has averaged 12.3 points per game in his career. • Victor has scored 1,241 points in 118 career games. He owns a career scoring average of 10.5 points which includes a scoring average of 13.8 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 1,531 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 • Slay has been the first player off the Tennessee bench in 19 of the Vols’ 26 games this season. • ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said, “Ron Slay brings energy and enthusiasm when he comes in the game. He’s the best sixth man in college basketball.” Individual Game Tickets Now On Sale Dickie V Honors UT’s Kesling Grunfeld Named SEC Basketball Legend Quadruple Threat On The Blocks • Charles Hathaway ranks fourth in the SEC with 1.56 blocks per game while Marcus Haislip is fifth with 1.46 per game. Vincent Yarbrough ranks eighth with 1.27 per game. Isiah Victor is just outside the top 10 with 1.15 blocks per game. Three Years Of SuccessTennessee has posted a 65-24 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. Tough Schedule • Collegiate Basketball News’ RPI ranks Tennessee’s schedule No. 5 in the nation. • CollegeRPI.com ranks UT’s schedule No. 5 in the nation. • Jeff Sagarin rates the schedule sixth. Tennessee vs. Ranked Teams
More vs. Ranked Teams • UT has won 10 of its last 12 games against ranked teams in Thompson-Boling Arena. • The Vols are 11-3 (.786) 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 4-7 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 4-5 against ranked teams. 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. 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 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
Five Vols Have Proven They Can Score Big 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. 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. Only one player (Vincent Yarbrough 31.5 mpg) 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 19 of Tennessee’s 26 games while Harris Walker has been the first off the bench five times, Marcus Haislip has been the first off the bench five times, Terrence Woods has been three times, Jenis Grindstaff twice and Isiah Victor once. (Includes multiple substitutions) Bench Production • Tennessee’s bench is averaging 29.9 points per game (776 points in 26 games). • UT’s bench has contributed 30 points or more in a game 12 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. Tennessee’s 13 Wins By Jan. 1 Sets Record Great Starts • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
