| Tennessee (6-9) vs. Syracuse (16-2)
Big Orange Showdown: Vols Host 8th-Ranked Syracuse
 | | Tennessee's Marcus Haislip scored a career-high 27 points against Mississippi State. | Despite returning from a two-game road trip to Georgia and Mississippi State, the Vols don't find the going any easier when they return to Thompson-Boling Arena for a showdown with eighth-ranked Syracuse at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19.
Tennessee is looking to end a three-game losing streak that has seen the Vols fall to second-ranked Florida in overtime, at Georgia on a three-pointer at the buzzer and at Mississippi State by one point in overtime. The Vols dropped the three games by a combined total of eight points. Tennessee has lost six of its last seven games by a combined total of 14 points.
Vincent Yarbrough, an All-America candidate, leads the Southeastern Conference with 19.3 points to go with his team-high 7.1 rebounds per game this season. Marcus Haislip is averaging 16.0 points while Ron Slay is adding 15.4 points per game.
Syracuse is 16-2 on the season and riding the crest of a seven-game winning streak after defeating Notre Dame 56-51 Monday night at the Carrier Dome. Wooden Award candidate Preston Shumpert leads the Orangemen and ranks 18th in the nation with 21.3 points per game. | TEAM STATISTICAL COMPARISONS | Tennessee
|
| Syracuse
| 76.1
| Points
| 78.5
| 72.9
| Opponent Points
| 64.9
| +3.2
| Scoring Margin
| +13.6
| 47.3
| Field Goal %
| 47.8
| 41.5
| Opponent Field Goal %
| 38.7
| 37.3
| Three-Point %
| 36.7
| 34.9
| Opponent Three-Point %
| 30.1
| 68.5
| Free Throw %
| 67.2
| 37.9
| Rebounds
| 38.3
| 36.3
| Opponent Rebounds
| 36.3
| +1.6
| Rebounding Margin
| +2.0
| 16.5
| Assists
| 17.2
| 16.7
| Turnovers
| 15.9
| 3.2
| Blocks
| 6.6
| 7.1
| Steals
| 12.1
| 6-9
| Record
| 16-2
|
| Individual Statistical Leaders | | Tennessee | | Syracuse | | Yarbrough, 19.3 | Points
| Shumpert, 21.3 | | Yarbrough, 7.1 | Rebounds
| Duany, 5.9 | | Higgins, 4.7 | Assists
| Thues, 5.6 | | Crump, 61.3 | Field Goal %
| McNeil, 68.8 | | Yarbrough, 43.1 | Three-Point %
| Duany, 44.8 | | Grindstaff, 79.2 | Free Throw %
| Shumpert, 82.5 | | | The Syracuse Series
Syracuse leads the all-time series 3-2.
* Neither team leads the series when playing on its home court. The series is tied 1-1 when playing in Knoxville and when playing in Syracuse. The Orangemen hold a 1-0 advantage when playing at neutral sites.
* Tennessee's 83-70 win in Syracuse last season ended a three-game UT losing streak in the series. After Tennessee won the first meeting, a 87-83 decision on Dec. 15, 1972 in the first round of the Volunteer Classic in Knoxville, The Orangemen rattled off three straight wins over the Vols.
* This weekend's meeting will mark the fifth consecutive time that the Orangemen have been ranked when playing the Vols.
* Syracuse won the only previous meeting in Thompson-Boling Arena. The 15th-ranked Orange won 87-81 on Dec. 9, 1992. SU is 0-1 when playing in Stokely Athletic Center.
* Tennessee and Syracuse have met once in the postseason. In the first round of the 1977 NCAA Tournament the 10th-ranked Orangemen upset the seventh-ranked Volunteers, 93-88, in Baton Rouge, La.
* Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena is the second largest on-campus arena with an official seating capacity of 24,535. The only arena larger is Syracuse's Carrier Dome which seats 33,000.
* Tennessee is 20-25 all-time against teams from the Big East Conference. Syracuse is the second Big East team that Tennessee will have played this season. On Dec. 22, 2001, the Vols lost 72-74 to West Virginia on a last second shot by Jonathan Hargett. Last Meeting With Syracuse
Ron Slay scored a career-high 27 points off the bench as the Vols rebounded from a loss to 14th-ranked Virginia earlier in the week to beat 10th-ranked Syracuse, 83-70, on Dec. 22, 2000, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY. Slay recorded his first career double-double with 10 rebounds to go with his career-high points. Isiah Victor also recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Tennessee trailed 25-22 late in the first half but closed with a 14-4 run to hold a 36-29 lead at the break. Jenis Grindstaff hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the half to give Tennessee the seven-point cushion. Tony Harris then opened the second half with a three-pointer, and the Vols were up 10 points. Syracuse never got closer than seven points the rest of the game.
* Tennessee outrebounded the Orangemen, 52-26. Sixteen of UT's rebounds were at the offensive end of the floor.
* Jon Higgins, Tennessee's defensive stopper, limited Syracuse's Preston Shumpert to 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field. Shumpert entered the game as the nation's fourth leading scorer with 23.6 points per game. His 14 points was a season-low.
* Tennessee's 52 rebounds is its most since a 54 rebound effort against Elon (11/22/99).
* Jenis Grindstaff had one of his best career games. He had a career-high 11 points and six rebounds in just 20 minutes of action.
* The Volunteer bench outscored Syracuse's bench 45-9.
* The loss was Syracuse's first home loss to a non-conference opponent since Ohio defeated the Orange 61-55 on Dec. 18, 1998. Last Second Losses Sink Vols
For Tennessee this season, the difference between being 6-9 on the year and potentially 13-2 is a matter of 16 points and less than 10 seconds. Four times this season a Vol opponent has hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation that has helped decide the game while one time a UT three-point attempt at the buzzer that would have tied the game rimmed out. Seven of UT's nine losses this year have been decided by a combined total of 16 points. Following are Tennessee's games that went down to the last possession.
* At Memphis, Thaydeus Holden made the first free throw of a two-shot foul to bring UT to 69-71 with 1.9 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second but Memphis was able to grab the rebound to seal the win.
* Louisville's Reece Gaines hit a three-pointer for the lead with 1.8 seconds left in the game to give the Cardinals a 73-72 win.
* West Virginia's Jonathan Hargett hit a three-pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining to give the Mountaineers a 74-72 victory.
* UT's Thaydeus Holden had a three-pointer that would have tied the game at the buzzer rim out against Wisconsin. The Badgers took a 65-62 win in Madison.
* Florida's Brett Nelson hit a 25-foot three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 94-94. The third-ranked Gators went on to a 104-100 overtime win.
* Georgia's Ezra Williams picked up a loose ball and fired up a three-pointer as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 73-70 win.
* Mississippi State's Timmy Bowers hit one of two free throws with nine seconds left in overtime to give the Bulldogs a 92-91 win. Marcus Haislip's shot at the end of regulation was off the mark and then Jan Higgins' three-pointer at the end of the overtime also missed. Close Losses
Tennessee has struggled to win the close games this season. The Vols are 0-7 in games that are decided by five points or less on the year. Tennessee fell at Louisville (72-73 on Dec. 20) and at Mississippi State (91-92 in overtime on Jan. 16) by one point and has two-point losses at Memphis (69-71 on Dec. 15) and to West Virginia (72-74 on Dec. 22). UT fell at Wisconsin by three points (62-65 on Dec. 29) and at Georgia (73-70 on Jan. 12). The Vols lost to third-ranked Florida by four points (100-104 in overtime on Jan. 9). Vols' Schedule Ranks 8th, SEC Ranked No. 1 In RPI
It hasn't been an easy road for the Volunteers and the computers are backing that up. According to collegerpi.com Tennessee's schedule ranks as the eighth-most difficult in the nation this year. The Southeastern Conference is rated as the toughest conference by the website. Following is a listing of the top conferences according to the Jan. 17 RPI:
| | Conference | Overall RPI | | 1. | SEC | 0.5955 | | 2. | ACC | 0.5899 | | 3. | Pac-10 | 0.5893 | | 4. | Big 12 | 0.5766 | | 5. | Big Ten | 0.5717 | | 6. | Big East | 0.5714 | Did You Know?
As of Jan. 17, the nine teams that have defeated the Vols this season have a combined record of 111-38 (74.5 percent). | Opponent | Record | | Marquette | 14-3 | | St. John's | 11-4 | | Memphis | 14-4 | | Louisville | 11-4 | | West Virginia | 7-8 | | Wisconsin | 10-8 | | Florida | 15-1 | | Georgia | 14-3 | | Mississippi State | 15-3 | Frontcourt Carrying The Load
Tennessee's starting frontcourt of Vincent Yarbrough, Ron Slay and Marcus Haislip has been carrying the bulk of the Vols' scoring this season. The trio has combined to score 634 of Tennessee's 1,141 points this season (55.6 percent). Yarbrough leads the Vols and the SEC with 19.3 points per game while Haislip is averaging 16.0 and Slay has 15.4 points per game. Free Throws The Difference in SEC Play
In Tennessee's win over Ole Miss on Jan. 6, the Vols shot a season-high 88.6 percent (31-of-35) from the free throw line. In UT's conference losses to Florida, Georgia and Mississippi State, the Vols are shooting just 57.1 percent (40-of-70) from the charity stripe.
* Tennessee's 88.6 percent shooting against Ole Miss was its best effort at the free throw line since making 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) of its free throws against South Carolina on March 10, 2000.
* The Vols shot just 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the line in their loss at Georgia.
Grindstaff Pushes For Starting Role
Senior Jenis Grindstaff has made a strong push for a spot in the starting lineup in recent games. Grindstaff is averaging 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Additionally he has provided the Vols with a defensive presence that has forced several opponent turnovers. Vols Have Three Players Score 20+ In Back-To Back Games
When three Vols scored 20 or more points in UT's game against Ole Miss on Sunday, Jan. 6, it was the first time since the 1993 season that it had happened. The next time out against Florida on Jan. 9, the Vols did it again. Three players recorded 20 or more points in the same game in back-to-back games.
* Against Ole Miss on Jan. 6, Vincent Yarbrough paced the Vols with 24 points while Marcus Haislip and Ron Slay each had 21 points.
* Against Florida on Jan. 9, Yarbrough once again led the Vols with 26 points while Marcus Haislip and Ron Slay each had 20 points.
* The Ole Miss game marked the first time since the 1993 season that three Vols had 20 or more points in the same game. The last time it happened was on Feb. 10, 1993 in UT's 107-111 loss at South Carolina. Allan Houston led UT with 29 points while Lang Wiseman had 26 and Corey Allen contributed 22 points.
Slay Nearing 1,000 Career Point Mark
Ron Slay needs 54 points to become the 36th player in Tennessee history to score 1,000 career points. The junior forward from Nashville enters the Mississippi State game with 946 career points, including 200 this season.
* Should Slay reach the milestone, he would become the second player on this year's team to reach the mark. Vincent Yarbrough scored his 1,000th career point last season in a game at Florida.
Slay Becoming A Rebounding Force
Junior forward Ron Slay is establishing himself as a force in the paint for the Vols this season. The 6-foot-8 Nashville native is averaging 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for Tennessee this season.
* He has led or tied for the team lead in rebounding in six of the Vols' last seven games.
* He tied a career-high with 11 rebounds against Florida.
* His 31 offensive rebounds rank second on the team. Only Vincent Yarbrough has more offensive boards with 33. Haislip Leading The Vols In Blocks
Marcus Haislip's presence has been felt since his return to the lineup against Memphis on Dec. 15. The junior is averaging 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the nine games since his return.
* Despite playing nine of the team's 15 games this season, Haislip leads the team in blocked shots with 18.
* He needs one blocked shots to pass Willie Burton (90 blocks from 1980-84) for sole possession of 10th place on Tennessee's career blocked shots list.
* Last year his 51 blocks led the team and ranked fifth on UT's single-season charts despite playing just 13.2 minutes per game.
* Had a career game at Mississippi State on Jan. 16 when he led the Vols with a career-high 27 points. Playing The Percentages
UT has made 50 percent or better of its field goals in four games this season, including a 60 percent (27-of-45) effort against Marquette (11/21/01).
* In 10 of UT's 15 games, the Vols have shot 45 percent or better.
* The Vols have made at least half of their three-pointers four times this year, including a 61.9 percent (13-of-21) outing against SMU. Troubles From Behind The Arc
After beginning the season by making 46.5 percent (53-of-114) of their three-point attempts through their first six games, the Vols have struggled from three-point range since then. Over their last nine games Tennessee has made just 30.5 percent (47-of-154) of its three-pointers. Yarbrough Climbing Scoring List
Vincent Yarbrough has led the Vols in scoring this season and continues his ascent up the Tennessee career scoring lists.
* He moved into 12th place on UT's career scoring lists with 1,467 career points.
* He became just the 15th player in UT history to score 1,400 points when he reached the milestone against Ole Miss on Jan. 6.
* He entered his senior season 28th on the school's scoring list with 1,177 points.
* He leads the Vols with 290 points this year.
* His 19.3 points per game leads the Southeastern Conference.
Yarbrough Breaks Steals Record
Senior forward Vincent Yarbrough became Tennessee's all-time steals leader when he tied a season-high with five steals against West Virginia on Dec. 22. Yarbrough, who now has 186 career pilfers, passed Fred Jenkins (177 steals from 1983-87) for first on the list. Yarbrough leads the Vols this season with 33 steals.
Individual Career Steals
1. 186 Vincent Yarbrough, 1999-present
2. 177 Fred Jenkins, 1983-87
3. 173 Tyrone Beaman, 1980-84
4. 154 Dale Ellis, 1979-83 Yarbrough Joins 700 Rebound Club
Vincent Yarbrough became the 13th player in Tennessee history to record 700 career rebounds when he reached that plateau against Wisconsin on Dec. 29. The senior forward currently ranks 10th on Tennessee's career rebounding list with 734 career caroms. This season he is averaging a team-best 7.1 boards per game.
* Yarbrough needs 15 rebounds to tie Don Johnson (749 from 1968-71) for ninth and 16 rebounds to tie Steve Hamer (750 from 1992-96) for eighth on UT's career rebounding list.
* He became just the seventh Vol to have 1,300 or more points and 700 or more rebounds. Holden Named SEC's "Best Junior College Import"
The Sporting News named Tennessee junior guard Thaydeus Holden the "Best Junior College Import" in the Southeastern Conference in its Jan. 7 issue. Holden, a transfer from Seward County (Kan.) Community College, is averaging 8.3 points on 38.6 percent (22-of-57) shooting from three-point range for the Vols this season.
Looking Back At The Mississippi St. Game
Tennessee's string of tough luck continued with a 91-92 overtime loss at Mississippi State on Wednesday night. A three-pointer at the buzzer missed the mark as the Vols dropped their third consecutive decision at the horn. Tennessee trailed 72-62 with 5:17 left in regulation but went on an 18-8 run to tie the game 80-80 on a Jon Higgins three-pointer with 1:20 left in the game. After both teams traded buckets, Tennessee had a chance to win the game on a Marcus Haislip jumper. The shot looked like it was going in but rimmed out. In the overtime period, the Vols built a 90-86 lead with 2:40 left. MSU's Michal Ignerski hit a lay-up to cut the lead to two. Vincent Yarbrough hit one of two free throws to push the lead to three but Ignerski buried a trey from the corner to tie the score with 51 seconds left. Timmy Bowers gave Mississippi State the winning margin with a free throw with nine seconds left.
* Marcus Haislip had one of his best nights as a Vol with a career-high 27 points. He also had a game-high seven rebounds.
* Jon Higgins had a career-high 16 points and tied career marks for steals (4) and field goals made (6).
* Marckell Patterson led the Bulldogs with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting while Mario Austin added 22 points, also on 8-of-12 shooting.
* Tennessee fell to 0-7 in games decided by four games or less.
* Mississippi State shot 56.7 percent from the field against the Vols. That is the best shooting by a Vol opponent since Kentucky shot 61.0 percent from the field on Feb. 14, 2001.
Yarbrough A Wooden Candidate
Although not on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 list, Vincent Yarbrough is still making a strong case for being on the final list released by the committee. Despite not being on the midseason poll of voters for the award, the SEC's leading scorer is still being considered for the award. It is the second consecutive year 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. Versatile Vincent
In his fourth season 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:
* Holds the school record for career steals with 186.
* Has scored 1,467 career points to rank 12th all-time at Tennessee.
* Ranks eighth all-time with 119 career blocks.
* Ranks among the Top 10 at Tennessee in three-pointers made and attempted.
* 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 previous two seasons.
* Has 245 career offensive rebounds to his credit, an average of 2.2 per game.
* Scored in double figures 75 times and has 16 career double figure rebounding efforts.
* Led Tennessee in scoring 33 times and rebounding 41 times in his career.
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 15 games this year, Higgins has 71 assists against just 28 turnovers. He is also averaging 7.3 points and 4.5 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. 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 59-9 (.868) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee is 45-7 (.865) since the 1999 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 26-8 against SEC teams at home over the last four seasons.
* UT's 38-game winning streak against non-conference games at home came to an end earlier this season with a 72-74 last second loss to West Virginia on Dec. 22.
* Last season Tennessee was 12-3 at home.
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