| Auburn (9-8) at Tennessee (8-10)
Vols Complete Four-Game Homestand Against Tigers
 | | Freshman Elgrace Wilborn, along with Brandon Crump, are being asked to fill in for the injured Ron Slay on the UT frontline. | Tennessee will wrap-up a four-game homestand on Sunday, Jan. 27, when the
Volunteers host the Auburn Tigers at 4 p.m. The Vols started the homestand with a win over eighth-ranked Syracuse on Saturday, Jan. 19, and then defeated MTSU on Monday before falling to South Carolina on Wednesday. The loss to the Gamecocks ended a two-game winning streak and dropped Tennessee's record to 8-10 on the season and 1-4 in the SEC. Vincent Yarbrough leads the Vols with 18.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In conference games the senior has improved his scoring to 21.2 points per game. Marcus Haislip is second on the squad with 16.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Auburn enters Sunday's game with a 9-8 overall record that includes a 1-5
record in the SEC. The Tigers, who will be playing their third road game
in their last four outings, are looking to end a three-game losing skid.
Auburn has dropped consecutive games at Vanderbilt, at LSU and vs. Kentucky. Junior guard Marquis Daniels leads the Tigers with 12.1 points
per game. UT leads the all-time series 62-33, including a 37-7 advantage in Knoxville. Last year the Vols swept both meetings from the Tigers with a 96-88 double overtime win in Auburn and a 73-66 win in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
Slay Out For The Year With Knee Injury
Junior forward Ron Slay is out for the rest of the season after suffering a
torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in the first half of UT's win over eighth-ranked Syracuse on Saturday, Jan. 19. The 2001-02 season has been an injury plagued year for the Nashville native. He missed UT's first two games of the season and was limited through the Vols' first five games after suffering a stress fracture to the fibula in his right leg in October. However, Slay has been one of Tennessee's leaders by averaging 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds.
* He needs just 47 points to reach the 1,000 career point mark. He has
scored 953 points in 80 career games.
* He had led or tied for the team lead in rebounding in six of the eight games before the injury.
* Tied a career-high with 11 rebounds vs. Florida.
* At the time of the injury his 32 offensive rebounds ranked second on the
team.
* He has scored 20 or more points five times in 14 games this season. Crump And Wilborn To Step In For Slay
With Ron Slay out with a knee injury, it will be up to freshmen Brandon Crump and Elgrace Wilborn to step in for the junior. While filling in for Slay in the middle of the treacherous SEC schedule may be daunting for most freshmen, both Crump and Wilborn gained valuable experience for the Vols early in the season.
* Crump started six of UT's first seven games while Marcus Haislip was out
because of academics. During that time he averaged 9.6 points and 6.0
rebounds in 26.6 minutes of action.
* Wilborn started four of Tennessee's first five games for the injured Slay. In those first five games he averaged 5.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in 24.2 minutes of play.
* In their two games without Slay, Crump and Wilborn have combined to give
the Vols 42 points, 22 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocked shots. | Team Statistical Comparisons | | Tennessee | | Auburn | | 74.5 | Points | 68.4 | | 72.5 | Opponent Points | 63.4 | | +2.0 | Scoring Margin | +5.0 | | 46.2 | Field Goal % | 42.3 | | 42.5 | Opponent Field Goal % | 38.2 | | 34.6 | Three-Point % | 32.3 | | 35.5 | Opponent Three-Point % | 29.1 | | 67.8 | Free Throw % | 58.2 | | 38.9 | Rebounds | 37.9 | | 34.9 | Opponent Rebounds | 38.1 | | +4.0 | Rebounding Margin | -0.1 | | 16.3 | Assists | 13.5 | | 16.8 | Turnovers | 17.4 | | 3.3 | Blocks | 5.8 | | 6.7 | Steals | 9.1 | | 8-10 | Record | 9-8 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | | Tennessee | | Auburn | | Yarbrough, 18.1 | Points | Daniels, 12.1 | | Yarbrough, 7.3 | Rebounds | Robinson, 5.8 | | Higgins, 4.5 | Assists | Daniels, 4.7 | | Crump, 61.1 | Field Goal % | Killingsworth, 57.9 | | Yarbrough, 37.1 | Three-Point % | Daniels, 40.0 | | Grindstaff, 80.0 | Free Throw % | McGadney, 80.0 | | ? | Looking At Auburn
Auburn enters Sunday's game looking to end a three-game losing streak after
falling to eighth-ranked Kentucky 62-69 Tuesday in Auburn. Marquis Daniels
led the Tigers with 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists but it wasn't
enough to overcome Marquis Estill's career night of 21 points for the Wildcats. The loss dropped Auburn to 9-8 on the season and 1-5 in the SEC.
* The Tigers have dropped consecutive games at Vanderbilt (67-73 on Jan. 16), at LSU (58-75 on Jan. 19) and to Kentucky (62-69 on Jan. 22).
* Only two Tigers enter Sunday's game averaging double figure scoring.
Marquis Daniels leads Auburn with 12.1 points while Derrick Bird is contributing 11.2 points per game.
* Sophomore center Kyle Davis leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks
sixth in the nation with 3.80 blocks per game.
* Auburn ranks 12th in the SEC in scoring offense with just 68.4 points per
game. In SEC games, the Tigers are averaging 64.7 points per game.
* Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis is 147-91 in his eight season at Auburn and
495-303 in his 27th season as a head coach. The Tennessee game will be his
799th career game on the bench.
* Junior guard Adam Harrington joined Auburn's 1,000-point club against LSU
last weekend. With 161 points so far this season, he has pushed his career
total to 1,014 points.
* The Tigers are playing their third road game in their last four outings. The Auburn Series
Tennessee leads the all-time series, 62-33.
* This will be the 96th meeting between the two schools.
* UT holds a 7-2 advantage over Auburn when the two teams meet in the SEC
Tournament.
* Tennessee won both meetings between the two schools last year. The Vols
escaped Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum with a 96-88 double overtime victory
in the conference opener for both schools on Jan. 6. In the first round of the SEC Tournament on March 8 the Vols took a 73-66 win.
* The Vols lead the series 37-7 in Knoxville.
* The Tigers hold a 24-19 advantage in Auburn.
* With a 96-88 double overtime win at Auburn on Jan. 6, 2001, Tennessee
ended a six-game losing streak at Auburn. The Vols had not won in the
arena since an 84-73 victory on Jan. 4, 1989.
* In Auburn's last trip to Knoxville, 11th-ranked UT upset the seventh-ranked Tigers, 105-76, on Jan. 25, 2000.
* The last four meetings have been decided by a total of 72 points (18.0 points per game). On Jan. 2, 1999, 17th-ranked Auburn defeated Tennessee 90-62. In 2000 the Vols beat the Tigers 105-76. Last season, UT took a 96-88 double overtime win at Auburn and a 73-66 win in the SEC Tournament. Last Meeting With Auburn
Ron Slay came off the bench to score 22 points and grab 11 rebounds as
Tennessee beat Auburn 73-66 in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, extending UT's winning streak to four games. The
Vols, after seeing their 13-point halftime lead evaporate, regained the lead at 54-53 and didn't trail again after Terrence Woods hit a three-pointer, and Haislip followed with a layup with 6:07 left. Auburn responded with four straight free throws by Abdou Diame and Adam Harrington that tied it at 57 with 4:27 to go. Slay, who was playing in his hometown, scored his second basket of the second half and then made two free throws.
The Vols were up 61-57 with 3:37 left, and Tennessee came alive. Haislip
had a block and then slammed in a lob from Slay at the other end. Yarbrough
blocked Glass' three-point attempt and then tipped in Slay's miss as the
Vols looked in control with 1:59 to go and a 65-59 lead. Auburn got as close as five after Harrington's basket with 1:03 to go. Trailing by as many as 19, Auburn closed to within 38-25 at halftime and started the second half with a 15-1 run to take the lead for the first time. Brewer's trey with 12:11 put the Tigers ahead 40-39, and the Vols were struggling.
* Tennessee made nine of its final 18 shots in the game.
* Ron Slay recorded his third career double-double with 22 points and 11
rebounds.
* Auburn's 19 field goals were the fewest by a Tennessee opponent this year.
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 2.1 blocks in the 12 games since his return.
* In Southeastern Conference action he is averaging 17.4 points and 6.8
boards.
* Despite missing UT's first six games, Haislip leads the team in blocked
shots with 25.
* He ranks 10th on Tennessee's career blocked shots list with 97 career
rejections. He needs 16 more blocks to pass Rob Jones (112 from 1982-86)
for ninth on the career 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.
* He had a career game at Mississippi State on Jan. 16 when he led the Vols
with a career-high 27 points. Grindstaff Takes Over The Point
Senior guard Jenis Grindstaff has steadily made a case to join the starting
lineup. Once inserted into the lineup the 6-foot-2 senior made a statement.
Making his first start of the season against eighth-ranked Syracuse on Jan.
19 he turned in a performance that netted career-highs in nine statistical
categories including a career best 18 points.
* Against Syracuse he had career-highs or tied his previous career-best for
points (18), rebounds (5), field goals made (5), field goals attempted (11), three-pointers made (3), three-pointers attempted (6), free throws made (5), free throws attempted (6) and minutes played (32).
* He is averaging 8.0 points (56), 3.9 rebounds (27), 3.6 assists (25) and 1.7 steals (12) per game over his last seven games. Did You Know?
As of Jan. 24, the 10 teams that have defeated the Vols this season have a combined record of 132-52 (71.7 percent).
| Opponent | Record | Opponent | Record | | Marquette | 16-3 | Wisconsin | 11-9 | | St. John's | 13-5 | Florida | 15-2 | | Memphis | 16-4 | Georgia | 16-3 | | Louisville | 11-6 | Mississippi State | 15-4 | | West Virginia | 7-10 | South Carolina | 12-6 | Vols Are Crashing The Boards
Over their last five games the Vols are outrebounding their opponents by an
average of 11.4 rebounds per game. UT has a 43.2 (216) to 31.8 (159)
rebounding advantage during that stretch.
* UT outrebounded eighth-ranked Syracuse 49-27 on Jan. 19. The Vols
recorded 22 offensive rebounds in the game.
* Against Middle Tennessee the Vols held 48-29 edge on the boards, including 19 offensive rebounds.
* Over their last three games, the Vols are averaging 19.0 (57) offensive
rebounds per game. Vols' Schedule Ranks 9th, 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 ninth-most difficult in the nation this year. The Southeastern Conference is rated as the toughest conference by the website. Tennessee is ranked 80th in the Jan. 24 RPI. Following is a listing of the top conferences according to the Jan. 24 RPI:
| | Conference | Record | Overall RPI | | 1. | SEC | 116-32 | 0.5973 | | 2. | ACC | 76-27 | 0.5908 | | 3. | Pac-10 | 66-25 | 0.5826 | | 4. | Big Twelve | 102-39 | 0.5768 | | 5. | Big Ten | 81-47 | 0.5698 | | 6. | Big East | 122-42 | 0.5679 | Last Second Losses Sink Vols
For Tennessee this season, the difference between being 8-10 on the year
and potentially 15-3 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
1-7 in games that are decided by four 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). 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 11 of UT's 18 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. 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, Mississippi State and South Carolina, the Vols are shooting just 60.0 percent (51-of-85) 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. 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 12 games Tennessee has
made just 28.4 percent (62-of-218) of its three-pointers. Yarbrough Climbing Scoring List:
Ranks 12th with 1,503 Points
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 1,503 career
points.
* He became just the 12th player in UT history to score 1,500 points when
he reached the milestone against South Carolina on Jan. 23.
* He entered his senior season 28th on the school's scoring list with 1,177
points.
* He leads the Vols with 326 points this year.
* His 18.1 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 189 career pilfers, passed Fred Jenkins (177
steals from 1983-87) for first on the list. Yarbrough leads the Vols this
season with 36 steals. | Individual Career Steals | | 1. | 189 | 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 8th on Tennessee's career rebounding
list with 760 career caroms. This season he is averaging a team-best 7.3
boards per game.
* Yarbrough needs 40 rebounds to pass Isiah Victor (799 from 1998-2001) for
seventh on UT's career rebounding list.
* He became just the seventh Vol to have 1,300 or more points and 700 or
more rebounds. 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. 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 7.4 points for the Vols this season. Higgins Named To SEC Good Works Team
Jon Higgins is being featured as the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week on Jefferson-Pilot's telecasts this week. Higgins served as a tutor for the 21st Century Club that helps inner city youth in Cleveland, Ohio. He
participates in April Play Day with the Knoxville Boys & Girls Club and
regularly reads to children at local schools. It is the second time that Higgins has been named to the Good Works Team. He also received the honor last season. Last Game vs. South Carolina
Chalk it up as one of those nights. Everything seemed to go right for South
Carolina while everything seemed to go wrong for Tennessee in the
Gamecocks' 94-60 win over the Vols on Wednesday, Jan. 23. South Carolina
raced out to a 17-2 lead by the game's first media timeout. During the run
USC made 7 of its 8 field goals, including each of its three three-point
attempts. Tennessee could never recover as the Gamecocks built their lead
to 48-28 at halftime. USC shot 62.5 percent from the field and 57.1 percent
from three-point range in the opening period. Carolina finished the game
shooting 60.0 percent from the field and 52.0 percent from beyond the arc.
* Five Gamecocks finished the game in double figure scoring led by Carlos
Powell's 19 points. Jamel Bradley had 15 points on 5-of-10 three-point
shooting while Chuck Eidson and Rolando Howell each had 14 points.
* Vincent Yarbrough led the Vols with 20 points and seven rebounds. Freshmen Brandon Crump and Elgrace Wilborn each had 10 points.
* UT committed a season-high 26 turnovers.
* The 34-point loss was UT's worst since a 40-74 loss at Kentucky in
Lexington on Jan. 4, 1997.
* Vincent Yarbrough became just the 12th player in Tennessee history to
score 1,500 career points. He finished the game with 1,503 tallies. Carolina Connections Visit Knoxville
Several former North Carolina players and coaches have made Knoxville a
stopping point to visit UT head coach Buzz Peterson this season.
* Dean Smith, the legendary former Tar Heel coach, was the featured speaker
at UT's Coaches' Clinic in October
* Former UNC head coach Bill Guthridge attended a practice early in the
season.
* Eddie Fogler, a former UNC assistant coach, attended a practice with Bill
Guthridge early in the season and stopped back during conference play as a
scout for the Utah Jazz.
* Brad Daugherty, a standout player for the Tar Heels and later the Cleveland Cavaliers, provided the color commentary for UT's game against Syracuse.
* Current Tennessee Tech head coach Jeff Lebo brought his Golden Eagles to
play the Vols in November.
* Randy Wiel, a UNC assistant in the 1980s and 1990s, brought his Middle
Tennessee State squad to Thompson-Boling Arena in January.
* When the Vols play Vanderbilt, former North Carolina player Brad Frederick will be on the Commodore bench as an assistant coach. Yarbrough An All-America 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. | 
