| Tennessee (13-11) at Alabama (21-4)
Vols Visit SEC's Best Team, Begin Tough Road Schedule
 | | Marcus Haislip scored a game-high 20 points in the Vols' 64-53 win over Arkansas Wednesday. | Tennessee will begin a tough road stretch to close the 2002 season with a visit to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to play seventh-ranked Alabama on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m (CST) at Coleman Coliseum. The Vols bounced back from a tough loss at South Carolina last weekend to earn a rewarding 64-53 win over Arkansas Wednesday in Knoxville. The win was Tennessee's seventh in its last nine games and improved UT's record to 13-11 on the season and 6-5 in the SEC. During that nine-game stretch, the Vols have posted wins over two top 10 teams (Kentucky and Syracuse). The only team to defeat UT was South Carolina, which swept the season series with wins in Knoxville and Columbia. The Alabama game begins a treacherous schedule to conclude the 2002 campaign. Tennessee will play three of its final five games on the road beginning at No. 7 Alabama. The Vols then travel to No. 10 Kentucky before returning home to play Vanderbilt. UT will visit No. 6 Florida before concluding the season at home against No. 21 Georgia. Vincent Yabrough leads the SEC with 18.2 points per game and leads the Vols with 7.2 rebounds per game. Marcus Haislip ranks second in the league with 2.11 blocked shots per game and is averaging 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Vols. Jon Higgins ranks third in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.14 and is averaging 4.38 assists per game. Buzz and Bama
Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson is no stranger to the University of Alabama's basketball team. Last year Peterson led his Tulsa Golden Hurricane squad to a 79-60 win over the Crimson Tide in the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament in New York City. Alabama wasn't the only SEC school that Tulsa had to get past for the NIT title. Tulsa also had to win at Mississippi State for the right to go to New York. Tough Road Ahead
Tennessee will finish its schedule by playing three of its last five games on the road. Each of those three games are against teams currently ranked in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll. The Vols begin the stretch with a game at No. 7 Alabama on Feb. 16 before traveling to Lexington, Ky., for a game against the No. 10 Wildcats. UT also will visit No. 6 Florida on Feb. 26. Tennessee's two home games are Feb. 23 against Vanderbilt and March 2 against No. 21 Georgia.
| Team Statistical Comparisons | | Tennessee | | Alabama | | 72.7 | Points | 78.1 | | 70.2 | Opponent Points | 65.2 | | +2.5 | Scoring Margin | +12.9 | | 45.9 | Field Goal % | 45.2 | | 41.9 | Opponent Field Goal % | 39.3 | | 34.8 | Three-Point % | 30.8 | | 34.5 | Opponent Three-Point % | 30.6 | | 68.4 | Free Throw % | 71.5 | | 67.4 | Rebounds | 40.1 | | 37.9 | Opponent Rebounds | 35.2 | | 34.1 | Rebounding Margin | +4.9 | | +3.8 | Assists | 13.5 | | 16.5 | Turnovers | 13.9 | | 3.3 | Blocks | 3.7 | | 6.4 | Steals | 8.0 | | 13-11 | Record | 21-4 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | | Tennessee | | Alabama | | Yarbrough, 18.2 | Points | Dudley, 15.6 | | Yarbrough, 7.2 | Rebounds | Dudley, 8.9 | | Higgins, 4.4 | Assists | Williams, 4.3 | | Crump, 61.1 | Field Goal % | Dudley, 58.1 | | Yarbrough, 37.9 | Three-Point % | Pettway, 41.9 | | Grindstaff, 84.4 | Free Throw % | Williams, 80.6 | | ? | Looking At Alabama
Alabama owns the best record in the Southeastern Conference with a 9-2 league mark this season. The Crimson Tide owns a two-game lead over Ole Miss (7-5 in conference play) in the SEC West. On the year, Alabama owns a 21-4 record which is also best in the SEC. The Tide are coming off a 52-51 win at South Carolina Wednesday where they rallied from a 15-point deficit for the win. South Carolina held a 28-15 halftime lead but the Tide outscored the Gamecocks 37-23 in the final half. Rod Grizzard scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half while Erwin Dudley added 20 points and 11 rebounds in the effort.
* Junior forward Erwin Dudley leads the Tide with 15.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. His 8.9 rebounds leads the Southeastern Conference this season. In league games he is averaging 9.7 boards.
* Rod Grizzard is the only other Alabama player in double-figure scoring with 15.0 points per game.
* Alabama leads the SEC in field goal percentage defense by allowing opponents to shoot just 39.3 percent from the field.
* The Tide are 14-0 at Coleman Coliseum this season. In all, they have a 16-game homecourt winning streak dating back to last season.
* Alabama is 4-0 against teams from the SEC East this year with wins over Vanderbilt, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina. The Series
Alabama leads the all-time series, 64-61
* Alabama leads the series 38-15 when it is played in Tuscaloosa.
* UT has lost 14 of its last 15 games against the Crimson Tide when playing in Tuscaloosa.
* Tennessee has won five of the last six meetings between the two schools.
* Tennessee holds a decisive 43-17 advantage when playing in Knoxville.
* UT leads the series 6-3 when playing in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Last year the fourth-ranked Volunteers defeated the 16th-rated Crimson Tide 86-69 in Knoxville.
* Alabama upset the seventh-ranked Vols 80-75 in Tennessee's last trip to Tuscaloosa on Feb. 26, 2000. The loss kept the Vols from winning the SEC title outright.
* The Tennessee - Alabama rivalry is UT's third-oldest in the SEC. Tennessee won the first meeting, 49-13 between the two schools on Feb. 6, 1914. Only Tennessee's series with Kentucky (1910) and Georgia (1913) date back further. Last Meeting With Alabama
The Vols used a 21-6 run to open the second half on their way to an 86-69 win over No. 16 Alabama on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2001, at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee held a 38-35 lead at the half when Jon Higgins helped key the big run that gave the Vols a 59-41 lead with 14 minutes left in the game. During the instrumental run, Alabama's star forward Rod Grizzard picked up his fourth foul as did guard Terrance Meade. Higgins finished the game tying his career-high with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three-point range. Tennessee held the Tide to 34.6 percent shooting from the field, including 19.4 percent from three-point range. Erwin Dudley led Alabama with 23 points and 14 rebounds while Grizzard was limited to just eight points and freshman sensation Gerald Wallace had four points.
* The Vols recorded 20 assists on 30 field goals.
* Five Vols scored in double figures led by Vincent Yarbrough's 18 points. Ron Slay had 14, while Jon Higgins had 13. Isiah Victor added 12 and Tony Harris contributed 10 points.
* Three Vols had eight rebounds in the effort. Vincent Yarbrough, Isiah Victor and Ron Slay each had eight boards.
* Tennessee won its 10th in a row at home against ranked opponents. Alabama entered the game ranked 16th in the Associated Press poll and 14th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. * UT was playing its first home game since Dec. 7. The Vols had played seven-straight games away from Thompson-Boling Arena. They posted a 6-1 record during that stretch.
* It was the first time that both teams were ranked when playing each other since Jan. 30, 1982 when No. 13 Alabama beat No. 15 Tennessee 77-72 in overtime in Tuscaloosa. Last Time Out - Vols 64, Arkansas 53
Tennessee never trailed in its 64-53 win over Arkansas on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Thomson-Boling Arena. The Vols took a 2-0 lead on a Brandon Crump lay-in and never looked back as they bounced back from a loss to South Carolina over the weekend. The win was UT's seventh in its last nine games. Tennessee opened a 17-5 lead and never let Arkansas get closer than four points the rest of the game. Tennessee took a 41-31 lead into the half and then withstood a Razorback rally that cut the lead to 57-51 with 4:25 left. A Derek Stribling lay-in ended the rally and Tennessee went on to the win.
* Marcus Haislip led the Vols with a game-high 20 points while Vincent Yarbrough had 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Thaydeus Holden drilled 3-of-4 three-pointers for 13 points.
* J.J. Sullinger led Arkansas with 13 points while Jannero Pargo came off the bench for 10 points.
* Tennessee had one of its best efforts at the free throw line, making 21 of 25 attempts. The Vols were 14-of-14 from the stripe in the first half.
* Tennessee guard Jenis Grindstaff missed the game with a viral infection. Grindstaff had been cleared to return to the lineup after suffering a knee injury against Kentucky a week earlier but was sidelined by the virus.
* Vincent Yarbrough recorded his 1,600th career point, 800th career rebound and 200th career steal in the game. Yarbrough's Trifecta, Senior reaches 1,600 points / 800 Rebounds / 200 Steals
Vincent Yarbrough reached three milestones in one game when he recorded his 1,600th career point, 800th career rebound and 200th career steal against Arkansas (2/13/02). He joins Bernard King, Dyron Nix, Carl Widseth and Reggie Johnson as the only players in school history with 1,600 career points and 800 career rebounds. Yarbrough hold the school record with 200 career steals and ranks 10th on UT's career scoring list with 1,613 career points and seventh with 800 career rebounds. Yarbrough and Haislip Earn NABC All-District Honors
Vincent Yarbrough and Marcus Haislip were both named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)/Pontiac Division I All-District Teams on Tuesday afternoon. Yarbrough was a first team all-District 7 selection while Haislip was selected to the second team. The teams are selected by a panel of member coaches of the NABC.
Yarbrough and Haislip, along with players from the other 15 districts, will now be eligible for the NABC/Pontiac Division I All-American Team that will be announced at the conclusion of the season. Joining Yarbrough on the first team are Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince, Memphis' Dajuan Wagner and Kelly Wise and Louisville's Reece Gaines. Haislip is joined by Western Kentucky's Chris Marcus, Tennessee Tech's Damien Kinloch, Austin Peay's Nick Stapleton and Morehead State's Ricky Minard on the second team. Injury Bug Bites Again
After surviving an early season bout with the injury bug, the Vols have once again been bitten. Tennessee's players have missed a combined total of 31 games due to injury or illness. Additionally, Marcus Haislip missed UT's first six games due to academics. Six Vols have missed at least one game due to injury or illness while only four scholarship players have played in every game this season. Del Baker (4 games with a stress fracture in right ankle), Jenis Grindstaff (2 games with knee injury), Brandon Crump (1 game with a viral infection), Andy Ikeakor (11 games with a mid-foot injury and viral infection), Ron Slay (10 games with a stress fracture in his leg and a knee injury) and Elgrace Wilborn (2 games with a knee injury) have all missed games this season.
* Jenis Grindstaff, who had started seven straight games until being injured, is listed as day-to-day after suffering a knee injury against Kentucky (2/6/02). He did not play against South Carolina (2/9/02) because of the knee and then missed the Arkansas game (2/13/02) with a viral infection.
* Brandon Crump missed the Kentucky (2/6/02) game with a viral infection and was severely limited against South Carolina (2/9/02). Although not back at 100 percent, he is expected to be in the lineup against Alabama.
* Ron Slay suffered a torn ACL in his left knee against Syracuse (1/19/02) and is out for the season. He underwent surgery to repair the knee on Jan. 31. Slay also missed UT's first two games and was limited for three more after suffering a stress fracture to the fibula in his right leg in October. Trio Logging Some Serious Minutes
With the rash of injuries this season three Vols have been relied upon heavily for their contributions. Vincent Yarbrough, Marcus Haislip and Jon Higgins are each averaging more than 30 minutes per game this year. Yarbrough leads UT with 35.1 minutes per game while Haislip (32.7 mpg) and Higgins (33.0 mpg) are also over the 30 minute mark.
* Over the last five games, Yarbrough (38.4 mpg), Haislip (36.0 mpg) and Higgins (36.2 mpg) are each averaging more than 35 minutes per game. Vols Faring Well Against Ranked Teams
Tennessee is 2-1 against ranked teams this season, with all of those games coming against teams ranked in the Top 10 by the Associated Press. UT's only loss to a ranked team was a 100-104 overtime decision to Florida.
UT's results against ranked teams this year
Jan. 9 #3 Florida L, 100-104 ot
Jan. 18 #8 Syracuse W, 66-62
Feb. 6 #7 Kentucky W, 76-74 ot Haislip Leading The Vols In Blocks, Second-Most In SEC
Marcus Haislip's 38 blocks this season are the second-highest number of blocked shots in the Southeastern Conference this year. Only Auburn's Kyle Davis (62) has more rejections this season. What's impressive with Haislip's numbers are that he has only played in 18 of UT's 24 games this year. In league games the 6-foot-10 forward is second in the SEC with 1.82 blocks per game.
* Despite missing UT's first six games, Haislip leads the team in blocked shots with 38.
* He ranks 10th on Tennessee's career blocked shots list with 110 career rejections. He needs three 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.
* Had a career game Jan. 16 at Mississippi State when he led UT with a career-high 27 points.
* Scored his first career double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds in UT's overtime win against No. 7 Kentucky on Feb. 6.
Yarbrough Climbing Scoring List,Ranks 10th with 1,613 Points
Vincent Yarbrough has led the Vols in scoring this season and continues his ascent up the Tennessee career scoring lists.
* He ranks 10th on UT's career scoring lists with 1,613 career points.
* He entered his senior season 28th on the school's scoring list with 1,177 points.
* He leads the Vols with 436 points this year.
* His 18.2 points per game leads the Southeastern Conference. Yarbrough Breaks UT Steals Record: Ranks 15th ON SEC Career List
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 200 career pilfers, passed Fred Jenkins (177 steals from 1983-87) for first on the list. Yarbrough leads the Vols this season with 47 steals.
Tennessee Individual Career Steals
1. 200 Vincent Yarbrough, 1999-present
2. 177 Fred Jenkins, 1983-87
3. 173 Tyrone Beaman, 1980-84
4. 154 Dale Ellis, 1979-83 Southeastern Conference Individual Career Steals
1. 310 Clarance Ceasar (LSU), 1992-95
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11. 207 Fred Derrick Taylor (LSU), 1981-86
12. 205 Vern Fleming (Georgia), 1981-84
13. 204 Eddie Shannon (Florida), 1996-99
14. 201 Tony Delk (Kentucky), 1993-96
15. 200 Vincent Yarbrough (Tennessee), 1999-present
16. 198 Dan Cross (Florida), 1992-95 2002 Vols Have Most Close Calls Since 1984
Tennessee has had more than its share of games decided by one shot this year. The Vols have had nine of their 24 games this season decided by three points or less. It is the most games decided by three or fewer points since the 1983-84 squad also had nine games decided by that margin. While the 1972, 1980 and 1983 teams had 11 games decided by three points or less, the school record for close calls is by the 1982-83 team that had 13 games decided by three points or less. Reversal of Fortune, Vols Won Last Four Close Calls
After losing their first seven games that were decided by four points or less, the Vols have put to use the lessons they learned from that experience. The Vols are 4-7 in games that are decided by four points or less on the year. UT went 0-7 in its first seven games decided by four or fewer points. Since then the Vols have won their last four by that margin.
* 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).
* Since losing their first seven games decided by four points or less, the Vols have won their last four games decided by that margin. UT has wins against No. 8 Syracuse (66-62 on Jan. 19), at LSU (61-58 on Jan. 30), at Vanderbilt (67-65 on Feb. 2) and vs. No. 7 Kentucky (76-74 in overtime on Feb. 6). More Close Calls
With all of the close calls this season for the Vols, a good heart medication may be in order for head coach Buzz Peterson. Thirteen of Tennessee's last 18 games have been decided by six points or less. Nine of those games were decided by three points or less. The three games in which the final margin was not within six points were played consecutively from Jan. 21-27 and were decided by at least 18 points each. Yarbrough Wins Second SEC Player of the Week Honor On Feb. 4
Vincent Yarbrough was named the SEC's Player of the Week on Feb. 4 for the second time this season and the third time in his career. Yarbrough won the award after averaging 22.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in Tennessee's wins at LSU and at Vanderbilt. He shot 50 percent (16-of-32) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from three-point range on the week. At LSU he had a game-high 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. At Vanderbilt he had 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds and three steals. With 4.3 seconds left in the game at Vanderbilt he hit a running jumper for the game-winning basket.
* He also won the award on Nov. 19, 2001 following a 26 point, 11 rebound performance in UT's season-opener against Tennessee Tech.
* Yarbrough won his first SEC Player of the Week honor on Jan. 31, 2000 when he shared the award with LSU's Stromile Swift.
* It is the 15th time that a Vol has received the award since the 1992-93 season. 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).
* Since being inserted into the starting lineup against Syracuse he is averaging 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Vols Crashing The Boards
Over their last 11 games the Vols have outrebounded their opponents 426-349. That is an average advantage of 7.0 rebounds per game.
* UT outrebounded eighth-ranked Syracuse 49-27 on Jan. 19. The Vols recorded 22 offensive rebounds in the game.
* Against MTSU the Vols held 48-29 edge on the boards, including 19 offensive rebounds. Last Second Losses Sink Vols
For Tennessee this season, the difference between being 13-11 on the year and potentially 20-4 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 11 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 Jon Higgins' three-pointer at the end of the overtime also missed.
* Vincent Yarbrough hit a driving shot with 4.3 seconds left to give Tennessee a 67-65 lead at Vanderbilt. Chuck Moore's three-pointer as time expired rimmed out to give the Vols the win.
* Kentucky's Gerald Fitch hit a three-pointer with 2.0 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 70-70 and send it into overtime. Tennessee won the game 76-74 in the extra period. Slay Out For The Year With Knee Injury
Junior 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 Jan. 19. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Slay underwent successful surgery to repair his ACL on Thursday, Jan. 31, at the UT Medical Center. This year was 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.
* Slay averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds before the injury.
* 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.
* At the time of the injury his 32 offensive rebounds ranked second on the team. Crump And Wilborn In For Slay
With Ron Slay out with a knee injury, it is 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. 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 was featured as the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week on Jefferson-Pilot's telecasts the week of Jan. 23-27. 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.
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