Tennessee Riding Five-Game Winning Streak; Hosts No. 4 Florida
 | | Ron Slay leads the SEC in scoring this season (21.9 ppg) and has scored 56 points the past two games. | The Tennessee Volunteers will put their five-game winning streak to the test this weekend when they host the fourth-ranked Florida Gators at 5 p.m. Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols are enjoying their longest winning streak since the 2001 season when they won seven consecutive games. During the streak, Tennessee has a four-game Southeastern Conference win streak. It is the longest conference winning streak since a four-game streak last year. The Vols haven't won five consecutive league games since the last two games of the 2000 season and the first three of 2001. The fourth-ranked Gators will present the Vols with a tough challenge. Florida has won 16 of its last 17 games, including a victory over Tennessee in Gainesville exactly one month before Saturday's meeting. The 13-point loss is UT's worst conference loss on the season. Tennessee is coming off its first ever win at Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena with a 70-62 Wednesday. Ron Slay led the Vols with 23 points while Thaydeus Holden had 17 and C.J. Watson added 15 points. Slay, an all-America candidate, is leading the Vols and the SEC with 21.9 points per game. In SEC games the Nashville native also leads the league with 21.3 points per game. | Team Statistical Comparisons | | TENNESSEE | Stat Category | Florida | | 70.2 | Points | 76.6 | | 64.6 | Opponent Points | 63.8 | | +5.6 | Scoring Margin | 12.8 | | 46.2 | Field Goal % | 47.1 | | 41.1 | Opponent Field Goal % | 41.8 | | 37.2 | Three-Point % | 39.0 | | 31.8 | Opponent Three-Point % | 32.4 | | 73.6 | Free Throw % | 71.0 | | 36.5 | Rebounds | 35.6 | | 30.3 | Opponent Rebounds | 33.9 | | +6.3 | Rebounding Margin | +1.7 | | 16.4 | Assists | 16.6 | | 15.8 | Turnovers | 13.7 | | 3.4 | Blocks | 4.4 | | 6.4 | Steals | 8.1 | | 14-6 | Record | 20-3 | | Individual Statistical Leaders | | TENNESSEE | Stat Category | Florida | | Slay, 21.9 | Points | Roberson, 14.1 | | Slay, 7.2 | Rebounds | Lee, 7.1 | | Watson, 5.5 | Assists | Hamilton, 4.1 | | Crump, 55.2 | Field Goal % | Lee, 61.5 | | Higgins, 43.8 | Three-Point % | Bonner, 45.5 | | Slay, 79.3 | Free Throw % | Roberson, 85.9 |
The Series
Saturday's meeting in Knoxville will mark the 104th all-time meeting between the two schools with Tennessee holding a 58-45 series advantage ... In the first meeting this season, Florida took a 77-64 win in Gainesville on Jan. 15 ... The Gators have won the last five meetings between the schools ... Four of the last six meetings have been decided by 10 points or less ... Tennessee leads the series 34-14 when playing in Knoxville ... Florida has a 27-21 all-time advantage when playing in Gainesville ... Florida has won 11 of the last 12 against the Vols in Gainesville ... Last year Florida swept both meetings by winning 104-100 in overtime in Knoxville and 68-62 in Gainesville ...The Vols swept the 1999-2000 season series with an 81-79 double overtime win in Gainesville and then a 76-73 overtime win in Knoxville. Last Meeting
Tennessee couldn't overcome Florida's hot shooting and Matt Bonner's season-high 25 point outing in a 64-77 loss in Gainesville Wednesday night. Bonner, a 6-foot-10 senior forward, went 9-of-14 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three-point range in leading the sixth-ranked Gators. David Lee added 14 points and Brett Nelson had 13 for the Gators, who had every player who saw action register at least one point in the scoring column. Ron Slay led Tennessee with 17 points despite a frustrating shooting night where he went 7-of-24 from the field and 1-of-8 from behind the three-point line. Jon Higgins had 14 points while freshman point guard C.J. Watson had 12 points and five assists in 40 minutes of play. Florida, which improved its winning streak to 10 games, led by as many as 15 in the first half and took a 36-23 lead into half time. Tennessee cut the lead to nine (48-39) on a pair of Slay lay-ups but could not get any closer as Bonner stopped the rally with a three-pointer to give the Gators their double-digit lead again. Despite a strong finish, the Vols could get no closer than 13 points the rest of the way. Florida became just the second team this season to shoot 50 percent or better against the Vols. The Gators shot 52.2 percent (24-of-46) from the field and made 52.6 percent (10-of-19) of their treys on the night while limiting the Vols to just 41.7 percent shooting from the field. Looking At Florida
Florida is 20-3 on the season and 9-1 in the Southeastern Conference this season ... The Gators, who own the second-best SEC record, are coming off a 74-55 win over Ole Miss Wednesday in Gainesville ... The win over the Rebels gave Florida its fifth consecutive 20-win season ... The Gators have won their last two games by 19 points each and have won six of their nine conference games by 10 points or more ... UF's average margin of victory this season is 12.8 points which is the second-highest in the SEC this year ... The Gators, who are second in the SEC by making 39.0 percent of their three-pointers, lead the league in three-pointers made per game with 8.96 ... UF tied a school record earlier this season with a 14-game winning streak ... Freshman Anthony Roberson leads four Florida players in double figure scoring with 14.1 points per game ... Matt Bonner is averaging 14.0 points while Matt Walsh is adding 13.6 and David Lee is throwing in 10.3 points. Florida Connections
Stanley Asumnu and Mario Boggan were teammates at Hargrave Military Academy last season ... Together they helped lead the Tigers to a 25-3 record in 2001-02 ... Sophomore forward Derek Stribling is a native of Tallahassee, Fla. ... Tennessee Athletics Director Doug Dickey is a 1954 Florida graduate where he was the quarterback of the football team and later served as the head football coach from 1970-78 ... 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 Time Out: Vols Hit Late Free Throws To Get First Win In Bud Walton Arena
Tennessee used a 15-0 run in the second half to turn a three-point halftime lead into a 70-62 win over the Razorbacks in Fayetteville on Wednesday, Feb. 12. The win was Tennessee's first ever in Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena. The Vols had previously been 0-4 in the facility. In the game's final four minutes the Vols scored just one field goal but went 17-19 from the free throw line to help ice the game. True freshman C.J. Watson, who finished the game with 15 points, four assists against just one turnover, sank 7-of-8 free throws in the final four minutes. Senior Thaydeus Holden made 8-of-10 free throws in the final four minutes, including 7-of-8 within the game's final minute. Holden finished the game with 17 points. Ron Slay, led the Vols by scoring 17 of his game-high 23 points in the first half. Brandon Crump was a force in the paint for the Vols with six points and nine rebounds. Dionisio Gomez led the Razorbacks with 18 points and nine rebounds while freshman Jonathon Modica added 17 points before fouling out with 11 seconds left. Slay Named SEC Player Of The Week
Senior forward Ron Slay was named the SEC's Player of the Week on Feb. 10 after averaging 27.0 points on 66.7 percent shooting from the field in Tennessee's wins over UMass and Georgia ... His 33 points against Georgia are a career-high against an SEC team ... It is the first time Slay has been been named the SEC Player of the Week. Random Notes
The Vols are receiving votes in the national polls for the first time since Dec. 10, 2001, the last time they were in the Top 25 was the Feb. 19, 2001 (22nd) AP poll and the March 5, 2001 ESPN/USA Today poll (24th) ... The Vols went 3-0 on the road against teams from the SEC West this season for just the second time since the conference expansion in 1992 ... Buzz Peterson is 8-3 against the SEC West while at Tennessee ... In six of their nine SEC games, UT has held its opponents under their season field goal percentage ... UT has held 18 of 20 opponents to under 50 percent shooting from the field ... Defensively the Vols allowed 66.7 points in their first 15 games but just 58.4 in their last five ... UT has shot 50 percent or better in the first half of five of their last six games, including 59.3 percent against UMass (2/5/03) ... The Vols have won their six conference games by 8, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 points ... UT is 13-1 when holding opponents under 70 points ... The Vols are 12-4 when leading at halftime ... UT is 10-2 when leading with five minutes left in the game ... Buzz Peterson has brought one of his children along on road trips three times this season ... Rob Peterson is 0-2 on the road with trips to West Virginia and Georgia while Olivia Peterson is 1-0 after going to Auburn ... Tennessee filled both of its breaks in the SEC schedule with non-conference games (Louisville on Jan. 25 and UMass on Feb. 5) so the Vols with play two times a week for nine straight weeks before the SEC Tournament. It's Elementary: Watson One Of SEC's Top Freshmen
C.J. Watson leads the Vols and is tied for the lead in the SEC with 5.45 assists per game ... The true freshman point guard ranks sixth among SEC freshmen with 9.8 points per game ... His 4.6 rebounds per game is second among league freshmen ... He is seventh in field goal percentage among those who have played in 75 percent of their team's games with 45.7 percent ... The Las Vegas, Nev., native's 1.15 steals per game is fifth among the league's newcomers. Tennessee Against Ranked Teams
Tennessee is 1-4 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 this season ... UT is 77-179 all-time against teams ranked among the Associated Press Top 25 ... The Vols are 16-26 against teams ranked in the Top 5 and 38-112 against teams ranked in the Top 10 ... In 2001-02 Tennessee was 3-5 against ranked foes. Six Of UT's Games Decided By One Possession
Ten of Tennessee's 20 games have been decided by five points or less ... The Vols are 6-4 in games decided by five points or less ... Six games have been decided by one possession (three points or less) ... UT is 3-3 in games decided by a single possession ... Last year Tennessee had 10 games decided by 10 points or less ... In 2001-02, UT went 3-7 in games decided on three points or less. Tennessee Leads SEC In Free Throw Shooting
Behind the solid shooting of Ron Slay, the Vols lead the Southeastern Conference in free throw shooting ... The Vols are shooting an SEC-best 73.6 percent from the line this season ... Slay is fifth in the conference with an 79.3 percent (111-of-140) success rate at the line ... C.J. Watson shot just 50 percent (11-of-22) from the line before the start of conference play but is connecting on 75.9 percent (44-of-58) in conference games. Vols Crashing The Boards
Tennessee ranks second in the SEC by out-rebounding its opponents by 6.3 rebounds per game ... The Vols' 6.5 rebounding margin ranked 18th in the nation according to the Feb. 10 NCAA statistics ... The only teams to out-rebound the Vols this season are Gardner-Webb (42-41 on 11/22/02), Kentucky (35-27 on 1/8/03), at Georgia (41-40 on 1/22/03) and Georgia (38-25 on 2/8/03). Backcourt On Fire From Long Range
Jon Higgins, C.J. Watson and Thaydeus Holden are all shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range in Southeastern Conference games ... As a team, the Vols are shooting 39.1 percent from downtown in league games ... Holden is converting 46.7 percent (14-of-30) of his treys while Higgins is hitting 43.2 percent (19-of-420) of his three-pointers in conference games ... Watson is connecting on 43.8 percent (7-of-16). He's Back: Slay Leading The SEC In Scoring
Ron Slay has made it known that he has returned to the lineup following a knee injury that cut his junior season short ... Slay leads the SEC with 219 points per game and is fifth in the SEC with 7.2 rebounds per game ... In conference games, the 6-foot-8 Slay's 21.3 points per game also leads the league ... He is attempting to become the first Vol since Allan Houston to lead the SEC in scoring ... Houston averaged 22.3 points per game as a senior in 1992-93 ... It would be the ninth time a Vol has led the league in scoring ... Slay is also attempting to become the first Tennessee player to average 20 or more points per game in a season since Houston averaged 22.3 in 1992-93 ... Since the 1950-51 season, a Vol has averaged 20 or more points in a season 21 times. Slay's Charity Ranks Fifth In SEC
Ron Slay's 79.3 free throw percentage ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference ... The senior has made 30 more free throws than anyone else among the SEC's top 10 free throw shooters ... He is attempting to become the first Vol to lead the SEC in free throw shooting since Allan Houston hit 86.3 percent of his free throws in 1992-93. Slay Joins 1,000-Point Club; Ranks 17th All-Time With 1,390 Points
Ron Slay became the 37th Vol to score 1,000 career points when he reached the milestone in the second half of the VMI game on Nov. 25 ... He currently ranks 17th on UT's scoring lists with 1,390 career points ... He carded a career-high 38 points against New Mexico on Jan. 4 ... His career-best effort against an SEC foe came against Georgia (2/8/03) when he had 33 points. Slay's Big Day Against New Mexico
Ron Slay recorded a career-high 38 points against New Mexico on Jan. 4 ... It is the most points by a Vol since Allan Houston had 43 against LSU on Feb. 10, 1990 ... Slay shot 60 percent (9-of-15) from the field, including 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from three-point range, and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the free throw line ... He also added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double ... His 19 free throws attempted set a Thompson-Boling Arena record and his 15 free throws made tied the facility record for the most by a UT player ... His 38 points ties for the most in the SEC this year. 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. 8 ... Higgins has visited patients at the UT Medical Center, mentored youth from the Knoxville Boys and Girls Clubs, regularly reads to children at local schools and serves as on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) among other activities ... It is the third time that Higgins has been named to the Good Works Team. Higgins Coming Up With Big Shots; Becoming King Of Buzzer-Beaters
Senior Jon Higgins has established himself as one of the best long-range shooters in the SEC during his career at UT ... This year he is being asked to carry a larger part of the scoring load ... Through 20 games he is averaging 9.2 points on 43.8 percent shooting from three-point range ... Quite possibly the biggest shot of his career came against Georgia Tech (12/15/02) when he sank a three-pointer from mid-court with a half-second left to lead the Vols to a 70-69 win in Atlanta ... He also hit a buzzer beater when he swished a long three-pointer as time expired in the first half of the Vols' win over Georgia (2/8/03). Higgins In The Record Books
Senior Jon Higgins is one the best three-point shooters and one of the top setup men in Tennessee history ... He ranks fourth all-time with 198 career three-pointers ... Ranks fifth with 492 career three-point attempts ... His 40.2 three-point percentage is third on the UT charts ... Ranks ninth with 331 career assists. UT's Iron Man: Higgins Has Played In Every Game
Senior Jon Higgins has played in all of the Vols' game since arriving on the UT campus prior to the 1999-2000 season ... The Shaker Heights, Ohio, native has started 115 of his 117 career games ... He has played at least 13 minutes in all of his 117 career games. Quiet Storm: Watson Stepping It Up In SEC Action
Las Vegas, Nev., native C.J. Watson has taken over the point guard duties for Jon Higgins, allowing Higgins to return to his more natural shooting guard position this season ... Watson is the first true freshman to start the season-opener at point guard for the Vols since Tony Harris in 1997-98 ... Through his first 20 collegiate games he is averaging 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists against just 3.0 turnovers in 36.5 minutes of action ... He is tied for the lead in the SEC with 5.5 assists per game ... He has recorded seven or more assists in a game six times ... Against Ole Miss (1/11/03) he scored a career-best 17 points ... He recorded a career-high nine assists in Tennessee's 78-72 win over 17th-ranked Georgia (2/8/03) ... In Southeastern Conference play he has improved his scoring to 11.4 points to go with 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 37.9 minutes of action ... He has reached double-figure scoring in seven of his last 10 games. Watson Is Leading The Vols And SEC In Minutes
Freshman point guard C.J. Watson is making a bid to become the first true freshman since Allan Houston (36.1 minutes per game in 1989-90) to lead the Vols in minutes played ... Through 20 games Watson is averaging a team-high 36.5 minutes per game ... Watson's 36.5 minutes per game not only leads the Vols but it is also the most minutes in the SEC ... South Carolina's Chuck Eidson is second in the league with 34.8 minutes per game ... Against Florida (1/15/03) he became the first Vol since Brandon Wharton in 1998 to play every minute of a game when he had a 12 point, five assist outing in 40 minutes against the sixth-ranked Gators. Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena has provided the Vols with a definite homecourt advantage since the facility opened in time for the 1987-88 season.
* Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 75-13 (.852) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee is 61-11 (.847) since the 1999 season at home. UT recorded a 14-1 record in 1999, a 15-1 mark in 2000, 12-3 in 2001 and 10-4 in 2002.
* The Vols are 34-11 against SEC teams at home over the last four seasons.
* Tennessee is 174-72 (.707) in its 16th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* UT has won 47 of its last 49 home games against non-conference opponents. Crump Is Back Bigger And Better
Brandon Crump has stepped up his game from his freshman season last year ... The 6-foot-10 Houston, Texas, native has added more than 30 pounds to his frame and increased his bench press by more than 100 pounds to a team-best 365 pounds ... On the court he has improved his numbers also ... His scoring has increased from 7.1 points as a freshman to 10.4 points this year ... His presence on the boards has also improved dramatically, going from 4.2 rebounds as a freshman to 6.0 rebounds as a sophomore ... His free throw shooting has been a key to his improved scoring, he has improved his free throw shooting from 55.1 percent to 75.5 percent this season. Holden Heats Up
Senior Thaydeus Holden tied a school record for three-point field goal percentage when he went 5-for-5 from behind the arc against Vanderbilt (1/18/03) ... He tied the school record set by Shane Carnes, who also went 5-for-5 from three-point range, against Michigan State (12/20/94)... He finished with a season-high 17 points against the Commodores ... On the season he is averaging 7.6 points on 43.5 percent (30-of-69) three-point shooting ... Over his last nine games he has made 18 of his 31 (58.1 percent) three-point attempts ... Against Georgia he drilled six consecutive free throws down the stretch to give the Vols a 78-72 win over the 17th-ranked Bulldogs ... He has made 21 of his last 23 free throw attempts (91.3 percent). | TENNESSEE CAREER STATS VS. FLORIDA | | Player | G-GS | FG-A | 3FG-A | FT-A | Reb | Avg | Ast | To | Blk | Stl | Pts | Avg | | Stanley Asumn | 1-0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1-1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | | Brandon Crump | 3-2 | 8-14 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 6-4-10 | 3.3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 6.0 | | Boomer Herndon | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | | Jon Higgins | 7-7 | 19-49 | 12-32 | 2-3 | 8-18-26 | 3.7 | 26 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 52 | 7.4 | | Thaydeus Holden | 3-1 | 7-20 | 5-8 | 3-4 | 3-3-6 | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 7.3 | | Ron Slay | 6-3 | 30-70 | 4-12 | 15-24 | 11-21-32 | 5.3 | 9 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 79 | 13.1 | | Derek Stribling | 3-1 | 6-9 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-6-8 | 2.6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4.0 | | Zach Turner | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | | C.J. Watson | 1-1 | 4-6 | 1-2 | 3-5 | 2-0-2 | 2.0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | | Elgrace Wilborn | 3-0 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 4-7-11 | 3.6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1.3 | | John Winchester | 1-0 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 | BACK TO TOP | 
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