University of Tennessee Athletics
TENNESSEE VS. ETSU -- GAME PREVIEW
November 14, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2005
| QUICK FACTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RADIO
TELEVISION: LIVE STATS RANKINGS: THE COACHES: East Tennessee State Buccaneers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FEATURES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee Trends
- Tennessee won both of its exhibition games this season, taking an 86-78 win over Division II power Southern Indiana and a 106-73 win over Carson-Newman.
- C.J. Watson led the Vols with 21.0 ppg in the two exhibition contests while Chris Lofton added 19.5 ppg and 4.0 assists. Major Wingate averaged 10.5 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds.
- The Vols forced an average of 22.5 turnovers in the two exhibition contests. Southern Indiana turned the ball over 27 times against UT.
- The Vols are playing with just 10 scholarship players this season. UT's roster sports 11 scholarship players but Tony Passley will sit out the season under NCAA transfer guidelines.
- Not only is UT's roster short on scholarship players but it is also short on size. Tennessee's roster lists just four scholarship players -- Andre Patterson (6-7), Ryan Childress (6-9), Damion Harris (6-10) and Major Wingate (6-10) -- taller than 6-foot-5.
- Tennessee returns 64.6 percent of its scoring, 66.2 percent of its rebounding, 80.4 percent of its assists and 69.5 percent of its minutes played from the 2004-05 season.
- Six walk-ons are listed on the Vols' roster. Eddie DeBro is the only returning walk-on while Ben Bosse, Jonah Cox, Justin Jackson, Jordan Smith and Tanner Wild are each in their rookie season with the squad.
- The Vols play 18 of their 27 regular-season games within the state of Tennessee. UT will play games in Knoxville (14), Nashville (2) and Memphis (1). The SEC Tournament will also be in Nashville.
- Tennessee has an all-time record of 1,345-884-2 entering its 97th season of basketball.
- UT's 598 regular season Southeastern Conference victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 200-84 in its 19th season in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Volunteers have posted winning home records in 16 of their 18 previous seasons in the facility.
- The Vols return their 2004-05 statistical leader in 11 of 12 categories. Andre Patterson was UT's leading rebounder with 6.2 boards per game and C.J. Watson led the Vols with 155 assists last season. The only category the Vols don't return their leader from last year is scoring. Chris Lofton is Tennessee's top returning scorer after averaging 13.2 points as a freshman.
- UT returns a total of eight letterwinners, including three starters from last season's squad.
- The basketball court at Thompson-Boling Arena has been named "The Summitt" in honor of Pat Summitt, who recorded her 882nd career win in 2005.
| Team Statistical Comparisons (2004-05 Final Stats) | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | ETSU |
| 69.0 | Points | 76.8 |
| 68.9 | Opponent Points | 78.7 |
| +0.1 | Scoring Margin | -1.9 |
| .455 | Field Goal % | .454 |
| .456 | Opponent Field Goal % | .451 |
| .383 | Three-Point % | .372 |
| .365 | Opponent Three-Point % | .354 |
| .689 | Free Throw % | .679 |
| 32.7 | Rebounds | 37.7 |
| 33.3 | Opponent Rebounds | 38.8 |
| -0.6 | Rebounding Margin | -1.1 |
| 13.5 | Assists | 11.8 |
| 13.9 | Turnovers | 17.0 |
| 3.2 | Blocks | 2.4 |
| 7.3 | Steals | 8.1 |
| 14-17 | Record | 10-19 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | ETSU |
| Lofton, 13.2 | Points | Smith, 22.2 |
| Patterson, 6.2 | Rebounds | Sneed, 9.5 |
| Watson, 5.0 | Assists | Smith, 4.2 |
| Patterson, .568 | Field Goal % | Reed, .584 |
| Lofton, .465 | Three-Point % | Smith, .381 |
| Lofton, .854 | Free Throw % | Strong, .794 |
Tennessee In Season-Openers
Tennessee has won its season-opener in each of the last six seasons, including a 69-57 win over Stanford at the Maui Invitational last season ... In their last 20 season-openers, the Vols have recorded an 18-2 record ... The only teams to post a win over the Vols in that time were No. 18 Arizona (73-72 on Nov. 13, 1998) and East Tennessee State (87-79 on Nov. 25, 1991).
Tennessee In Home-Openers
The Vols are 37-2 in their last 39 home-openers dating back to the 1966-67 campaign ... Tennessee has won 13 home-openers in a row ... In 2004-05 the Vols defeated Wofford 73-67 in their home-opener ... UT's last loss in a home opener was on Nov. 25, 1991 when East Tennessee State posted a 87-79 win in Thompson-Boling Arena ... ETSU went on to post a 24-7 record that included a win over Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Looking At East Tennessee State
East Tennessee State will be playing its season-opener when the Bucs visit Knoxville Nov. 18 ... ETSU won its lone exhibition contest 99-71 over Mars Hill Nov. 10 ... Tim Smith, ETSU's top returning scorer, sat out the game as a part of a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules ... Freshman guard Courtney Pigram led the Bucs with 23 points while junior forward Eryk Thomas added 20 points ... The Bucs return all five starters from last year's squad which suffered through an injury-filled year that resulted in a 10-19 record ... ETSU, which is entering its first season as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, was tabbed to finish second in the A-Sun in a preseason poll of the league's coaches ... However, the Bucs were picked to win the league tournament by the coaches ... Smith, a senior guard, was chosen as the league's preseason player of the year ... Smith, who had submitted his name to the NBA Draft before withdrawing it last summer, finished seventh in the nation last season with 22.2 points per game ... Smith was a consensus first team All-Southern Conference selection last season after also leading the Bucs in assists with 4.2 per game ... Dillon Sneed, a 6-foot-7 senior, averaged 9.7 points while leading the Southern Conference with 9.6 rebounds per game and ranking second in the league by making 55.5 percent of his field goals last season ... Ben Rhoda, a 6-4 senior, ranked second on the team with 10.8 rebounds per game ... The Bucs have been bitten by the injury bug already this season as sophomore forward Andrew Reed, who averaged 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds while making 17 starts last season, suffered a broken left wrist in the team's annual Blue-Gold scrimmage Oct. 29 ... Murry Bartow, who received a two-year contract extension in October, is 37-25 entering his third season at ETSU and is 140-108 in his 10th year as a head coach.
The East Tennessee State Series
Tennessee leads the all-time series 9-2 ... This is the first meeting between the schools since Nov. 19, 2001 when the ninth-ranked Vols took a 102-76 win in Knoxville ... Tennessee has a three-game winning streak in the series ... The Vols are 5-2 against the Bucs when playing in Knoxville ... Tennessee is 14-5 all-time against current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
UT-ETSU Connections
UT junior guard Dane Bradshaw and ETSU redshirt freshman guard Courtney Pigram were teammates at White Station High School in Memphis ... Together they helped lead the Spartans to Class AAA state titles in 2002 and 2003 ... Tennessee senior guard/forward Stanley Asumnu and ETSU senior guard Tim Smith were both starters on Hargrave Military Academy's 25-3 squad in 2002 ... UT's Eddie DeBro and ETSU's Kenyona Swader both played at Smyrna High School in Smyrna, Tenn. ... In 2002-03, the year before taking over as the head coach at ETSU, Murry Bartow provided color commentary for two of Tennessee's games on television.
Last Meeting With East Tennessee State
Vincent Yarbrough led seven Vols in double-digit scoring with 18 points in leading ninth-ranked Tennessee over East Tennessee State, 102-76, Nov. 19, 2000 at Thompson-Boling Arena ... UT used five 3-pointers, two each from Tony Harris and Terrence Woods and one from Jon Higgins, to build a 21-9 lead over the Buccaneers with just under 15 minutes left in the first half ... The Vols then used a 16-8 run and an 18-11 run to take a 55-28 lead into the locker room at halftime ... Early in the second half, the Vols took advantage of a 16-3 run to build their lead to 71-31with 15:30 left in the game ... A total of 53 fouls were called, 29 against the Buccaneers and 24 against the Vols ... Tennessee finished 31-of-39 from the foul line, ETSU was 14-of-27 ... The teams combined for nine turnovers in the first five minutes and a total of 25 in the first half ... Charles Hathaway returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Feb. 17, 1999 at Ole Miss ... Isiah Victor recorded his 900th career point, he finished the game with 910 career points.
Last Game: Vols Run To 106-73 Exhibition Win Over Carson-Newman
Stanley Asumnu led six Vols in double-figure scoring with a game-high 19 points in Tennessee's 106-73 victory over the Division II Carson-Newman Eagles Friday, Nov. 11 ... Carson-Newman led 9-8 until Tennessee went on a 28-9 run over the next 10 minutes to take control of the game ... Tennessee held a 47-35 halftime lead that grew to as many as 39 points (88-49) on an Andre Patterson bucket with just over eight minutes left ... Two Vols narrowly missed recording double-doubles as Major Wingate had 11 points and nine rebounds while Dane Bradshaw had nine points, 12 rebounds and six assists ... Patterson, who returned from a one-game suspension, contributed 17 points with seven rebounds ... C.J. Watson had 15, Chris Lofton added 13 with eight assists and JaJuan Smith scored 10 with five assists ... Tennessee outrebounded the Eagles 25-12 in the second half and held a 49-33 advantage on the boards for the game ... Scott Williams led Carson-Newman with 15 points, while Andy Tipton and Clay Scott each scored 12.
Vols' Recruiting Class Ranked Among Top 10 In The Nation
Bruce Pearl's first recruiting class at the University of Tennessee has drawn rave reviews and has been rated as one of the best classes in the Southeastern Conference and among the top 10 classes in the nation. The Vols signed four players during the early signing period in November: Wayne Chism, Duke Crews, Marques Johnson and Josh Tabb.
- Chism, a 6-foot-9 forward from Bolivar, Tenn., is a four-star prospect who is rated the No. 42 overall player in the country. As a junior he led Bolivar Central High School to the Class AA state title while averaging 13.6 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks and 2.2 assists per game. At the Reebok ABCD Camp last summer he was rated the No. 2 center.
- One of the highest-rated players to sign with the Vols in recent years, Crews is a 6-7 forward from Hampton, Va. Rated the No. 14 player in the nation, he is considered a five-star prospect. As a junior he averaged 16 points per game while leading Bethel High School to a 22-4 record last year. Last summer Crews was rated as the No. 2 player at the 2005 Nike Camp in Indianapolis.
- Ranked among the top-50 players by several scouting services, Johnson is a 6-5 guard from Fort Wayne, Ind. A starter since his freshman season, the two-time all-conference selection has led Snider High School to a 50-15 record in his three years. As a junior he averaged 21 points, 6.2 rebounds and four assists.
- A four-star prospect, Tabb is a 6-4 guard from Harmony Christian Prep in Cincinnati. A two-time Class A All-State selection who is originally from Carbondale, Ill., Tabb averaged 21 points, five assists and six rebounds as a senior while leading Carbondale High School to the 2005 state championship game.
Watson And Lofton Receive Preseason Accolades From SEC Coaches
Tennessee's backcourt combination of C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton were named to the second annual men's basketball preseason All-SEC first and second teams as announced by the Southeastern Conference office October 21 ... Watson, a senior point guard, earned first team honors while Lofton, a sophomore shooting guard, was named to the season team ... The preseason All-SEC first and second teams consist of a minimum of eight players on each squad, voted on by the SEC men's basketball coaches.Watson Nearing 1,000 Points
Point guard C.J. Watson enters his senior season needing just 34 points to reach the 1,000 career point mark ... In 89 career games the Las Vegas native has scored 966 points (10.9 ppg) ... He would become the 38th UT player to reach the 1,000-point milestone ... He would become just the third Tennessee player to have 1,000 points and 400 career assists (joining Allan Houston and Tony Harris) ... With one more assist and 34 points, Watson would have more assists than any other member of Tennessee's 1,000-point club (Houston currently leads all 1,000-point scorers with 360 career assists).Watson Leads SEC In Assists For Second Time In Three Years
C.J. Watson averaged 5.0 assists in 16 Southeastern Conference games in 2004-05 ... It marked the second time in three years the point guard has been the conference's assists leader in league games ... He also led the league with 5.44 assists against SEC foes as a freshman in 2002-03 ... His 460 career assists are tied with Allan Houston (1989-93) for fifth all-time at Tennessee ... Watson owns three of the top 13 single-season assist marks in Tennessee history.Lofton Is A Triples Threat
Chris Lofton, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, took the SEC by storm as a freshman by leading the league in 3-point percentage (.465) and 3-pointers made per game (3.00 3pg) ... He ranked fourth nationally in 3-point accuracy on his way to earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team ... His 93 3-pointers were the most ever by an SEC freshman and rank 10th on Tennessee's career lists.Straight Shooter: Patterson LLeads Vols In Field Goal Percentage
When Andre Patterson led the Vols with his 56.8 percent field goal shooting in 2004-05, it marked the second school he had led in field goal percentage ... As a sophomore at UCLA in 2002-03 he led the Bruins and Pac-10 Conference with a 60.8 field goal percentage ... As a junior at Tennessee last season, Patterson averaged 7.4 points per game while leading the Vols and ranking 10th in the SEC with 6.2 rebounds per game.Bradshaw Is Tennessee's Power/Point
With only four players taller than 6-foot-5 on the roster, junior guard Dane Bradshaw will be called upon to play big, quite literally ... The 6-4 backup point guard will, at times, fill in at the post for the Vols as they go with a smaller lineup ... Playing in the paint isn't anything new for the Memphis native ... In 2005 he drew difficult defensive assignments by guarding 6-foot-8, 252-pound Brandon Bass against LSU (2/5/05) and 6-foot-10 Jermareo Davidson of Alabama (2/9/05) ... Bradshaw started both of Tennessee's exhibition games at the power forward position.Asumnu Hopes To Build On Strong Finish To 2005
Senior guard/forward Stanley Asumnu finished the 2004-05 campaign strong and is looking to build on that momentum ... The ultra-athletic Houston native scored 24 points in 27 minutes of playing time over Tennessee's final four games of the 2005 season ... Against Georgia (3/5/05), the 6-foot-5 Asumnu scored a career-high 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field in just 10 minutes of action ... In 83 career games Asumnu has averaged 3.6 points in 12.6 minutes per game.Home Court Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena has provided the Vols with a definite home court advantage since the facility opened in time for the 1987-88 season.- Tennessee is 200-84 (.704) in its 19th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 101-25 (.802) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 47-16 against SEC teams at home over the last six seasons.
- UT has won 60 of its last 67 home games against non-conference opponents.
