University of Tennessee Athletics
TENNESSEE VS. FLORIDA -- GAME PREVIEW
January 19, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2006
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RADIO: TELEVISION: LIVE STATS: RANKINGS: THE COACHES: Florida Gators | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tennessee Trends
- Florida, ranked No. 2 in the latest polls, is Tennessee's highest ranked opponent since the Vols played at No. 2 Kentucky on Feb. 26, 2003. The Gators are the highest ranked team to visit Thompson-Boling Arena since second-ranked Kentucky visited Feb. 17, 1996. This is the third time an opponent ranked No. 2 or higher has appeared in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- UT is 22-12 (.647) when playing before crowds of 20,000 or larger at Thompson-Boling Arena.
- After shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from 3-point range through their first 12 games, the Vols have shot just 37.5 percent from the field and 27.7 from 3-point distance in their last two outings. UT has had 23 of its shots blocked in that stretch.
- Tennessee is playing back-to-back games against teams ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Poll for just the second time in school history and the first since opening the 1965-66 season with games at No. 2 Michigan and against No. 4 Vanderbilt. The only other time the Vols have played back-to-back top five opponents was during the 1958-59 campaign.
- C.J. Watson has a streak of 78 consecutive starts and has made 102 starts in his career.
- UT has rallied to overcome deficits of nine points or more three times. South Carolina (1/8/06) led by as many as 15 points in the second half before the Vols came back to win 76-69 in Columbia.
- UT has had two home crowds in excess of 20,000 already this year. The season-opener against East Tennessee State (11/18/05) drew a crowd of 21,280 and the SEC home-opener against Georgia (1/11/06) saw 21,612 fans come to Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Four Vols rank in the top 10 in the SEC in steals. C.J. Watson ranks second (2.43 spg), Chris Lofton is third (2.29 spg), Dane Bradshaw is tied for fourth (2.00 spg) and JaJuan Smith is ninth (1.71 spg).
- Dane Bradshaw leads the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio with 3.10 assists for every turnover.
- The Vols have recorded at least 10 steals in nine of their last 10 games.
- Tennessee is getting an average of 22.0 points per game from its bench. The Vols' bench has contributed 308 points in 14 games this season.
- The Vols have scored 80 or more points eight times this season.
- UT has recorded almost twice as many steals as its opponents. The Vols have 156 steals compared to just 83 by their opponents.
- Tennessee's opponents are averaging 20.5 turnovers per game this year. East Tennessee State's (11/18/05) 33 turnovers are the most by a UT opponent since American-Puerto Rico (12/21/99) turned the ball over 40 times. Eight times this season UT's opponents have turned the ball over at least 20 times.
- UT has shot better than its opponent in nine of its 14 games this season.
- Tennessee has shot 50 percent or better from the field in seven of 14 games.
- The Vols are playing with just 10 scholarship players this season. UT's roster lists 11 scholarship players but Tony Passley will sit out the season under NCAA transfer guidelines.
- 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 basketball court at Thompson-Boling Arena has been named "The Summitt" in honor of Pat Summitt, who recorded her 882nd career win in 2005.
- Tennessee has an all-time record of 1,356-887-2 in its 97th season of basketball.
- UT's 600 regular season Southeastern Conference victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 208-84 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.
| Team Statistical Comparisons | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Florida |
| 83.5 | Points | 84.2 |
| 73.9 | Opponent Points | 61.0 |
| +9.6 | Scoring Margin | +23.2 |
| .469 | Field Goal % | .524 |
| .471 | Opponent Field Goal % | .393 |
| .404 | Three-Point % | .411 |
| .391 | Opponent Three-Point % | .349 |
| .684 | Free Throw % | .699 |
| 33.0 | Rebounds | 36.6 |
| 37.5 | Opponent Rebounds | 31.7 |
| -4.5 | Rebounding Margin | +4.9 |
| 17.9 | Assists | 19.6 |
| 12.3 | Turnovers | 14.5 |
| 11.1 | Steals | 9.6 |
| 3.6 | Blocks | 5.8 |
| 11-3, 2-1 SEC | Record | 17-0, 3-0 SEC |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Florida |
| Watson, 16.6 | Points | Green, 13.7 |
| Bradshaw, 6.3 | Rebounds | Horford, 7.0 |
| Bradshaw, 4.4 | Assists | Green, 5.0 |
| Wingate, .531 | Field Goal % | Horford, .702 |
| Lofton, .446 | Three-Point % | Humphrey, .519 |
| Watson, .862 | Free Throw % | Green, .879 |
Looking At Florida
Florida is off to its best start in school history with a 17-0 record that includes a 3-0 mark in Southeastern Conference action ... The Gators are one of the three remaining unbeaten teams in the nation (Duke and Pittsburgh) ... UF's 17-game winning streak is the longest in school history ... Florida is coming off a 113-62 win over Savannah State Wednesday in Gainesville ... All five of Florida's starters are averaging double-figure scoring ... Four of the projected starters are sophomores while one is a junior ... Sophomore guard Taurean Green leads the Gators with 13.7 points per game to go with a team-high 5.0 assists ... Corey Brewer, a 6-8 sophomore, is second on the team with 13.2 points and is adding 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game ... Brewer recorded the first triple-double in school history when he had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists against Jacksonville ... Joakim Noah, a 6-11 sophomore forward, adds 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds ... Al Horford, a 6-9 center, leads the Gators with 7.0 rebounds to go with his 12.0 points ... Lee Humphrey leads the SEC with his 51.9 (56-of-108) 3-point shooting ... The Gators lead the SEC with their 41.1 percent team 3-point shooting and rank second in the conference with 8.29 3-pointers per game ... Florida leads the SEC with 84.2 points per game while also leading the league by allowing just 61.0 points ... Florida has forced its opponents into an average of 19.1 turnovers per game and has a turnover margin of +4.59 on the season ... Billy Donovan is 210-92 in his 10th year at Florida and 245-112 in his 12th season as a head coach.
The Florida Series
Saturday's meeting will mark the 109th all-time meeting between the two schools with Tennessee holding a 61-47 series advantage ... Last year the two teams split the series with the road team winning each game ... Tennessee took an 83-76 overtime win in Gainesville and Florida won 84-73 in Knoxville ... Eight of the last 11 meetings have been decided by 10 points or less ... Tennessee leads the series 36-15 when playing in Knoxville ... Florida has a 28-22 all-time advantage when playing in Gainesville.
Last Meeting With Florida
Tennessee scored just two field goals in the last five minutes as Florida turned a two-point lead into an 84-73 win on Feb. 12, 2005 ... A Scooter McFadgon jumper with 5:05 left in the game cut the Gators' lead to 71-69 but the Vols managed just four points the rest of the way while Florida scored 13 points ... Florida held a 41-36 halftime lead but the Vols went on a 14-6 run to open the second half, taking a 50-47 lead on a Stanley Asumnu basket with 14:04 remaining ... A bucket by David Lee and a conventional three-point play by Matt Walsh gave the Gators a lead they wouldn't relinquish ... Brandon Crump, making his second appearance since missing four games with an ankle injury, scored 12 points in the first half and led the Vols with 16 and seven rebounds ... C.J. Watson added 15 while McFadgon had 10 ... Walsh led all scorers with 23 points while Lee had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds ... Tennessee shot 50 percent (28-of-56) from the field but was outrebounded 39-28.
Last Game: UT Falls At No. 4 Memphis
Dane Bradshaw's career game wasn't enough as the Vols fell 88-79 to fourth-ranked Memphis Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the FedExForum ... Playing his first collegiate game in his hometown of Memphis, Bradshaw scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists ... Memphis used a 10-0 run to turn a 69-69 tie with 6:45 left in the game into a 79-69 advantage with just over four minutes remaining to finally take control of the game ... Shawne Williams scored seven of the Tigers' points during the run ...Bradshaw then scored four consecutive points to cut it to 80-74 with 2:54 remaining but the Vols could get no closer ... The two teams had battled back-and-forth in the first half with Memphis leading by as many as nine points but the Vols finish the half on a 16-6 run to take a 45-41 lead at the break ... Chris Lofton scored 16 points and had three steals for the Vols while C.J. Watson added 14 points ... Major Wingate and Stanley Asumnu each had 11 points ... Rodney Carney led the Tigers with 22 points while Shawne Williams had a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds ... Tennessee shot a season-low 35.1 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from 3-point range ... Memphis registered 10 blocks in the game ... The contest marked the first time the teams had played each other since the 2001-02 season.
Crowded House
The crowds at Thompson-Boling Arena have been impressive all season and with a capacity crowd expected for the Florida game, this weekend will not be an exception ... The crowds at Tennessee's home games this season have increased by more than 3,000 fans per game over last season.
- Tennessee ranks second in the SEC in home attendance with an average of 15,570. Kentucky leads the league with 22,105.
- The Vols' attendance of 15,570 this season is an increase of 3,120 fans per game over last year's average of 12,450 per game.
- The 21,280 fans in attendance for the Vols' season-opening win over East Tennessee State (11/18/05) was the fourth-largest crowd to see a season-opener in school history.
- Two of the largest holiday crowds (games between Dec. 20 and Jan. 4) in school history came to see the Vols play. Against Lipscomb (12/29/05) 15,967 fans were in attendance and against Alabama A&M (12/27/05) 15, 797 fans came to see the Vols.
- The crowd of 21,612 for the Georgia game (1/11/06) was the largest since 22,449 came to see Kentucky (2/23/00).
Volunteer Bombardiers
While Chris Lofton has bogarted much of the attention as a dangerous 3-point shooter, he is not the only member of Tennessee's squadron of long-range bombers ... Lofton, C.J. Watson and JaJuan Smith have formed to make one of the most dangerous shooting backcourts in the nation ... The trio have combined to make 101 3-pointers in 14 games this season ... UT leads the SEC and ranks 17th in the nation with 8.71 3-pointers per game ... The Vols are making 40.4 percent of their 3s, a figure that ranks second in the SEC and ninth nationally. - Lofton is leading the SEC and ranks seventh in the nation with 3.57 triples per game. He is shooting 44.6 percent (50-of-112) from behind the arc.
- Watson has improved upon his 37.5 percent shooting last season to convert 43.6 (24-of-55) of his 3-pointers this year.
- Smith has given the Vols a huge scoring boost coming off the bench. He is second on the team with 27 3-pointers on the season and ranks eighth in the SEC with his 38.6 (27-of-70) 3-point percentage.
- Lofton, Watson and Smith are not the only 3-point bombers on the Vols' roster. Jordan Howell has made 47.1 percent (8-of-17) of his 3-point attempts this season. Dane Bradshaw has shown a propensity for hitting the big 3-point shot like when he sealed UT's win at South Carolina (1/8/06).
A Band Of Thieves
Tennessee's pressure defense has given its opponents all kinds of trouble this season as the Vols' opponents are averaging 20.5 turnovers per game this year. - UT leads the SEC in steals (11.14 spg) and turnover margin (+8.21).
- Four Vols rank in the top 10 in the SEC in steals. C.J. Watson ranks second (2.43 spg), Chris Lofton is third (2.29 spg), Dane Bradshaw is tied for fourth (2.00 spg) and JaJuan Smith is ninth (1.71 spg).
- Bradshaw leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.10) while Watson is fourth (2.11).
- The Vols have had more assists than turnovers in 11 of their 14 games this year.
- On the season, UT has 250 assists to 172 turnovers (1.45 assists-to-turnovers).
- Conversely, the Vols' opponents have had more turnovers than assists in 11 of 14 games (0.75 assists-to-turnovers).
Improved Vols
Every returning scholarship player has seen their offensive production increase exponentially this season ... The improved production accounts for 35.3 points per game ... Five players have already exceeded their scoring totals from last season ( Stanley Asumnu, Dane Bradshaw, Jordan Howell, JaJuan Smith and Major Wingate) ... Following is a list of players who have seen increased scoring totals this year:Player 2005 Pts 2006 Pts Differential Asumnu 2.4 9.6 +7.2 ppg Wingate 5.0 11.9 +6.9 ppg Smith 1.9 8.4 +6.5 ppg Watson 11.9 16.6 +4.7 ppg Bradshaw 3.0 7.4 +4.4 ppg Lofton 13.2 15.6 +2.4 ppg Patterson 7.4 9.6 +2.2 ppg Howell 1.1 2.1 +1.0 ppg
Vols In The NCAA Stats
Tennessee is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the Jan. 16 NCAA statistics. Following is where the Vols rank nationally: - Scoring offense: 83.8 ppg / 3rd
- Steals per game: 11.0 spg / 4th
- 3-point percentage: 41.5 percent / 9th
- Turnovers per game: 12.1 tpg / 12th
- Assists per game: 18.1 apg / 13th
- 3-pointers per game: 8.8 3pg / 17th
- Field goal percentage: 48.0 percent / 35th
- Scoring margin: +11.1 ppg / 40th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.5 3pg / 7th
- 3-point percentage: Chris Lofton - 45.5 % / 20th
- FT percentage: C. J. Watson - 88.0 % / 28th
- Steals per game: C.J. Watson - 2.5 spg / 34th
UT Wins 600th SEC Game
Tennessee won its 600th all-time Southeastern Conference game with an 89-76 victory over Georgia (1/11/06) ... In their 73rd season of SEC play, the Vols have posted a 600-481 mark in league games ... Only Kentucky (824) and Alabama (677) have won more SEC games.Watson Dishes Out 500th Career Assist
Senior guard C.J. Watson became just the fourth player in Tennessee history to record 500 career assists when he reached the milestone against South Alabama (1/4/06) ... The Las Vegas native has recorded 517 assists in 103 career games ... Watson, who also has 1,199 career points, joins Tony Harris (1998-01) as the only players in school history to have 1,000 career points and 500 assists ... Watson is just the ninth player in Southeastern Conference history to be a member of the 1,000/500 club. - Watson's 517 career assists rank third all-time in Tennessee history. He needs nine assists to pass Rodney Woods (525 from 1972-75) for second on UT's career lists.
- His 517 career assists are 14th on the SEC's career lists. UT's Rodney Woods (525 from 1972-75) is 13th all-time in SEC history.
Watson Reaches 1,000 Points In Unique Way
C.J. Watson became the 38th player in Tennessee history to reach the 1,000 career point milestone in a 17-point outing against Louisiana-Lafayette (11/22/05) ... Watson, who now has 1,199 career points, reached the milestone when he was fouled on a made 3-pointer and then scored his 1,000th point on the free throw.Las Vegas Dealer: Watson Deals Assists
One could only dream of sitting down at a blackjack table and seeing a dealer as friendly as Tennessee's point guard C.J. Watson ... The senior from Las Vegas has dealt nothing but aces and face cards while running the Vols' attack ... Twice he has led the Southeastern Conference in assists and this year he has taken on a larger scoring role while also dishing out the assists ... This year the 6-foot-2 Watson is averaging 16.6 points and 4.07 assists per game. - In 2004-05 (5.00 apg) and 2002-03 (5.44 apg) he led the SEC in assists against league opponents.
- Watson owns three of the top 13 single-season assist marks in Tennessee history.
- Watson is the Southeastern Conference's active career leader in assists with 517.
- His 517 career assists are third all-time at UT.
- He ranks 14th in SEC history in assists with 515.
- Watson's 4.07 assists per game are currently eighth in the SEC.
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. - He ranks seventh in the SEC with 15.6 points per game and is third in the league with 2.29 steals per game.
- With 50 3-pointers already this season, Lofton ranks eighth on Tennessee's career lists with 143.
- He is currently leading the Southeastern Conference with 3.57 3-pointers per game.
- Against Murray State (11/30/05) he scored 12 consecutive points to help the Vols rally to a 64-53 win.
- Two times this season he has made six 3-pointers in a game. He had six against East Tennessee State (11/18/05) and at South Carolina (1/8/06).
Bradshaw Playing Power/Point
With only four scholarship players taller than 6-foot-5 on the roster, junior guard Dane Bradshaw has been called upon to play big, quite literally ... The 6-4 backup point guard has earned starting assignments at power forward for each of the Vols' games this year ... Playing in the paint isn't anything new for the Memphis native ... In 2005 he drew difficult defensive assignments by guarding 6-8, 252-pound Brandon Bass against LSU (2/5/05) and 6-10 Jermareo Davidson of Alabama (2/9/05). - Bradshaw is leading Tennessee in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and assists (4.4 apg) and is third in steals (2.0 spg) and blocks (0.5 bpg).
- His assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.10 leads the SEC.
- His 2.00 steals per game are fourth in the SEC.
- His 4.43 assists per game are seventh in the SEC.
- Six times this season he has led the Vols in rebounding, including a career-high 12 boards against ETSU (11/18/05).
- Nine times he has led UT in assists, including a career-high eight against South Alabama (1/4/06) and Georgia (1/11/06).
- Against South Alabama (1/4/06) he recorded a career-high eight assists while gathering five rebounds, scoring six points and making three steals.
- He had a streak of 181 minutes (seven games) without a turnover come to an end in the first half of the Vols' game against Georgia (1/11/06). During the streak, which started in the first half of the Appalachian State (12/6/05) game, he recorded 34 assists.
Bradshaw Is A Warrior Against Memphis
Playing his first collegiate game in his hometown of Memphis, Dane Bradshaw had one of the most impressive games a college basketball player has had all season ... Having to deal with hecklers that had singled him out from the moment the doors opened, Bradshaw put on a show against the fourth-ranked Memphis Tigers at the FedExForum ... Playing in the post against UM's front line of 6-foot-9 Shawne Williams and 6-9 Joey Dorsey, the 6-4 Bradshaw scored a career-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go with 10 rebounds (five of them offensive), five steals and four assists ... Not backing down for a moment during the game, he drew a charge call in the second half when a Dorsey elbow caught him just below his eye that gave him a black eye.Wingate Stepping Up In The Paint
Major Wingate wasn't going to let anything stop him from playing against Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 22 ... After suffering a foot injury in practice two days earlier that left him on crutches, Wingate spent the next two nights in the training room rehabbing the injury so he could play ... When it came time to play, Wingate was there standing in the center circle ready for the jump ball ... The junior from Florence, S.C., scored 12 points and blocked three shots in 28 minutes of action against the Ragin' Cajuns ... Defensively, he held Louisiana's star center Michael Southall to just four points and four rebounds. - On the year he ranks third on the team with 11.9 points per game.
- Wingate has scored in double-figures in 11 of UT's 14 games ... In two previous season at Tennessee he had reached double-figure scoring just three times.
- Against sixth-ranked Texas (12/19/05) Wingate played a key role in limiting LaMarcus Aldridge to just four field goals. Aldridge, who finished with 15 points total, scored just one point when Wingate was guarding him.
JaJuan Smith Giving Vols A Spark Off The Bench
JaJuan Smith, a 6-foot-2 guard from Decatur, Tenn., has seen his role grow from 8.0 minutes per game as a freshman last year to 24.0 minutes per game this season ... Already this year he has tied or established new career marks for scoring (16), rebounds (6), assists (6), steals (3), blocks (1) and minutes played (27) ... Smith, who has been the first player off the bench in 13 of Tennessee's 14 games this season, is averaging 8.4 points per game ... His 29 assists are third on the team. - Smith had his best game of his career at sixth-ranked Texas when he came off the bench to score 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.
- He scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field to go with five assists and two steals against Alabama A&M (12/27/05).
Patterson Making His Shots
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 the Pac-10 Conference with a 60.8 field goal percentage ... As a junior at UT last season, Patterson averaged 7.4 points per game while leading the Vols with 6.2 rebounds per game. - He is currently shooting 48.6 percent (51-of-105) from the field and is averaging 9.6 points per game off the bench.
- Patterson recorded a career-high 14 rebounds against Murray State (11/30/05) while recording his third career-double-double.
Asumnu Builds On Strong Finish To 2005
Senior guard/forward Stanley Asumnu started his senior season like he ended his junior year ... The Houston native scored a career-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the Vols' season-opening win over East Tennessee State (11/18/05) ... In 14 games he is averaging 9.6 points per game ... The ultra-athletic Asumnu 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 then career-high 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field in just 10 minutes of action. - It took Asumnu just seven games this season to score 67 points, surpassing the 63 points he scored in 26 contests as a junior.
Eddie "The Show" DeBro
Senior walk-on Eddie DeBro needed just eight minutes to put on a show in Tennessee's win over South Alabama (1/4/06) ... DeBro, inserted into the lineup when Stanley Asumnu got into early foul trouble, recorded two assists, two rebounds and a steal in eight minutes of first half action against the Jaguars ... Each of those numbers are career-highs for the native of Smyrna, Tenn. ... One play in particular saw the 5-foot-11 DeBro get a steal and then run the fastbreak, making an impressive bounce pass to C.J. Watson for the lay up.Watson & Lofton Earn Back-To-Back SEC Player Of The Week Honors
Chris Lofton was named the co-SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 19 after leading the Vols to a 95-78 upset at sixth-ranked Texas ... Lofton, who shared the award with Kentucky's Rajon Rondo, scored a game-high 21 points on 5-of-9 3-point shooting against the Longhorns ... It marked the second consecutive week a UT player earned the honor ... C.J. Watson took home player of the week honors Dec. 12 after scoring a season-high 23 points against Appalachian State Dec. 5.National Recognition For Vols
- UT was named the national team of the week on Dec. 19 by Dick Vitale and Andy Katz on ESPN.com and by Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News.
- ESPN commentator Dick Vitale took time in his weekly "Roundball Chatter" column on Dec. 16 to mention a pair of Vols by saying, "The backcourt of C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton is one of the most underrated in America... ."
- Lofton was called by ESPN's Dick Vitale, "... one of the most underrated players in America"
- CBS SportsLine.com's Gregg Doyel named Bruce Pearl as one of his 10 best stories for 2005.
Rally Vols
Tennessee has rallied from deficits of at least nine points in three games this season ... Two of the rallys have been away from Thompson-Boling Arena. - Murray State (11/30/05) built a nine-point lead early in the second half before the Vols rallied for a 64-53 victory in Nashville ... At one point during the Tennessee rally, Chris Lofton outscored the Racers 12-1.
- Appalachian State (12/5/05) took a 12-point lead with just over six minutes left in the first half but UT went on a 19-2 run to take a 48-46 lead at halftime.
- UT rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to defeat South Carolina (1/8/06) in Columbia.
- Against Oklahoma State (12/22/05) the Vols rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to cut the lead to one point but could never overtake the Cowboys.
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 208-84 (.712) in its 19th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 109-25 (.813) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 48-16 against SEC teams at home over the last six seasons.
- UT has won 69 of its last 74 home games against non-conference opponents.
Pearl Won 87 Percent Of Games In 2005
| Coach (team) | 2005 Record | Pct. |
| 1. Bruce Weber (Illinois) | 37-2 | .949 |
| 2. Rick Pitino (Louisville) | 34-4 | .895 |
| 3. Bruce Pearl (UT/UWM) | 27-4 | .871 |
| 4. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) | 31-5 | .861 |
| 5. Roy Williams (North Carolina) | 29-5 | .853 |
| 6. Gregg Marshall (Winthrop) | 25-5 | .833 |
| 7. Lorenzo Romar (Washington) | 29-6 | .829 |
| 8. Billy Donovan (Florida) | 28-6 | .824 |
| 9. Bob Thomason (Pacific) | 28-6 | .824 |
| 10. Mark Fox (Nevada) | 27-6 | .818 |
Pearl's Start Second Best All-Time
Bruce Pearl came to Tennessee as one of the winningest coaches in the nation, having won 79.1 percent (317-84) of his career games entering the season ... Pearl did not disappoint the UT faithful, winning his first six games as the leader of the Vols program ... Pearl's 6-0 record was the second-best start to a career amongst UT's all-time coaches:
Great Starts
Tennessee's 6-0 start to the 2005-06 season was the 14th time in school history that the Vols have begun a season by winning its first six games ... It was the eighth time in the modern era (since World War II) that UT has started 6-0 ... Following is how this year's start ranks with past years in the modern era:
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.
SEC Throwback Week
Each Southeastern Conference school has designated a previous year's uniform to be worn as a part of "SEC Throwback Week" ... The week of February 18-26 (Saturday through Sunday) has been designated as "SEC Throwback Week" ... Additionally, the uniforms will be worn during the SEC Tournament in Nashville ... Tennessee took a poll of fans on UTsports.com to determine which era to choose their uniforms ... The fans selected the Ernie & Bernie era so UT's uniforms will resemble those worn in the 1970s.
Parking
Limited individual game parking for the 2005-06 men's basketball season will be sold for $5 for the following parking lots on a first come, first served basis:
- Lot 23 Corner of Volunteer Blvd and Pat Head Summitt Street
- Lot 23B (next to Music Building) - Corner of Pat Head Summitt Street and Volunteer Blvd.
- Lot 4 and Lot 5 - Phillip Fulmer Way between Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium
- Lot 30A - Peyton Manning Pass, off of Volunteer Blvd.
- Lot C15 - Chamique Holdsclaw Drive
- Lot 9A - Volunteer Blvd. between the Humanities Plaza & the Architecture Bldg.
- Lot C18/Staff 7 - accessed from Cumberland Avenue at 11th Street, or from Neyland Drive across from the Tennessee Grill
- Lot G10 on Neyland Drve between Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium
Special parking arrangements for disabled persons may be requested by calling Parking Services at (865) 974-6031. The UT Athletic Department also provides FREE parking at the Ag Campus with a free shuttle service to and from Thompson-Boling Arena. The KAT shuttle begins 1 1/2 hours prior to game time, and runs for one hour postgame.
