University of Tennessee Athletics
TENNESSEE VS. GEORGIA -- GAME PREVIEW
January 09, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2006
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Tennessee Trends
- Tennessee is off to its best start through 11 games since the 2000-01 squad posted a 10-1 record. The 2000-01 squad went on to win 17 of its first 18 games.
- C.J. Watson will be making his 100th career start when the Vols take the court Wednesday. Watson has been a starter in 99 of his 100 career contests entering the Georgia game. The only game he did not start was against Mississippi State (3/5/03) his freshman year. He has a streak of 75 consecutive starts.
- UT has had rallied to overcome deficits of nine points or more three times this season. 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.
- The Vols have recorded at least 10 steals in six of their last seven games.
- Tennessee is getting an average of 23.3 points per game from its bench. The Vols' bench has contributed 256 points in 11 games this season.
- The Vols have scored 80 or more points seven times this season.
- C.J. Watson is leading the SEC with his 87.1 (61-of-70) free throw percentage. Watson entered the season with a career average of 73.3 percent.
- UT has recorded twice as many steals as its opponents. The Vols have 119 steals compared to just 60 by their opponents.
- Tennessee's opponents are averaging 20.1 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. Six times this season UT's opponents have turned the ball over at least 20 times.
- UT has shot better than its opponent in eight of its 11 games this season. The only opponents to have a better field goal percentage than the Vols are Murray State (11/30/05), Oklahoma State (12/22/05) and South Carolina (1/8/06).
- Tennessee has shot 50 percent or better from the field in six of 11 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 1,355-885-2 in its 97th season of basketball.
- UT's 599 regular season Southeastern Conference victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 207-84 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 | Georgia |
| 84.3 | Points | 76.0 |
| 71.1 | Opponent Points | 68.6 |
| +13.2 | Scoring Margin | +7.4 |
| .487 | Field Goal % | .456 |
| .459 | Opponent Field Goal % | .427 |
| .432 | Three-Point % | .377 |
| .408 | Opponent Three-Point % | .356 |
| .687 | Free Throw % | .653 |
| 32.7 | Rebounds | 38.0 |
| 36.0 | Opponent Rebounds | 34.5 |
| -3.3 | Rebounding Margin | +3.5 |
| 18.5 | Assists | 14.1 |
| 12.1 | Turnovers | 16.3 |
| 10.8 | Steals | 8.9 |
| 3.8 | Blocks | 4.9 |
| 10-1, 1-0 SEC | Record | 10-4, 0-1 SEC |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Georgia |
| Lofton, 16.8 | Points | Stukes, 12.4 |
| Bradshaw, 6.1 | Rebounds | Hunphrey, 4.9 |
| Bradshaw, 4.3 | Assists | Gaines, 3.5 |
| Wingate, .520 | Field Goal % | Newman, .566 |
| Lofton, .484 | Three-Point % | Newman, .476 |
| Watson, .871 | Free Throw % | Toney, .850 |
Looking At Georgia
Georgia fell to 10-4 on the season and 0-1 in Southeastern Conference action with a 72-90 loss to Florida in the Bulldogs' league-opener on Saturday ... The loss ended a three-game winning streak by the Bulldogs ... Levi Stukes, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, leads UGA with 12.4 points per game while shooting 47.2 percent (34-of-72) from 3-point range ... Two of Georgia's top three scorers are coming off the bench ... Freshman guards Mike Mercer (10.8 ppg) and Billy Humphrey (10.6 ppg) have made one start between them and rank second and third, respectively, on the team in scoring ... Humphrey has earned SEC Freshman-of-the-Week honors two times ... Sundiata Gaines, a 6-1 sophomore guard, is the only other Bulldog in double-figure scoring with 10.4 points per game ... Steve Newman, a 6-9 junior forward, is the Bulldogs' top scoring post player with 6.1 points but is leading the team in 3-point shooting by converting 47.6 percent of his triples ... Younes Idrissi, a 6-8 sophomore forward, is adding 5.7 points per game ... Terrance Woodberry, a 6-6 guard/forward who is averaging nine points in four games this season, returned to the lineup Saturday against Florida after missing 10 games with sprained right MCL ... Georgia's top five scorers are all guards ... More than a quarter (27.1 percent) of Georgia's field goals this season have come from behind the 3-point arc ... The Bulldogs are averaging 7.4 triples per game ... UGA entered SEC action with a 10-3 record, its best record entering conference action in four years ... Georgia has played with just seven scholarship players in each of the last two seasons, this year the Bulldogs have 12 scholarship players on the roster ... With just three upperclassmen on its roster, Georgia ranks as the 17th youngest team in the nation ... Dennis Felton is 34-38 in his third season at Georgia and 134-92 in his eighth year as a head coach.
The Georgia Series
Saturday's meeting will be the 133rd in the series with Tennessee holding an 81-51 advantage ... Tennessee swept last season's meetings, taking a 72-65 decision Jan. 5 in Athens and a 78-68 win in Knoxville March 5 ... Tennessee holds a 49-13 series lead when playing in Knoxville ... Tennessee is 28-33 all-time when the series is played in Athens ... The last five games in Athens have been decided by a total of 28 points with one game going into overtime and another going into double overtime ... The Vols are 18-24 all-time against Georgia in Stegeman Coliseum ... Tennessee's 81 wins over the Bulldogs are the second-most by the Vols over any opponent ... Tennessee has won 10 of the last 16 meetings between the two schools.
Last Meeting With Georgia
On a day reserved to honor Tennessee's seniors, it was a freshman and a junior who keyed the Vols to a 78-68 win over Georgia on March 5, 2005, in Knoxville ... Seniors Brandon Crump, Scooter McFadgon and Fred Smithwick were honored in a pregame ceremony ... Georgia led by as many as five points in the first half and held a one-point lead with 9:45 remaining in the opening half ... Junior guard Stanley Asumnu came off the bench to spark an 11-0 Vols run that gave UT a 29-20 lead with 5:05 in the first half ... A McFadgon 3-pointer early in the second half extended the lead to 12 points, 41-29 ... Levi Stukes scored seven points to key a 9-3 Georgia run to cut UT's lead to 50-47 with 8:10 left ... An Asumnu bucket and a pair of freshman Chris Lofton 3-pointers helped the Vols regain control of the game ... Tennessee's lead never was smaller than seven points the rest of the way ... Lofton scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half to lead the Vols ... Asumnu registered a career-high 14 points in just 10 minutes of action ... Crump, playing his last game in Thompson-Boling Arena, recorded his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds ... McFadgon returned to the lineup after missing four games with a leg injury to score 12 points ... Smithwick, a walk-on who earned his first career start, scored one point ... Stukes and Sundiata Gaines each had 22 points to lead the Bulldogs.
Last Game: UT Rallys From 15-Point Deficit
Tennessee rebounded from a 15-point second half deficit to win its Southeastern Conference opener 76-69 at South Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 8 ... The Vols' 23 first half points were their lowest total of the season as the Gamecocks took a 35-23 lead at the half ... USC increased its lead to 15 points on a Brandon Wallace bucket with just over 18 minutes left in the game ... That is when the tide turned for the Vols ... After shooting just 31.0 percent in the first half, Tennessee shot 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the field and 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from 3-point range in the second half ... Dane Bradshaw started the rally with a layup and then the Vols followed with 3-pointers by Chris Lofton, Bradshaw and JaJuan Smith to cut the lead to 40-33 with 16 minutes remaining ... More threes by Jordan Howell and Lofton continued to cut into the lead ... Finally the Vols took the lead at 54-53 with eight minutes left on a Major Wingate basket and never trailed again ... Bradshaw sealed the win with a triple from the corner with just over 30 seconds left ... Lofton led UT with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range ... C.J. Watson added 17 points and three assists ... Bradshaw had a career-high 14 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists, no turnovers and a steal ... Smith added 13 points ... South Carolina was led by Tarence Kinsey's 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range ... The win was Tennessee's first in USC's Colonial Center after dropping its first three games in the new facility.
UT Looking For Milestone Win
Tennessee enters the Georgia game with 599 all-time Southeastern Conference wins ... In their 73rd season of SEC play, the Vols have posted a 599-480 mark in league games ... Only Kentucky (823) and Alabama (674) 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 506 assists in 100 career games ... Watson, who also has 1,147 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 506 career assists rank fourth all-time in Tennessee history. He needs four assists to pass Tony Harris (509 from 1998-01) for third on UT's career lists.
- His 506 career assists are 17th on the SEC's career lists. UT's Tony Harris (509 from 1998-01) ranks 16th and Mississippi State's Al Perry (510 from 1975-78) is 15th all-time in SEC history.
Improved Vols
Several Vols have seen their offensive production increase exponentially this season ... Three key players have passed their scoring totals from all of last season already ... Stanley Asumnu scored 63 points in 26 games last year as a junior, this year it took him just seven games to pass his scoring total from a season ago ... JaJuan Smith needed eight games to surpass his 2005 scoring total of 48 points (he scored 62 points in his first eight contests this season) ... Jordan Howell, who scored 21 points in 19 games last season, reached the 21-point mark after just eight games this year ... Following is a list of players who have seen increased scoring totals this year:Player 2005 Pts 2006 Pts Differential S. Asumnu 2.4 9.2 +6.8 ppg M. Wingate 5.0 11.6 +6.6 ppg J. Smith 1.9 8.5 +6.6 ppg C. Watson 11.9 16.5 +4.6 ppg C. Lofton 13.2 16.8 +3.6 ppg D. Bradshaw 3.0 6.5 +3.5 ppg A. Patterson 7.4 9.7 +2.3 ppg J. Howell 1.1 2.7 +1.6 ppg
It's Getting Crowded
The crowds at Tennessee's home games this season have increased by nearly 3,000 fans per game over last season and the Vols haven't even played a conference game yet this year. - Tennessee ranks second in the SEC in home attendance with an average of 14,707. Kentucky leads the league with 21,690.
- The Vols' attendance of 14,707 this season is an increase of 2,832 fans per game over last year's average of 12,450 per game.
- The 21,680 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.
A Band Of Thieves
Tennessee's pressure defense has given its opponents all kinds of trouble this season as the Vols' opponents are averaging 20.1 turnovers per game this year. - UT leads the SEC in steals (10.82 spg) and turnover margin (+8.00).
- Chris Lofton is second in the SEC with 2.46 steals per game. C.J. Watson ranks third (2.36 spg) and Dane Bradshaw is eighth (2.00 spg).
- Bradshaw leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.92) while Watson is fifth (2.09).
- The Vols have had more assists than turnovers in 10 of their 11 games this year.
- On the season, UT has 204 assists to 133 turnovers (1.53 assists-to-turnovers).
- Conversely, the Vols' opponents have had more turnovers than assists in eight of 11 games (0.77 assists-to-turnovers).
Vols In The NCAA Stats
Tennessee is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the Jan. 2 NCAA statistics. Following is where the Vols rank nationally: - Scoring offense: 84.9 ppg / 4th
- Steals per game: 11.3 spg / 7th
- 3-pointers per game: 9.0 3pg / 13th
- 3-point percentage: 40.9 percent / 14th
- Assists per game: 18.2 apg / 22nd
- Turnovers per game: 13.2 tpg / 36th
- Scoring margin: +13.3 ppg / 36th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.8 3pg / 5th
- 3-point percentage: Chris Lofton - 45.9 % / 24th
- FT percentage: C. J. Watson - 89.5 % / 26th
- Steals per game: Chris Lofton - 2.6 spg / 32nd
- Steals per game: C.J. Watson - 2.4 spg / 44th
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 1,147 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 16.5 points and 4.2 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 506.
- His 506 career assists are fourth all-time at UT.
- He ranks 17th in SEC history in assists with 506.
- Watson's 4.18 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 fourth in the SEC with 16.8 points per game and is second in the league with 2.46 steals per game.
- With 44 3-pointers already this season, Lofton ranks eighth on Tennessee's career lists with 137.
- He is currently leading the Southeastern Conference with 4.00 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). - He recorded a career game against East Tennessee State (11/18/05) with 13 points and 12 rebounds to go with six assists.
- Bradshaw is leading in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and assists (4.3 apg) and is third in steals (2.0 spg) and blocks (0.6 bpg).
- His assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.92 leads the SEC.
- His 2.00 steals per game are eighth in the SEC.
- His 4.27 assists per game are seventh in the SEC.
- Five times this season he has led the Vols in rebounding, including a career-high 12 boards against ETSU (11/18/05).
- Against South Alabama (1/4/06) he recorded a career-high eight assists while gathering five rebounds, scoring six points and making three steals.
- Has not made a turnover since the Appalachian State game (12/6/05). He has a streak of 173 minutes played (more than six games) without a turnover. During that streak, he has recorded 33 assists.
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 11.6 points per game.
- Wingate has scored in double-figures in eight of UT's 11 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 24.3 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 each of Tennessee's games this season, is averaging 8.5 points per game ... His 27 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).
- His last four games he is averaging 11.8 points on 51.5 percent (17-of-33) shooting from the field and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) 3-point shooting.
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 51.9 percent (40-of-77) from the field and is averaging 9.7 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 11 games he is averaging 9.2 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 207-84 (.711) in its 19th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 108-25 (.812) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 47-16 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.
Five Of UT's Non-Conference Opponents Picked To Win Their Leagues
Tennessee's non-conference schedule features the favorites to win the Big 12, Conference USA, Ohio Valley, Sun Belt and SWAC regular season titles in polls of each respective league's coaches ... Eight of the Vols' 11 non-conference games will be against teams picked to finish no worse than second in their respective divisions ... Additionally, the Vols will play against four players who earned preseason player of the year honors from the league's coaches.
- East Tennessee State was picked to finish second in the Atlantic Sun Conference and was picked to win the league's postseason tournament. Tim Smith was named the league's preseason player of the year.
- Louisiana-Lafayette, a team that has been to the NCAA Tournament the last two years, is picked to win the Sun Belt Conference's West Division. Senior guard Dwayne Mitchell was a preseason first team all-conference pick.
- Murray State is tabbed to win the Ohio Valley Conference while Eastern Kentucky is picked second. Murray State junior Trey Pearson was named the league's preseason player of the year while EKU's Matt Witt earned preseason first team all-conference honors.
- Appalachian State was picked to tie for second in the Southern Conference North Division while D.J. Thompson earned a spot on the Preseason All-Southern Conference Men's Basketball Team.
- Texas is an overwhelming favorite to win the Big 12 Conference title while Oklahoma State is picked fourth. The Longhorns list two preseason first team all-conference selections (Daniel Gibson and P.J. Tucker) while the Cowboys had one (JamesOn Curry).
- Alabama A&M is predicted to win SWAC. Senior guard Obie Trotter was selected the league's preseason player of the year while Joseph Martin earned preseason first team all-conference honors.
- Memphis, led by preseason conference player of the year Rodney Carney, is the unanimous favorite to win the Conference USA title.
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.
