University of Tennessee Athletics
TENNESSEE VS. AUBURN -- GAME PREVIEW
February 13, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2006
| QUICK FACTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RADIO: TELEVISION: LIVE STATS: RANKINGS: THE COACHES: Auburn Tigers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FEATURES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee Trends
- Chris Lofton made as many or more 3-pointers last week (16-of-22 in games at Kentucky and Georgia) than nine of the 11 other SEC schools in their games. Only South Carolina (22) and Vanderbilt (22) made more 3-pointers last week than Lofton.
- Tennessee's seven-game SEC winning streak is its longest since the 1981-82 season when the Vols opened SEC play with nine consecutive wins.
- Tennessee's 9-1 start in SEC action is its best since opening the 1981-82 campaign with a 9-1 record. The Vols went on to finish 13-5 in the league and earn a share of the SEC title in 1981-82. The last time the Vols started 10-1 in league play was in 1976-77 when UT went 16-2 in league action and tied for first in the SEC standings.
- Chris Lofton's 31 points against Kentucky are tied for the most by a Vol in Rupp Arena. Dale Ellis (1983) and Allan Houston (1993) also poured in 31 points against the 'Cats in Rupp Arena.
- A pair of Vols lead the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio. Dane Bradshaw leads the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.88 assists for every turnover and C.J. Watson is second at 2.38.
- The Vols are 13-0 when scoring 80 or more points.
- Tennessee is 12-0 when playing at Thompson-Boling Arena this season and has a 14-game home court winning streak.
- With victories over No. 6 Texas and No. 2 Florida, Tennessee has recorded two wins over teams ranked in the top six of the Associated Press Poll in a season for just the second time in school history. The other time was in 1977 when Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King led UT to four wins over top six teams.
- The win over second-ranked Florida was Tennessee's first over a team ranked that high since defeating No. 2 Kentucky 78-77 on Feb. 24, 1993.
- UT is 23-12 (.657) when playing before crowds of 20,000 or larger at Thompson-Boling Arena. This year the Vols are 4-0 playing in front of 20,000 fans at home.
- 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.
- The Vols have recorded at least 10 steals in 13 of their 21 games.
- Tennessee is getting an average of 22.5 points per game from its bench. The Vols' bench has contributed 472 points in 21 games this season.
- UT has recorded almost 100 more steals as its opponents. The Vols have 217 steals compared to just 129 by their opponents.
- Tennessee's opponents are averaging 19.0 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. Nine times this season UT's opponents have turned the ball over at least 20 times.
- 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 1,363-887-2 in its 97th season of basketball.
- UT's 607 regular season Southeastern Conference victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 212-84 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 | Auburn |
| 82.4 | Points | 64.7 |
| 72.3 | Opponent Points | 66.0 |
| +10.1 | Scoring Margin | -1.4 |
| .468 | Field Goal % | .428 |
| .463 | Opponent Field Goal % | .426 |
| .383 | Three-Point % | .341 |
| .357 | Opponent Three-Point % | .348 |
| .696 | Free Throw % | .616 |
| 34.6 | Rebounds | 34.2 |
| 36.8 | Opponent Rebounds | 34.1 |
| -2.2 | Rebounding Margin | +0.1 |
| 18.0 | Assists | 13.6 |
| 12.7 | Turnovers | 16.6 |
| 10.3 | Steals | 8.1 |
| 3.2 | Blocks | 4.3 |
| 18-3, 9-1 SEC | Record | 10-11, 2-8 SEC |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Auburn |
| Lofton, 17.2 | Points | LeMelle, 11.7 |
| Patterson, 6.6 | Rebounds | Dollard, 4.7 |
| Bradshaw, 4.4 | Assists | Robertson, 4.8 |
| Wingate, .549 | Field Goal % | Barber, .590 |
| Lofton, .454 | Three-Point % | Barrett, .378 |
| Lofton, .925 | Free Throw % | LeMelle, .720 |
Looking At Auburn
Auburn dropped to 10-11 on the season and 2-8 in SEC action with a 64-84 loss at Arkansas Saturday ... The Tigers trailed by just five points (31-36) at halftime but the Razorbacks shot 65.4 percent from the field in the second half to pull away for the win ... Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo missed the Arkansas game with flu-like symptoms ... Despite playing just one player taller than 6-foot-8, Auburn outrebounded the Razorbacks 33-32 ... On the season, the Tigers have a rebounding margin of +0.1 ... Ronny LeMelle, a 6-5 senior guard, leads the Tigers with 11.7 points per game on the season and a team-best 10.7 points in SEC games ... Rasheem Barrett, a 6-5 freshman guard, is the only other Tiger in double-figure scoring with 11.1 points per game ... Freshman guard Quantez Robertson is third in the SEC with 4.76 assists per game ... Robertson's 35.52 minutes per game rank third in the SEC also ... After averaging 21.3 turnovers in its previous four games, Auburn has averaged 16.0 turnovers in its last four games ... The Tennessee game is the final game of a stretch where the Tigers play four of five contests on the road ... Auburn has started four true freshmen six times this year ... Purdue is the only other team to start four true freshmen in a game this season ... Lebo is 24-28 in his second season at Auburn and 139-81 in his eighth year as a head coach.
The Auburn Series
This will be the 101st meeting between the two schools ... Tennessee leads the all-time series 65-35 ... The Vols lead the series 39-7 in Knoxville ... UT has won six of the last seven meetings in Knoxville, including the last three ... The Tigers hold a 23-22 advantage in Auburn ... Tennessee has won six of the last eight meetings between the schools ... Last year the Tigers took a 62-59 win in Auburn ... UT holds a 7-3 advantage over Auburn when the two teams meet in the SEC Tournament.
Auburn Connections
Tennessee sophomore guard Jordan Howell has several connections to Auburn ... A native of Auburn, Ala., he attended Bob Jones High School ... Howell's older brother, Brett, is a junior guard for the Tigers ... This will be the first time that two brothers have played against each other in an SEC game since G.G. Smith's Georgia Bulldogs played Saul Smith's Kentucky Wildcats in 1998 and 1999 ... The Howell brother's father, Rex, played basketball for the Tigers in 1966 while their uncle, Alex Howell, was a two-year starter and a 1967 All-SEC selection for the Auburn basketball team ... Tennessee's Damion Harris and Auburn's Josh Dollard were teammates at Prince Avenue Prep in Pickens, S.C., last season.
Last Meeting With Auburn
C.J. Watson's game-high 17 points weren't enough as the Vols fell 59-62 at Auburn on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2005 ... Quinnel Brown broke a 51-51 tie and started a 7-0 Auburn run with a layup with 2:45 remaining in the game ... A Chris Lofton 3-pointer with 15 seconds left cut the Tiger's lead to 60-56 but Nathan Watson sank of pair of free throws to give Auburn a 62-56 lead ... Scooter McFadgon hit a 3-pointer with one second left to bring the final deficit to 59-62 ... Auburn did not score its first points until the 14:20 mark in the first half when Daniel Hayles made a layup ... The Tigers were able to overcome the slow start to tie the score 28-28 at halftime ... Auburn shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, including 57.1 percent from 3-point range, to finish the game shooting 44.2 percent ... McFadgon added 14 points to the Vols' effort, including a season-high nine rebounds ... Andre Patterson scored all of his 10 points in the second half ... Nathan Watson led four Tigers in double figure scoring with 15 points.
Last Game: Lofton's Record 3s Lead UT To Win
Chris Lofton turned in his second career-high scoring effort in as many games as he scored 33 points in leading the Vols to an 83-78 victory at Georgia Saturday, Feb. 11 ... Lofton torched the nets with 9-of-12 shooting from 3-point range to break Allan Houston's school record of eight 3-pointers in a single-game set in 1993 ... The win was UT's seventh consecutive SEC win and was the second of the season over the Bulldogs ... Georgia led by as many as 12 points (19-7) in the first half but the Vols went on a 12-0 run to tie the score 19-19 ... UT finished the first half on a 13-4 run to take a 38-29 advantage at halftime ... The Vols led 60-42 with 12:32 left in the game when the Bulldogs went on a 14-1 run to pull within 63-58 with 8:25 left ... A Billy Humphrey bucket with 4:41 remaining cut the Vols' lead to 67-65 ... Soon after, Dane Bradshaw penetrated Georgia's zone and found Lofton in the corner for the 3-pointer that gave UT a 71-65 lead ... Georgia never got closer than four points the rest of the game ... Tennessee matched its season-high with 23 turnovers while Georgia committed just 13 ... Andre Patterson had 15 points and six rebounds for UT while C.J. Watson added 11 points and JaJuan Smith contributed 10 ... Bradshaw finished the game with nine points and eight assists ... Levi Stukes led Georgia with 20 points on 5-of-6 3-point shooting ... The Vols shot 53.1 percent from the field and outrebounded the Bulldogs 37-25.
Lofton 3s
Sophomore sharpshooter Chris Lofton had a week for the ages in leading the Vols to wins at Kentucky (2/7/06) and at Georgia (2/11/06) ... In the two games he averaged 32.0 points on 72.7 percent (16-of-22) 3-point shooting to go with 6.5 rebounds ... On the season he is leading Tennessee with 17.2 points per game ... He is making an SEC-best 3.76 3-pointers per game and is shooting 45.4 percent from behind the arc ... He also ranks fifth in the SEC with 2.10 steals per game.
- Against Kentucky, the Maysville, Ky., native recorded a career-high 31 points on 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range in leading the Vols to a 75-67 win. It is just UT's fourth win in 31 trips to play UK in Rupp Arena.
- His 31 points against Kentucky are tied for the most by a Vol in Rupp Arena. Dale Ellis (1983) and Allan Houston (1993) also poured in 31 points against the 'Cats in Rupp Arena.
- At Georgia he had his second career-high in as many games with 33 points on 9-of-12 3-point shooting in leading UT to an 83-78 win.
- Lofton's nine 3-pointers at Georgia broke Allan Houston's single-game school record of eight 3-pointers he set against Fordham (12/29/89).
- His nine 3-pointers against the Bulldogs are tied for fifth on the Southeastern Conference's single-game lists. They are tied for the third-most in a conference game.
- He became the first Vol since Allan Houston in 1993 to have 30 or more points in back-to-back games. Houston had 31 vs. South Carolina (1/6/93) and 31 vs. Kentucky (1/9/93).
- 79 3-pointers this season rank sixth on UT's single-season lists.
- Just a sophomore, he ranks sixth all-time at UT with 172 career 3-pointers made.
- Following a 6-of-7 shooting performance at South Carolina (1/8/06), Dane Bradshaw was quoted saying, "Chris (Lofton) is like a 9-0 run himself."
Watson Climbing Charts
This has been a memorable season for senior point guard C.J. Watson as he has scored his 1,000th point and dished out his 500th career assist already this year ... The Las Vegas native ranks among Tennessee's top 25 all-time scorers and is second in assists and steals. - Watson ranks 20th all-time at UT with 1,285 career points.
- His 548 career assists are second only to Johnny Darden's (1975-79) 715 career assists. The 548 career assists rank 11th in Southeastern Conference history.
- He ranks second in school history with 186 career steals. Vincent Yarbrough (1998-02) is UT's record holder with 211 career thefts.
Pearl Being Mentioned For Coach Of The Year
Having led the Vols to a 18-3 overall record and a No. 8 national ranking, Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl has been receiving some mention as a candidate for national coach of the year from media around the country. - Seth Davis of SI.com listed Pearl as one of his 10 candidates for national coach of the year ... Davis selected Pearl No. 2 on his list, which was released Feb. 2.
- ESPN.com's Pat Forde called Pearl the "Coach of the Year in college hoops" in his Jan. 22 column about UT's victory over second-ranked Florida.
- FOXSports.com's Frank Burlison wrote, "he has to be considered the leading candidate for the COY hardware" on Feb. 11.
- Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News wrote, "Pearl is all but a lock to be named SEC coach of the year and contend for national honors" in a Jan. 23 column
- Pearl was also the national coach of the year selection of the Syracuse (N.Y.) Post-Standard's Kim Baxter in a Jan. 29 article.
Pearl Is A League Leader
Against Auburn, Bruce Pearl will be coaching his 52nd consecutive regular season league game where his team has either been in first place or within a game of first place ... The streak began at UW-Milwaukee where he coached 41 consecutive games in that situation and it has continued entering his 11th SEC game at Tennessee ... The Vols are currently leading the SEC with a 9-1 conference mark ... The last time Pearl was not within a game of first place was Jan. 23, 2003 when UWM was entering a game with Butler, 1 1/2 games behind the Bulldogs in the conference standings ... The Panthers won that contest to move to within a half game of Butler and eventually took over the league lead.Streak's Alive
With a 69-62 win over Vanderbilt, Bruce Pearl was assured of a winning record in his first season as Tennessee's head coach ... Pearl, who owns a 335-87 record in his 14th season as a head coach, has never had a losing season as a head coach.SEC Throwback Week Starts Saturday
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.Lineup Changes Paying Off
When Bruce Pearl substituted Andre Patterson for Stanley Asumnu in the starting lineup at Mississippi State (1/25/06) it started paying dividends immediately .... In four of the six games since being inserted into the starting lineup, Patterson has recorded double-figure rebounds ... Against the Bulldogs he had 13 points and 11 rebounds and then against South Carolina (1/28/06) he registered 13 points and 12 rebounds ... Asumnu has also responded to the move ... In the six games coming off the bench he has averaged 8.3 points and 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.3 turnovers ... Against South Carolina he had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and no turnovers ... In fact, Asumnu has been so effective coming off the bench that after the USC game Pearl joked that, "he was playing his way to the bench."A Band Of Thieves
Tennessee's pressure defense has given its opponents all kinds of trouble this season as the Vols' opponents are averaging 19.0 turnovers per game. - UT leads the SEC in steals (10.33 spg) and turnover margin (+6.38).
- Three Vols rank in the top seven in the SEC in steals. C.J. Watson is second (2.24 spg), Chris Lofton is fifth (2.10 spg) and Dane Bradshaw is seventh (1.86 spg).
- Bradshaw leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.88) while Watson is second (2.38).
- The Vols have had more assists than turnovers in 17 of their 21 games this year.
- On the season, UT has 377 assists to 266 turnovers (1.42 assists-to-turnovers).
- Conversely, the Vols' opponents have had more turnovers than assists in 15 of 21 games (0.81 assists-to-turnovers).
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 607-481 mark in league games ... Only Kentucky (828) and Alabama (681) have won more SEC games.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 149 3-pointers in 21 games this season ... UT leads the SEC and ranks 33rd in the nation with 8.33 3-pointers per game ... The Vols are making 38.3 percent of their 3s, a figure that ranks fourth in the SEC and 45th nationally. - Lofton is leading the SEC and ranks 17th in the nation with 3.76 triples per game. He is shooting 45.4 percent (79-of-174) from behind the arc.
- Watson has improved upon his 37.5 percent shooting last season to convert 41.8 (33-of-79) 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 37 3-pointers on the season.
- Lofton, Watson and Smith are not the only 3-point bombers on the Vols' roster. Jordan Howell has made 40.7 percent (11-of-27) 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).
Bench Mob
The day before Tennessee's game against second-ranked Florida (1/21/06), head coach Bruce Pearl passed out t-shirts that had the words "Bench Mob" printed on them to recognize the impact of the players coming off the bench ... Although some of the starters liked the shirts and wanted one, only players who came off the bench were allowed one ... Tennessee's bench has played key roles in some of the Vols' biggest victories ... The Vols are getting an average of 22.5 points (472 points in 21 games) per game from its bench this season. - The Vols got 29 points from their bench in the upset of No. 2 Florida (1/21/06), including 12 points and 10 rebounds from Andre Patterson.
- The bench also contributed 31 points in UT's 95-78 win at No. 6 Texas. JaJuan Smith and Andre Patterson each had 12 points.
Improved Vols
Every returning scholarship player has seen their offensive production increase exponentially this season ... The improvements account for an additional 34.5 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 Smith 1.9 9.2 +7.3 ppg Asumnu 2.4 8.8 +6.4 ppg Wingate 5.0 10.9 +5.9 ppg Bradshaw 3.0 7.2 +4.2 ppg Lofton 13.2 17.2 +4.0 ppg Watson 11.9 15.2 +3.3 ppg Patterson 7.4 9.8 +2.4 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 Feb. 6 NCAA statistics. Following is where the Vols rank nationally: - Steals per game: 10.7 spg / 4th
- Scoring offense: 82.8 ppg / 6th
- Assists per game: 18.1 apg / 10th
- Turnovers per game: 12.2 tpg / 19th
- Scoring margin: +10.5 ppg / 28th
- 3-pointers per game: 8.2 3pg / 33rd
- 3-point percentage: 38.1 percent / 45th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.3 3pg / 17th
- 3-point percentage: Chris Lofton - 41.4 % / 41st
- Steals per game: Chris Lofton - 2.3 spg / 45th
- Steals per game: C.J. Watson - 2.3 spg / 37th
- FT percentage: C. J. Watson - 86.2 % / 33rd
Vols Return To Rankings
Tennessee is ranked eighth by the Associated Press and 10th by ESPN/USA Today in the Feb. 13 polls ... The No. 8 ranking is the Vols' highest since being ranked eighth in the Jan. 29, 2001 Associated Press Poll ... This is the first season since 2000-01 that the Vols have been ranked ... That year, UT peaked at No. 4 in the Associated Press Poll.Date Associated Press ESPN/USA Today Dec. 19 23rd rv Dec. 26 rv rv Jan. 2 rv rv Jan. 9 rv rv Jan. 16 rv rv Jan. 23 19th 20th Jan. 30 13th 16th Feb. 6 11th 14th Feb. 13 8th 10th
Can I Get A Witness?
The crowds at Tennessee's home games this season have increased by more than 4,500 fans per game over last season ... Three times UT has had home crowds of more than 20,000 ... Entering this season, there had been only one home crowd of 20,000 or more this decade. - Tennessee ranks second in the SEC in home attendance with an average of 17,070. Kentucky leads the league with 22,524.
- The Vols' attendance of 17,070 this season is an increase of 4,620 fans per game over last year's average of 12,450 per game.
- In SEC games, UT is averaging 20,380 fans per game.
- Four times this season UT has had crowds in excess of 20,000. The record for 20,000 crowds in a season is seven in the Arena's first season (1987-88).
- If the season were to end today, Tennessee's average attendance of 17,070 would rank fourth all-time in school history and the best since the Vols averaged 17,524 fans in the Arena's third year (1989-90).
- 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.
- The crowd of 24,011 for the Florida game (1/21/06) was the sixth-largest in school history and the biggest in more than 15 years at the arena.
- Fans have also flocked to see the Vols play on the road. Almost 2,000 orange-clad fans were in attendance at Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum to see the Vols play the Bulldogs.
Watson & Lofton Named One Of Top Backcourts In The Nation
SI.com named Tennessee's backcourt of C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton the No. 8 backcourt in the nation on Jan. 20 ... They were the only SEC backcourt to receive mention on the list ... Following is a list of their rankings of the top 10 backcourts nationally:
1. Randy Foye and Allan Ray, Villanova
2. Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown, Michigan State
3. Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo, UCLA
4. Marcus Williams and Rashad Anderson, UConn
5. Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock, Iowa State
6. Robert Vaden and Marshall Strickland, Indiana
7. J.R. Pinnock and Carl Elliott, George Washington
8. C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton, Tennessee
9. Adam Haluska and Jeff Horner, Iowa
10. Steve Burtt Jr. and Ricky Soliver, IonaLofton & Watson Earn SEC Player Of The Week Honors
Four times this season a Tennessee player has earned SEC Player of the Week honors ... Chris Lofton has earned the honor three times and C.J. Watson has been named recipient of the award once. - Watson took home player of the week honors Dec. 12 after scoring a season-high 23 points against Appalachian State Dec. 5.
- 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.
- Lofton won the award again on Jan. 23 following a 29-point performance in Tennessee's victory over then-No. 2 Florida.
- On Feb. 13 Lofton won the award for a third time after averaging 32.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in wins at Kentucky and Georgia. He shot 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from 3-point range in the two games.
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 15.2 points and 4.19 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 548.
- His 548 career assists are second all-time at UT and 11th on the SEC's career lists. Auburn's Wes Flanigan (1994-97) ranks 10th in SEC history with 573 career assists.
- Watson's 4.19 assists per game are currently seventh in the SEC.
Lofton Is More Than A Shooter
There is no doubt that Chris Lofton is a great 3-point shooter but, there is a lot more to the sophomore guard's game than just hoisting amazing shots from long-range. - Lofton is shooting a team-best 92.5 percent (37-of-40) from the free throw line on the season. In conference play, he is shooting 100.0 percent (22-of-22) from the stripe.
- He ranks second on the team and fifth in the Southeastern Conference with 2.10 steals per game. Two times this season he has had five steals in a game.
- Lofton is third on the team with 44 assists on the season. Five times he has had four assists in a game this year.
- The Maysville, Ky., native ranks fourth in the SEC with 17.2 points per game on the season. In league games, his 17.9 points are third in the SEC.
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 second on the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg), leading the team in assists (4.4 apg) and is third in steals (1.86 spg) and blocks (0.5 bpg).
- His assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.88 leads the SEC.
- His 1.86 steals per game are seventh in the SEC.
- His 4.38 assists per game are sixth in the SEC.
- Seven times this season he has led the Vols in rebounding, including a career-high 12 boards against ETSU (11/18/05) and Vanderbilt (2/1/06).
- Eleven times he has led UT in assists, including a career-high eight against South Alabama (1/4/06), Georgia (1/11/06) and at Georgia (2/11/06).
- 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.
- South Carolina head coach Dave Odom gave Bradshaw a strong compliment following UT's 81-65 win in Knoxville (1/28/06), "I know this is a fairly bold statement and not something I would say lightly, but if there were a vote taken by media and/or coaches in this conference at this time, I think without any question that Dane Bradshaw would be the MVP of this league. I think he's playing that well."
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 11.2 points per game.
- Wingate has scored in double-figures in 15 of UT's 21 games ... In two previous season 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 24.6 minutes per game this season ... Already this year he has tied or established new career marks for scoring (17), rebounds (7), assists (6), steals (4), blocks (1) and minutes played (29) ... Smith, who has been the first player off the bench in 20 of Tennessee's 21 games this season, is averaging 9.2 points per game ... His 37 3-pointers are second and his 38 assists are fourth 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 Works His Way Into Starting Lineup
Andre Patterson played well enough to be a starter in Tennessee's first 15 games this season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.6 points coming off the bench ... Against Mississippi State (1/25/06) he finally earned a spot in the starting lineup ... He responded well, registering 13 points and 11 rebounds against the Bulldogs ... In the six games since gaining a starting spot, the 6-foot-7 senior is averaging 9.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. - Patterson became the first Vol in four seasons to record three consecutive double-doubles when he had 12 points, 10 rebounds against Florida (1/21/06), 13 points, 11 rebounds at Mississippi State (1/25/06) and 13 points and 12 rebounds against South Carolina (1/28/06).
- Patterson recorded a career-high 14 rebounds against Murray State (11/30/05) while recording his third career-double-double.
- Against second-ranked Florida's (1/21/06) much taller front line he registered 12 points and 10 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
Asumnu Shooting To Make UT Better
Stanley Asumnu has saved his best basketball for his senior season, and the later the season gets, the better the 6-foot-5 wing gets ... Since being moved to the bench following the Florida (1/21/06) game, Asumnu has averaged 8.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in those six games ... Most impressively, the Houston native is shooting 60.5 percent (23-of-38) from the field over his last six outings ... On the season, he is averaging 8.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. - A career 39.7 percent shooter entering this season, Asumnu is connecting on 50.9 percent of his field goals as a senior.
- In his first three seasons he averaged 3.6 points per game but has improved that number to 8.8 points as a senior.
- It took Asumnu just seven games this season to score 67 points, surpassing the 63 points he scored in 26 contests as a junior.
Howell & Childress Seeing Roles Grow
Sophomore guard Jordan Howell and freshman forward Ryan Childress are playing a more prominent role for the Vols over the last seven games ... In UT's first 14 games this season, Howell averaged just 7.8 minutes and Childress carded 7.1 minutes per game ... Over the Vols' last seven games, Howell has seen his role grow to 8.3 minutes and Childress is averaging 6.4 minutes per game. - Against No. 2 Florida (1/21/06) Howell had four points in 11 minutes but more importantly handled the point guard duties flawlessly when C.J. Watson fouled out with three minutes to go.
- Childress had three points, three rebounds and drew to big charges against the second-ranked Gators. He scored five points to go with two rebounds and two assists against Mississippi State (1/25/06).
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 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 1,285 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.National Recognition For Vols
- SI.com listed C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton (with special mention for Dane Bradshaw) as the nation's eighth-best backcourt on Jan. 20.
- 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 212-84 (.716) in its 19th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 113-25 (.819) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 52-16 against SEC teams at home over the last six seasons.
- UT has won 67 of its last 74 home games against non-conference opponents.
Pearl Won 87 Percent Of Games In 2005
Frank Sinatra may have had Bruce Pearl in mind when he crooned that "It Was A Very Good Year" ... In fact, 2005 was a great year for Pearl as he won 87.1 percent of his games during the calendar year ... Pearl was 19-3 at UW-Milwaukee and 8-1 at Tennessee in 2005 ... That ranks as the third-best winning percentage in the nation in 2005 ... Bruce Weber at Illinois posted the best winning percentage in 2005 with a 37-2 record (94.9 percent).
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.
