Duke Crews | VOLS TRAVEL TO DIXIE TO TAKE ON REBELS
- Tennessee hits the road again this week when the Vols travel to Oxford, Miss., to meet the Ole Miss Rebels. The Vols and Rebels will meet at C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum at 8 p.m. EST. The game will not be televised.
- Tennessee is coming off a 64-61 victory over South Carolina Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena. JaJuan Smith led the Vols with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. Wayne Chism came off the bench to register his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
- The Vols are in a stretch where they are playing five of six games on the road. The stretch began with three consecutive road games (at Vanderbilt, at Ohio State and at Auburn) before UT returned home to play South Carolina Saturday, Jan. 20. The Mississippi game begins a two-game road trip that will continue at Kentucky Sunday, Jan. 28.
- Each of Tennessee's last four games has been decided by one possession. The four games have been decided by a combined total of nine points. Vanderbilt scored on a tip-in as time expired to take an 82-81 win in Nashville Jan. 10 and then Ohio State needed a 3-pointer with 11.2 seconds left for a 68-66 victory in Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 13. Auburn took an 83-80 win Jan. 17 and then UT defeated South Carolina 64-61 on Jan. 20.
- Tennessee is leading the SEC and ranks seventh in the nation with 83.2 points per game.
- The Vols will be without the services of All-America guard Chris Lofton Wednesday night. Lofton, who is leading the SEC in scoring with 21.5 points per game, suffered an injury to his right ankle Saturday, Jan. 20. X-rays performed Monday were negative and his status remains out indefinitely.
Tennessee Trends
- In league games, Ramar Smith leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (14.8 ppg), steals (2.25) and blocks (1.0 bpg). He ranks fifth in rebounding (4.5 rpg).
- The crowd of 23,238 for UT's game against South Carolina (1/20/07) ranked as the 10th-largest in Thompson-Boling Arena history.
- With two steals at Auburn (1/17/07) Dane Bradshaw tied Allan Houston for 10th on UT's career lists with 133 thefts.
- Tennessee is shooting just 43.9 percent (18-of-41) from the free throw line in its last three games. UT's opponents are shooting 76.9 percent (50-of-65) at the line during that time.
- Chris Lofton (70) and JaJuan Smith (47) have combined to make nearly as many 3-pointers as Tennessee's opponents have (126).
- Tennessee leads the SEC with 14.4 offensive rebounds per game.
- The Vols are forcing 19.8 turnovers per game.
- Tennessee is 23-2 at Thompson-Boling Arena over the last two seasons.
- UT scored 100 or more points in back-to-back games against Texas (111) and Tennessee Tech (101). The only other time in school history that the Vols reached the century mark in back-to-back games was during the 1957-58 season when the Vols won at Florida (100-91) and over Mississippi State (104-83).
- The Vols are 15-0 in non-conference home games under Bruce Pearl.
- Bruce Pearl is 5-3 against ranked teams while at Tennessee. This year he is 2-2 with wins over No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 16 Memphis and losses to No. 2 North Carolina and at No. 5 Ohio State.
- 11 different Vols have hit a 3-pointer this season.
- Chris Lofton has made at least one 3-pointer in 77 of his 80 career games.
- The Vols have made at least one 3-pointer in 303 consecutive games.
- UT's bench is averaging 22.7 points per game this season. In 2005-06, Tennessee's bench averaged 21.0 points per game.
- Since 2005-06 Tennessee's SEC opponents have a 5-14 record in the game immediately following their contests against the Vols.
- Under Bruce Pearl, UT is 30-3 when leading or tied with five minutes left in the game.
- UT is 23-3 when scoring 80 or more points under the direction of Bruce Pearl.
- UT is 26-14 (.650) when playing before crowds of 20,000 or larger at Thompson-Boling Arena. In 2005-06 the Vols were 4-2 playing in front of 20,000 fans at home.
- Tennessee has an all-time record of 1,381-897-2 in 98 seasons of basketball.
- UT's 612 regular season Southeastern Conference victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 223-86 in its 20th season in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Volunteers have posted winning home records in 17 of their 19 seasons in the facility.
- Tennessee is the only Division I school ever to rank in the top five nationally in attendance for football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the same season. The Vols turned the trick for the third time in 2005-06.
- Seven walk-ons are listed on Tennessee's roster this season. Ben Bosse, Quinn Cannington, Rick Daniels-Mulholland, Justin Jackson, Marq Murden, Steven Pearl and Tanner Wild are each on the Volunteer squad.
Vanderbilt Time Change
The start time for Tennessee's Feb. 10 game against Vanderbilt has been changed to 1 p.m. EST. Lincoln-Financial Sports will televise the game from Thompson-Boling Arena. Looking At Ole Miss
Mississippi enters Wednesday's game with a 12-7 overall record and a 1-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference ... The Rebels are returning home after playing three of their last four on the road, including the last two at LSU and at Florida ... Senior guard Bam Doyne leads Ole Miss with 16.1 points to go with 5.3 rebounds per game ... Clarence Sanders is adding 15.3 points per game ... Dwayne Curtis, a 6-foot-8, 280-pound junior center, adds 12.7 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game ... Todd Abernethy leads the Rebels and ranks third in the SEC with 5.06 assists per game ... A 6-1 senior guard, Abernethy ranks second in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.94) ... The Rebels rank second in the SEC in turnover margin, forcing 3.89 more turnovers per game than their opponents ... They also rank second in the league in offensive rebounds with 14.16 per game ... In 2005-06 Mississippi ranked 12th in the SEC with 61.0 points, this year the Rebels are scoring 73.3 points per game ... Louisville, Miss., native Andy Kennedy is 12-7 in his first season at the helm of the Mississippi program and 33-20 in his second year as a head coach. The Ole Miss Series
Tennessee and Mississippi will be meeting for the 101st time Wednesday ... The Vols hold a 64-36 all-time advantage ... Tennessee won last year's meeting 86-72 in Knoxville ... Tennessee has won 13 of the last 17 meetings dating back to the 1991 season ... Mississippi is the only SEC opponent that the Vols have a winning record on its home court ... Tennessee leads the series when it is played in Oxford 24-20 ... The Vols have won five of the last seven meetings in Oxford ... When the series is played in Knoxville, the Vols have a 36-10 advantage ... Tennessee is 4-6 all-time against Mississippi in the SEC Tournament ... UT is 11-7 all-time against the Rebels when the Vols are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 ... Tennessee is 1-2 all-time against Mississippi when the Rebels are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Last Meeting with Ole Miss
Tennessee raced out to a big lead and cruised to an 86-72 victory over Mississippi Feb. 4, 2006, at Thompson-Boling Arena ... The win was the fifth in a row for the 13th-ranked Vols while the Rebels dropped their fifth consecutive game ... Chris Lofton got the scoring started as he hit a 3-pointer to begin the game ... Tennessee never looked back as the Vols raced out to a 21-4 lead with just under 13 minutes remaining in the first half ... UT expanded the lead to as many as 22 points but Ole Miss cut it to 46-27 as Clarence Sanders hit a 3-pointer just before halftime ... The Rebels cut the lead to 12 points (71-59) with just over five minutes left but the Vols responded with a 10-0 run that took less than a minute ... C.J. Watson led four Vols in double-figure scoring with 18 points on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range ... Watson also added six assists against one turnover ... JaJuan Smith threw in career-highs for points (17), rebounds (7) and steals (4) ... Stanley Asumnu came off the bench for 14 points and Lofton added 12 points ... Sanders led the Rebels with 29 points on 7-of-11 3-point shooting ... Tennessee had 26 points off 22 Ole Miss turnovers ... The Vols shot 59.4 percent from the field in the first half and 49.3 percent for the game. Last Game: Vols Bounce Back To Beat Carolina
Tennessee ended its three-game losing streak with a 64-61 victory over South Carolina Saturday, Jan. 20, at Thompson-Boling Arena ... The Vols had dropped consecutive road games at Vanderbilt, at Ohio State and at Auburn by a combined six points ... Tennessee led most of the game but the Gamecocks would not go away ... UT led by as many as 15 points early in the second half but USC cut it to three points with 2:50 remaining ... The Vols scored two times to bring the score to 59-52 with 53.8 seconds left and then finished the game 5-of-6 from the free throw line to seal the win ... UT had to earn the win without All-America guard Chris Lofton who suffered an ankle injury early in the second half after scoring just four points ... JaJuan Smith stepped up to lead the Vols with 21 points while adding seven rebounds ... Wayne Chism came off the bench to record his second career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds ... Ramar Smith added 10 points and eight rebounds ... Tre' Kelley led the Gamecocks with 18 points while Brandon Wallace had nine points and 15 rebounds ... The crowd of 23,238 ranked as the 10th-largest in Thompson-Boling Arena history. Close Calls
Each of Tennessee's last four games have been decided by one possession ... The Vols are 1-3 in those games with their losses coming by a combined total of six points ... Two of those losses were decided by shots in the final seconds ... Vanderbilt's Shan Foster tipped in a miss as time expired to give the Commodores an 82-81 in Nashville Jan. 10 ... Ohio State's Ron Lewis hit a 3-pointer with 11.2 seconds remaining to give the fifth-ranked Buckeyes a two-point (68-66) win in Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 13 ... UT is 6-3 in games decided by 10 points or less and 3-3 in games decided by five points or fewer this season. Tough Schedule
Tennessee's schedule ranked as the ninth toughest in the nation according to CollegeRPI.com on Jan. 21 ... The Vols' non-conference slate has featured five teams currently ranked and another two receiving votes in the Associated Press poll ... UT has played No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 11 Memphis, No. 13 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Butler (current rankings listed) ... Additionally, the Vols have eight more games remaining on their schedule against teams that are currently ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press poll. UT Leading SEC In Scoring
Tennessee is leading the SEC and ranks seventh nationally in scoring offense with 83.2 points per game ... Leading the league in scoring is nothing new for a Bruce Pearl coached team ... Pearl's teams are leading their conference in scoring for the eighth consecutive year ... The last time one of his squads did not lead the league in scoring was in 1998-99 when Southern Indiana finished second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference with 81.2 points per game. Lofton Lately
- Leads the SEC with 21.5 points per game.
- Leads the SEC with 3.7 3-pointers per game.
- According to the Jan. 18 NCAA statistics, he ranks ninth in the nation in scoring (22.5), third in 3-pointers per game (3.9), 20th in 3-point percentage (46.7).
- 70 3-pointers this season rank eighth on UT's single-season charts.
- Shooting 46.1 percent (70-of-152) from behind the arc this season. Jon Higgins (2000-01) owns the school record at 48.6 percent (53-of-109).
- Made at least five 3-pointers in a game eight times.
- Made at least two 3s in 27 of his last 30 games.
- Owns five of the top six scoring performances in the SEC this year.
- Scored 30 or more points five times this season.
- Has shot 88 free throws this season after shooting just 60 free throws all of last season.
- Scored 28 of his career-high 35 points after halftime to lead the Vols from a 17-point second half deficit to a 111-105 overtime win over Texas (12/23/06).
- Scored his first career double-double with 35 points and 11 rebounds against Texas (12/23/06).
- Scored 34 points in Tennessee's win over 16th-ranked Memphis (12/6/06). With less than a minute left in the first half his 21 points were more than the Tigers' 20 points.
- He reached the 1,000 career scoring mark Nov. 22 against Butler in New York's Madison Square Garden ... He currently ranks 19th on UT's career scoring lists with 1,336 career points ... Only Allan Houston (1,415), Bernard King (1,290), Mike Edwards (962) and Ernie Grunfeld (928) scored more points in their first two seasons at Tennessee.
Vols In The NCAA Stats
Tennessee is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the January 18 NCAA statistics. Following is where the Vols rank nationally: - Scoring offense: 84.2 ppg / 8th
- 3-pointers per game: 9.6 3pg / 9th
- Steals per game: 10.1 spg / 12th
- Assists per game: 16.1 apg / 54th
- Points per game: Chris Lofton - 22.5 pts / 9th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.9 3pg / 3rd
- 3-point percentage: Chris Lofton - 46.7 % / 20th
- Steals per game: JaJuan Smith - 2.2 spg / 42nd
- Steals per game: Dane Bradshaw - 2.1 spg / 47th
Freshmen Growing Up
Tennessee has relied heavily upon its freshmen this season and each of them have continued to improve with each game they play. - Wayne Chism shot just 34.7 percent from the field through his first 10 games but has adjusted to the physical play in the paint and is shooting 50.8 percent through his last nine games.
- Ramar Smith averaged just 5.5 points and 2.2 assists and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.7 in his first 11 games. In his last eight games he is averaging 14.1 points and 4.1 assists with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.5.
- Duke Crews made the smoothest transition from high school to college but even he has seen his number increase from 9.2 points and 5.3 rebounds through his first 10 games to 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds while making 53.6 percent of his field goals in his last eight outings.
- Josh Tabb's contributions are not as obvious statistically but his play continues to improve as he has become one of UT's top defensive players this year.
Bench Contributing
Tennessee's bench has played a key role in the Vols' success early this season ... UT's bench is averaging 22.7 points per game ... Two times this season the bench has contributed at least 40 points in a game ... Wayne Chism is giving the Vols 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game coming off the bench ... Last year UT got 21.0 points per game from its bench ... Part of the reason for the production off the bench is that no one averages more than 30 minutes per game. Comeback Kids
Tennessee has overcome a second half deficit in six of its last nine games ... The Vols have come back to win four of those games, including a 79-77 decision over No. 15 Oklahoma State and a 111-105 overtime thriller against Texas ... Three times in the last nine games UT has rallied from a double digit deficit. - Oklahoma State led by as many as seven points in the second half and it took a Dane Bradshaw tip-in with 1.9 seconds left to give the Vols the win.
- The Vols trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half against Texas and were down by seven with less than two minutes left. Chris Lofton made a pair of 3s, Duke Crews scored a bucket and Ramar Smith hit a free throw to send the game to overtime.
- East Tennessee State held a six-point (58-52) lead with just over 15 minutes left but the Vols went on an 11-0 run and took a 93-88 win.
- Mississippi State held a five-point (67-62) with 10 minutes left but UT rallied to win92-84.
- Vanderbilt led by 11 points (59-48) with less than 11 minutes left but Tennessee rallied to take the lead and it took a tip-in as time expired for the Commodores to take the win.
- Fifth-ranked Ohio State led 51-41 with 13 minutes left but UT but needed a 3-pointer with 11.2 seconds remaining after UT had taken a 66-65 lead with under a minute to play.
Vols Bring The Pressure
Tennessee's pressure defense has made the simple act of inbounding the ball a headache for its opponents ... The Vols are forcing 6.1 turnovers per game off inbounds plays, most of which are coming off their press ... Three times their opponents have had 10 or more turnovers just from trying to inbound the ball ... UT is forcing an average of 19.8 turnovers per game. - Opponents have had to call timeout 21 times because they could not get the ball inbounds.
- They have been whistled for a five-second count 17 times on inbounds plays.
- Coppin State (11/19/06) committed a season-high 13 turnovers on inbounds plays alone.
Scholarly Vols
Nine of the 17 players on Tennessee's roster have earned the right to wear the VOLScholar patch on their jersey following the fall semester ... The VOLScholar program, an initiative of UT's Thornton Athletics Student Life Center in cooperation with the men's and women's athletics departments, is a comprehensive academic and citizenship-building program that has gained enthusiastic support from several of UT's athletic teams ... Student-athletes earn the right to wear the VOLScholar patch by achieving a 3.0 grade-point average in the previous fall and/or spring semester. Bomb Squad Is Back
Tennessee returns 80.3 percent of its SEC-leading 8.80 3-point field goals per game from last season ... Leading the way is junior guard Chris Lofton who set a single-season school record with 114 triples in 2005-06 ... Junior JaJuan Smith was second on the team with 61 treys while senior Dane Bradshaw contributed 20 3-pointers and Jordan Howell had 15 ... Tennessee's 264 3-pointers in 2005-06 fell two shy of tying the school record set in 1999-2000. - UT is second in the SEC 9.3 3-pointers per game.
- Lofton leads the SEC with 3.7 triples per game.
- JaJuan Smith is fourth in the SEC with 2.5 3-pointers per game.
- Combined, Lofton (70) and Smith (47) have made as nearly many 3-pointers as UT's opponents (126).
- Tennessee's 15 3-pointers against second-ranked North Carolina (11/24/06) came just one short of tying the school record of 16.
JaJuan Smith Earns Star(ting) Role
Named the "Best Player Off The Bench" in the SEC by The Tennessean, JaJuan Smith has worked his way into the starting lineup for the Vols this season ... The Cleveland, Tenn., native ranks second on the team with 14.5 points, is first with 41 steals and third with 28 assists while making 47 3-pointers this year. - He ranks fourth in the SEC with 2.47 3-pointers per game on the season.
- Two times this season he has scored a career-high 23 points, accomplishing the feat against Tennessee Tech (12/28/06) and East Tennessee State (12/30/06).
- He has scored 20 or more points in a game five times this season.
- Led UT's scoring efforts six times this season after leading the Vols in scoring once last year.
- He scored 19 points in UT's win over Texas (12/23/06).
- Scored a career-high 23 points on 5-of-10 3-point shooting against Tennessee Tech (12/28/06).
- He scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting against South Carolina (1/20/07).
Big Game Dane
Three times in his career Dane Bradshaw has made a late shot to knock off a nationally ranked team ... Two of the teams that fell victim to his late-game heroics were unbeaten entering the game. - Jan. 21, 2006 his lay-up with 20 seconds left gave UT a 78-76 lead and eventually an 80-76 victory over No. 2 Florida. The Gators entered the game with a 17-0 record and were the last unbeaten team in the nation.
- Feb. 22, 2006 his steal of an inbounds pass and layup with 15 seconds left gave Tennessee a 74-72 lead and a 76-72 win at 12th-ranked Florida. The win gave the Vols the 2005-06 SEC Eastern Division title.
- Dec. 18, 2006 against 11-0 and 15th-ranked Oklahoma State he stole the ball with 20 seconds left and then hit the game-winning tip-in over OSU's 6-7 Mario Boggan and 6-8 David Monds with 1.9 seconds left to give the Vols a 79-77 victory.
Bradshaw Does It All
One of the most versatile players in the nation, Dane Bradshaw can and will play any position for the Vols from point guard through power forward ... Originally recruited to UT as a point guard, the 6-foot-4 Bradshaw started every game last season at power forward for the Vols ... In 2005-06 the Memphis native was second on the team in assists (116), rebounding (5.4 rpg), and third in steals (56) and blocks (11) while his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.76 led the SEC ... Had a streak of 181 minutes (seven games) without a turnover as a junior last year. - Bradshaw leads the Vols in assists (92), blocks (13) and is second in steals (40).
- He has led the Vols in assists 12 out of 19 games this year and recorded a career-high nine dimes against Coppin State (11/19/06).
- Had nine assists against one turnover while adding seven points and seven rebounds against Tennessee Tech (12/28/06).
- In SEC games he is averaging 7.0 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.7.
Crews Missile
One of the most heralded freshmen in the Southeastern Conference this season, Duke Crews has not disappointed ... The 6-foot-7 forward earned a starting assignment in the Vols season-opener and has won over Tennessee fans with his hustle and athleticism ... Named the SEC Newcomer of the Year by Lindy's and Athlon, the Hampton, Va., native is averaging 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. - Scored career marks with 17 points and nine rebounds against a larger Oklahoma State (12/18/06) front line. Five of his game-high nine rebounds came at the offensive end of the floor.
- Earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Dec. 24 after averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in victories over No. 15 Oklahoma State and Texas.
- Earned his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Tennessee Tech (12/28/06).
- 55 of his 110 rebounds (50 percent) have come at the offensive end of the floor.
- He leads all SEC freshmen with 5.8 rebounds.
- Ranks third in the SEC with 2.9 offensive rebounds per game.
Remarkable Ramar
Freshman point guard Ramar Smith has made significant improvements to his game as the season has worn on ... In his first 11 games this season he averaged 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.7 while struggling to adjust to the point guard position ... In the eight games since then he is averaging 14.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.5 ... On the season, the 6-foot-2 Smith is averaging 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25.4 minutes per game. - He has earned 13 starting assignments.
- Against Texas (12/23/06) he scored 16 points to go with nine assists and no turnovers.
- Gathered a career-high nine rebounds at No. 5 Ohio State (1/13/07).
- Scored 17 points to go with seven assists and one turnover at Vanderbilt (1/10/07).
- Scored a career-high 19 points at Auburn (1/17/07).
- He has scored 10 or more points in nine of his last 10 games.
- He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 8 after he had 13 points, seven assists (one turnover), six rebounds and two blocks in the SEC opener against Mississippi State.
Big Wayne Strong In The Paint
Freshman center Wayne Chism has played a key role for a Tennessee team that lists just two players taller than 6-foot-7 ... A 6-9 native of Boliver, Tenn., Chism became the first Vols freshman to record a double-double since Vincent Yarbrough (22 points and 11 rebounds vs. Georgia) did it during the 1998-99 season when he had 11 points and 11 rebounds against Coppin State (11/19/06) ... Chism is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds and is fifth on the squad with 8.6 points per game. - Chism has been the first Vol off the bench in 15 of Tennessee's 19 games.
- Had nine points and six rebounds in 14 minutes of action against 15th-ranked Oklahoma State (12/18/06).
- Scored a career-high 18 points to go with eight rebounds in the win over Texas (12/23/06).
- Registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against South Carolina (1/20/07).
Hard Work Pays Off For Childress
There's a saying that goes, "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores." .. That couldn't be more true for UT sophomore forward Ryan Childress ... As a true freshman last season the Cincinnati, Ohio, product averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 29 appearances for the Vols ... A summer of hard work resulted in him dropping 20 pounds and adding more than seven inches to his vertical leap ... That hard work in the offseason has paid huge dividends for the 6-foot-9 Childress as he is averaging 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds. - Childress needed just four games this season to score more points than he did all season as a freshman. He scored 43 points through UT's first four games after having 33 points in 29 games as a freshman.
- This year he has set or tied career highs for points (14), rebounds (11), assists (4), blocks (3) and steals (2).
- He doubled his previous career rebounding best of five when he grabbed 10 boards against Western Kentucky (11/16/06).
- Recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Tennessee Tech (12/28/06).
- He earned his first career start against East Tennessee State (12/30/06).
Howell Returns After Missing 7 Games
Jordan Howell suffered a fracture to his right (shooting) hand during practice Dec. 21 that caused him to miss seven games ... He returned to the lineup against South Carolina (1/20/07) ... The injury interrupted a very strong season for the junior point guard ... A starter for five games before the injury, Howell hadn't been putting up big numbers and that was just fine with head coach Bruce Pearl ... Howell, who made his first career start against the Louisiana-Lafayette (11/27/06), is averaging 3.1 points, 2.1 assists and 1.0 rebounds per game ... But the most significant statistic for Howell has been his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.88-to-1 ... In 190 minutes played this season, the 6-foot-3 junior guard has turned the ball over just eight times. Fab Freshmen? Don't Forget These Guys
The Vols have played against three of the most highly-rated freshmen in the nation this season ... Tennessee has faced North Carolina's Brandan Wright and Texas' Kevin Durant and Ohio State's Greg Oden ... However, Tennessee's freshmen are deserving of some attention too ... UT's recruiting class was rated sixth in the nation by Rivals.com and they have not disappointed. - Duke Crews (Rivals.com No. 26 overall) is averaging 9.7 points and leads SEC freshmen with 5.8 rebounds. The 6-foot-7 forward is shooting 52.9 percent from the field.
- Wayne Chism (Rivals.com No. 34 overall) is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds and is fifth on the team with 8.6 points.
- Ramar Smith (Rivals.com No. 20 overall) has shown a lot of versatility and athleticism to his game as he learns the point guard position after playing primarily the two-guard spot for much of his career. In his last eight games he has 33 assists against 13 turnovers.
Thompson-Boling Provides Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena is celebrating its 20th season in 2006-07 ... The Vols have won 72.2 percent of their games in Thompson-Boling Arena and have ranked in the top 10 nationally in attendance nine times, including in 2005-06 when UT ranked fifth nationally with 17,954 fans per game ... The arena is getting ready to undergo its first major facelift as construction has already begun on a practice facility and construction will begin on the inside of the arena immediately following the 2006-07 season. - Tennessee is 223-86 (.722) in its 20th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 124-27 (.821) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 54-20 against SEC teams at home over the last nine seasons.
- UT has won 75 of its last 82 home games against non-conference opponents.
- UT is 15-0 in home games against non-conference opponents under Bruce Pearl.
- Tennessee is 10-0 at home this season.
Two Sign In Early Period
On the first day of the early signing period Cameron Tatum and Brian Williams signed national letters of intent to play basketball at the University of Tennessee beginning with the 2007-08 season. - Tatum, a versatile 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing from Patterson Prep in Lenoir, N.C., can put the ball on the floor and create, hit the 3-pointer or take the ball to the rim ... Rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 13 shooting guard in the nation by Rivals.com, he averaged 21 points and 7.7 rebounds as a senior at Tucker High School in Tucker, Ga.
- A 6-9, 300-pound post player at Harmony Community Prep in Cincinnati, Williams will give the Vols much needed depth and size in the paint ... A player with exceptional hands, good feet and a soft shooting touch, he attended Christopher Columbus High School in Bronx, N.Y., before going to Harmony Prep where he was a teammate of current Vols freshman Josh Tabb.
Prince Joins Vols
Bruce Pearl announced Jan. 16 that J.P. Prince has enrolled at Tennessee and will join the Vols' basketball team ... A 6-foot-6 guard, Prince will be allowed to practice with the team immediately and will be eligible to play as a sophomore beginning in January 2008 ... Prince transferred to Tennessee from the University of Arizona where he made three appearances for the nationally-ranked Wildcats this season ... As a freshman last year he averaged 2.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28 games ... At White Station High School in Memphis he led the Spartans to a 142-12 record and three state championships (2002-04) ... He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Tennessee as a senior in 2005 after averaging 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. |
