| VOLS FACE KENTUCKY IN RUPP ARENA
- Tennessee and Kentucky will meet for the 202nd time when the Vols travel to Lexington, Ky., to meet the Wildcats on Sunday, Jan. 28. The UT-UK rivalry is the second-most played rivalry in SEC history. Only Ole Miss and Mississippi State (234 meetings) have played more often.
- The Vols are looking to bounce back from a 83-69 loss at Ole Miss Wednesday night. UT held a 10-point halftime lead but the Rebels shot 59.4 percent from the field in the second half to take the win. JaJuan Smith led the Vols with 22 points while Ramar Smith added 16. Josh Tabb came off the bench to give 11 points while Dane Bradshaw had eight points, seven assists and five rebounds.
- The Vols finishing are a stretch where they have played 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 on Jan. 20. Tennessee returned to the road Wednesday, Jan. 24, when they visited Ole Miss and now travel to Kentucky. UT will return home Jan. 31 to host Georgia before hitting the road again when the Vols visit top-ranked Florida Feb. 3.
- UT has dropped four of its last five games. Each of those four losses has come on the road and three of them were decided by three points or less.
- Tennessee is leading the SEC and ranks eighth in the nation with 82.4 points per game.
- Chris Lofton, the SEC's leading scorer with 21.5 points per game, is out indefinitely after suffering an ankle injury Jan. 20 against South Carolina. The All-America guard missed his first career game Wednesday, Jan. 24, when he did not play against Ole Miss.
Tennessee Trends
- Dane Bradshaw ranks second in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.83), third in steals (2.11) and fourth in assists (4.95).
- Bradshaw needs one assist to have 100 dimes on the season. It would be his second consecutive season with 100 or more assists.
- Tennessee had three freshmen in the starting lineup at Mississippi (1/24/07).
- In league games, Ramar Smith leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (15.0 ppg) and steals (1.8). He ranks fifth in rebounding (4.6 rpg).
- Wayne Chism leads all SEC freshmen with 5.6 rebounds in league games.
- Three of UT's top five scorers are freshmen.
- UT is getting outscored 235-188 (47.0-37.6) in the second half of its five SEC games.
- Tennessee is shooting just 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the free throw line in its last four games. UT's opponents are shooting 74.4 percent (67-of-90) at the line during that time.
- Chris Lofton (70) and JaJuan Smith (51) have combined to make nearly as many 3-pointers as Tennessee's opponents have (132).
- The Vols are forcing 19.5 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 304 consecutive games.
- UT's bench is averaging 22.4 points per game this season. In 2005-06, Tennessee's bench averaged 21.0 points per game.
- 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 1,381-898-2 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 18 of their 20 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 Kentucky
Kentucky enters Sunday's game with a 15-5 record on the season and a 4-2 mark in SEC action ... The Wildcats had won 11 games in a row until dropping consecutive games to Vanderbilt and at Georgia ... The Wildcats are ranked No. 7 and have played the seventh-most difficult schedule in the nation according to CollegeRPI.com (Jan. 26) ... UK is ranked No. 25 in the latest ESPN/USA Today poll ... Randolph Morris leads the 'Cats with 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game ... Joe Crawford is averaging 14.8 points on the season but has increased that number to an SEC-leading 20.3 points in SEC play ... Crawford scored a game-high 29 points in the overtime loss at Georgia Wednesday ... Ramel Bradley adds 12.8 points and a team-best 3.7 assists per game ... UK is second in the SEC and ranks sixth nationally by holding opponents to just 37.7 percent shooting from the field ... The 'Cats rank second in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.300) ... Kentucky has held four of its six SEC opponents to 60 points or less ... UK is 10-1 when playing at Rupp Arena this season ... Tubby Smith is 256-76 in his 10th season at Kentucky and is 380-138 in his 16th year as a head coach. The Kentucky Series
This will be the 202nd meeting all-time between the two schools ... Kentucky leads the all-time series 138-63 ... Last year the two teams split the season series with the Vols winning 75-67 in Lexington and the Wildcats taking an 80-78 win in Knoxville ... Kentucky leads the series 48-43 when played in Knoxville ... The Wildcats hold an 80-16 advantage when playing in Lexington ... Tennessee was the second team ever and the first SEC team to defeat Kentucky at Rupp Arena when the Vols took a 71-67 win on Jan. 12, 1977 ... Utah was the first opponent to win in Rupp when the Utes defeated the Wildcats 70-68 on Dec. 18, 1976 in the finals of the UK Invitation Tournament ... UK holds a 10-4 advantage when the schools meet in the SEC Tournament ... Tennessee's 63 wins against the Wildcats are more than any other Kentucky opponent ... Vanderbilt has beaten UK 40 times to rank second ... Kentucky's 138 wins against Tennessee are the most of any Volunteer opponent ... The Kentucky series is Tennessee's oldest and most played among SEC opponents ... The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910 ... That was just the second season that the University of Tennessee fielded a basketball team. My Old Kentucky Home
In five career games against Kentucky, Tennessee junior guard Chris Lofton is averaging 18.4 points per game on 46.8 percent (22-of-47) 3-point shooting ... The Maysville, Ky., native is also adding 3.8 rebounds in the five games ... In two games at UK's Rupp Arena, he is averaging 24.0 points on 63.2 percent (12-of-19) 3-point shooting ... Lofton is no stranger to Kentucky's Rupp Arena, having played an estimated 10 high school games in the arena ... He made nine 3-pointers and scored 39 points to lead Mason County HS to a 2003 state championship over Louisville Ballard HS in Rupp Arena. More Kentucky Connections
Chris Lofton is the third Kentucky Mr. Basketball to play for the Vols, joining Allan Houston (1989) and Jermaine Brown (1991) ... Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart worked at Tennessee from 1986-98 ... Barnhart was UT's Senior Associate Athletic Director from 1996-98 ... UK's Tubby Smith and Tennessee track coach Bill Webb attended High Point University in North Carolina together in the 1970s ... Teammates on both the High Point basketball and track and field teams, they comprised half of the shuttle hurdle relay team that set a school record that still stands today ... Webb has led the Tennessee men's track and field team to 2001 outdoor and 2002 indoor national championships ... Smith led UK to the 1998 NCAA basketball championship. Last Meeting with Kentucky
Kentucky made 78.9 percent of its shots in the second half to upset the 11th-ranked Vols 80-78 Wednesday, March 1, at Thompson-Boling Arena ... The Wildcats shot 60.4 percent from the field for the game and made 15-of-19 field goals in the second half ... The Vols held a 45-38 lead at halftime but the 'Cats quickly tied the score by opening the second half on an 8-0 run ... UK took its first lead 52-50 on a Brandon Stockton jumper with15:21 left and never trailed again ... C.J. Watson tied the score 73-73 on a pair of free throws with 4:55 remaining but UT could never get the lead back ... After Joe Crawford missed a free throw with 8.1 seconds and the Wildcats holding onto an 80-78 lead the Vols got one final shot but Watson's 3-pointer rimmed out as time expired ... Watson, Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith each had 15 points to lead the Vols ... Randolph Morris led UK with 22 points and nine rebounds ... The Vols made just five of their 10 free throw attempts while Kentucky was 13-of-19 from the line ... The crowd of 24,108 was the sixth-largest in Thompson-Boling Arena history. Last Game: Big Second Half Lifts Ole Miss
Playing without its leading scorer, Tennessee fell 83-69 at Ole Miss Wednesday, Jan. 24 ... Chris Lofton, who is leading the SEC with 21.5 points per game, was forced to watch from the bench after suffering an ankle injury against South Carolina four days earlier ... Tennessee used a 25-7 run late in the first half to take a 38-28 lead at the half ... The Rebels opened the second half on a 13-3 run to tie the score 41-41 with just over 15 minutes left ... Ole Miss had a 20-2 run to take a 64-58 lead with 7:08 left ... UM's Clarence Sanders led the Rebels charge, scoring 18 of his 20 points in the second half ... Mississippi outscored the Vols 55-31 in the second half ... JaJuan Smith led UT with 22 points ... Ramar Smith added 16 points while Josh Tabb came off the bench for 11 ... Dane Bradshaw had eight points, seven assists and five rebounds ... UT's front line of Duke Crews and Wayne Chism were saddled with early foul trouble as each were whistled for their third foul less than 11 minutes into the game ... Ole Miss shot 59.4 percent from the field in the second half. Close Calls
Four of Tennessee's last five games have been decided by one possession ... The Vols are 1-4 in those games with three of those losses being decided 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 10th toughest in the nation according to CollegeRPI.com on Jan. 26 ... 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 82.4 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
- Missed his first career game Jan. 24 at Mississippi after suffering an ankle injury four days earlier against South Carolina.
- 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.
Free Throw Woes
Free throws have been a key component to Tennessee dropping four of its last five games ... The Vols are shooting just 55.8 percent (43-of-77) from the line over the last five games, three of which have been decided by just three points or less ... UT's opponents are shooting 72.6 percent (69-of-95) during the stretch ... Through their first 15 games, the Vols were averaging 27.7 free throw attempts per game but are getting to the stripe just 15.4 times in the last five games ... Chris Lofton averaged 5.7 free throw attempts in his first 15 games but has shot less than one free throw per game since then. Vols In The NCAA Stats
Tennessee is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the January 21 NCAA statistics. - Scoring offense: 83.2 ppg / 8th
- 3-pointers per game: 9.3 3pg / 14th
- Steals per game: 10.0 spg / 11th
- Assists per game: 15.8 apg / 55th
- Points per game: Chris Lofton - 21.5 pts / 11th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.7 3pg / 7th
- 3-point percentage: Chris Lofton - 46.1 % / 19th
- Steals per game: JaJuan Smith - 2.2 spg / 40th
- Steals per game: Dane Bradshaw - 2.1 spg / 47th
- Assists per game: Dane Bradshaw - 4.8 apg / 66th
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 5.9 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 19.5 turnovers per game. - Opponents have had to call timeout 22 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.
Comeback Kids
Tennessee has overcome a second half deficit in six of its last 10 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 10 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.
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. Bench Contributing
Tennessee's bench has played a key role in the Vols' success early this season ... UT's bench is averaging 22.4 points per game ... Two times this season the bench has contributed at least 40 points in a game ... Wayne Chism is giving the Vols 8.5 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. 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 third in the SEC with 2.6 3-pointers per game.
- Combined, Lofton (70) and Smith (51) have made as nearly many 3-pointers as UT's opponents (132).
- 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 14.9 points, is first with 42 steals and third with 30 assists while making 51 3-pointers this year. - He ranks third in the SEC with 2.55 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 six times this season.
- Led UT's scoring efforts seven 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 (99) and steals (40) and is second in blocks (13).
- He has led the Vols in assists 13 out of 20 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 3.5.
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 9.4 points and 5.7 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).
- 56 of his 114 rebounds (49 percent) have come at the offensive end of the floor.
- He leads all SEC freshmen with 5.7 rebounds.
- Ranks fifth in the SEC with 2.8 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 nine games since then he is averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game ... On the season, the 6-foot-2 Smith is averaging 9.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25.8 minutes per game. - He has earned 14 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 10 of his last 11 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 8.5 points per game. - Chism has been the first Vol off the bench in 15 of Tennessee's 20 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 5.3 points and 3.9 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 3.3 points, 2.0 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game ... But the most significant statistic for Howell has been his assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.00-to-1 ... In 209 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 9.4 points and leads SEC freshmen with 5.7 rebounds. The 6-foot-7 forward is shooting 51.7 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 8.5 points. He leads SEC freshmen with 5.6 rebounds against league teams.
- 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 nine games he is averaging 14.3 points and 3.9 assists.
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. |
