| VOLS LOOK TO EVEN SEASON SERIES WITH DORES
- Tennessee will be playing the second game of a three-game homestand at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, when Vanderbilt visits Thompson-Boling Arena. Lincoln Financial Sports will televise the game.
- The Vols will be looking to build on the momentum of a 70-67 victory over 2006 Final Four participant LSU Tuesday, Feb. 6. Tennessee never trailed in the game after Chris Lofton opened the scoring with three free throws. JaJuan Smith led UT with 15 points while Ramar Smith added 14. Freshmen Wayne Chism and Duke Crews held Glen Davis to a season-low five points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field.
- The win over the Tigers was the Vols' second in their last three games. UT defeated Georgia 82-71 Jan. 31 in Knoxville. The only loss in the stretch was a 78-94 decision at No. 1 Florida.
- Vanderbilt won this season's first meeting, an 82-81 decision on a last-second tip-in in Nashville. The Vols lead the all-time series 104-66 and have a 63-16 advantage when playing in Knoxville.
- Chris Lofton returned to the Vols' lineup Tuesday against LSU after missing four games with an ankle injury suffered Jan. 20 against South Carolina. Lofton, who leads the SEC with 20.9 points per game, was in the starting lineup and scored eight points in 21 minutes of action against the Tigers.
- JaJuan Smith has scored 20 or more points in four of his last six games, including a career-high 25 points at Kentucky on Jan. 28. He has averaged 20.2 points during that time and made 20 3-pointers. The Cleveland, Tenn., native averages 15.7 points on the season and in league play ranks fourth in the SEC with 17.2 points per game.
- Freshman point guard Ramar Smith ranks 10th in the SEC with 14.8 points per game in league play.
Tennessee Trends
- Four times this season Tennessee has had three freshmen in the starting lineup. It is the first time since the 1996-97 season the Vols have had three freshmen in the starting lineup for a game.
- Dane Bradshaw ranks second in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.61), third in steals (1.96) and fifth in assists (4.67).
- Bradshaw has moved into 10th on UT's career charts with 333 career assists, passing Bert Bertelkamp's (1976-80) 332 career dimes.
- Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith are the highest scoring duo in the Southeastern Conference. Lofton averages 20.9 points while Smith adds 15.7 points.
- Duke Crews and Wayne Chism are the top two freshmen rebounders in the SEC. Crews leads all SEC freshmen with 5.5 rebounds and Chism is second with 5.3 boards.
- In league games, Ramar Smith leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (14.8 ppg), assists (3.44) and steals (1.22).
- Jordan Howell has made seven of his last 11 3-point attempts (63.6 percent) and is averaging 8.0 points over his last three games.
- Three of UT's top five scorers are freshmen.
- Each of UT's four freshmen are averaging at least 18 minutes of action per game.
- Chris Lofton (71) and JaJuan Smith (64) have combined to make nearly as many 3-pointers as Tennessee's opponents have (165).
- The Vols are forcing 18.8 turnovers per game.
- Tennessee is 25-2 at Thompson-Boling Arena over the last two seasons.
- The Vols are 15-0 in non-conference home games under Bruce Pearl.
- Bruce Pearl is 5-4 against ranked teams while at Tennessee. This year he is 2-3 with wins over No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 16 Memphis and losses to No. 2 North Carolina, at No. 5 Ohio State and at No. 1 Florida.
- 11 different Vols have hit a 3-pointer this season.
- Chris Lofton has made at least one 3-pointer in 78 of his 81 career games.
- The Vols have made at least one 3-pointer in 308 consecutive games.
- Under Bruce Pearl, UT is 31-2 when leading or tied with five minutes left in the game.
- UT is 24-3 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 1,383-900-2 in 98 seasons of basketball.
- UT's 614 regular season Southeastern Conference victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 225-86 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.
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 Vanderbilt
One of the hottest teams in the Southeastern Conference, Vanderbilt enters Saturday's game with a 16-7 overall record and a 6-3 mark in league play ... The Commodores have won six of their last seven with their only loss during the stretch coming at No. 1 Florida ... VU earned a 66-61 win over Georgia Saturday, Feb. 3, and then had Wednesday night off ... Vandy owns impressive road wins at Kentucky and at LSU ... The 'Dores are 5-2 against ranked opponents this season ... Senior guard/forward Derrick Byars leads Vanderbilt with 16.2 points and 1.3 steals per game this season ... Byars is second in the SEC with 19.6 points per game in league play ... Shan Foster, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward, is second on the team with 14.7 points per game on the season ... Byars or Foster have led the 'Dores in scoring in 10 of Vandy's last 11 games ... Dan Cage adds 11.8 points on the year and 14.2 points in SEC games ... The Commodores are second in the SEC with 8.96 3-pointers per game and in 3-point percentage (.378) ... Byars and Cage both rank among the top 10 3-point shooters in the conference ... Head coach Kevin Stallings is 138-103 in his eighth season in Nashville and 261-166 in 14 years as a head coach. The Vanderbilt Series
Tennessee leads the all-time series 104-66 ... Vanderbilt won 82-81 on a last second tip-in in Nashville earlier this season ... The Vols swept last year's meeting with a 69-62 win in Knoxville and a 68-59 victory in Nashville ... UT leads the series 63-16 when playing in Knoxville ... Vanderbilt leads 49-35 when it is played on the Commodores' home court ... Tennessee's 104 wins over Vanderbilt is the most by the Vols over any opponent ... Tennessee and Vanderbilt have played every season since their first meeting during the 1922 season except for the war years of 1944 and 1945 ... Only Kentucky has been an opponent of the Vols more times than Vanderbilt ... The Vols have played the Wildcats 201 times while Wednesday's game will be their 170th against the Commodores ... UT has won 11 of the last 18 meetings between the schools ... Tennessee has won more games at Vanderbilt (35) than any other place outside of Knoxville. Tennessee - Vanderbilt Connections
UT head coach Bruce Pearl was an assistant coach to Dr. Tom Davis at Iowa for six seasons (1986-92) ... Two of the years Pearl was at Iowa, Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings was on the Purdue bench (1979-1988) assisting the legendary Gene Keady ... Tennessee's Chris Lofton and Vanderbilt's Ross Neltner each earned Mr. Basketball honors in the state of Kentucky ... Neltner earned the honor in 2003 while Lofton received the award in 2004. Last Meeting with LSU
Shan Foster's tip-in as time expired lifted Vanderbilt to an 82-81 upset of 16th-ranked Tennessee Wednesday, Jan. 10, at Memorial Gym in Nashville ... Tennessee had taken an 81-80 lead with 4.7 seconds left when Ramar Smith fed Duke Crews for a dunk ... The Vols had rallied from an 11-point (59-48) deficit with less than 11 minutes left to tie the game ... Chris Lofton led all scorers with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-7 3-pointers ... Lofton gave UT a 40-37 lead at the half when he drilled a 40-footer with less than 10 seconds left ... Ramar Smith added 17 points and four steals while Duke Crews had 10 points and six rebounds ... Dane Bradshaw had eight assists against one turnover ... Derrick Byars led Vanderbilt with 25 points ... Vanderbilt held a 40-33 rebounding advantage ... UT missed 10 of its first 13 shots in the second half while the Commodores made six of their first 10. Last Game: Vols' Defense Shuts Down LSU
Chris Lofton returned to the lineup after missing four games with an ankle injury and the Vols returned to the win column with a 70-67 victory over LSU Tuesday, Feb. 6, at Thompson-Boling Arena ... Tennessee never trailed after Lofton opened the game by making three free throws after he was fouled shooting a 3-pointer on the Vols' first possession ... UT led by as many as 10 points in the first half but the Tigers went on a 10-2 run to cut it to 36-34 with less than 30 seconds left ... JaJuan Smith ended the half with a conventional three-point play to give the Vols a 39-34 lead at the break ... In the second half, LSU cut the lead to 43-41 but the Vols responded with a 13-2 run to regain control ... LSU cut the lead to six but Jordan Howell ended the Tiger hopes with a 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining ... JaJuan Smith led the Vols with 15 points and five steals ... Ramar Smith added 14 points and three assists ... UT freshmen Wayne Chism and Duke Crews limited reigning SEC Player of the Year Glen Davis to his lowest scoring total in 72 games with just five points ... Tasmin Mitchell led the Tigers with 23 points ... The Vols recorded a season-high 15 steals on 20 LSU turnovers. He's Back
After missing four games with an ankle injury, Chris Lofton returned to the lineup Tuesday, Feb. 6, against LSU ... Thompson-Boling Arena erupted when the junior guard was announced in the starting lineup against the Tigers ... Still not at 100 percent, Lofton scored eight points in 21 minutes of action ... One of the loudest cheers of the night came in the second half when he hit his only 3-pointer of the game ... Tennessee had struggled to replace Lofton in the lineup, averaging just 63.3 points in the first three games (including the game he was injured) without him ... However, in the two games before he returned to the lineup the Vols had averaged 79.0 points per game. UT's Babies Stop Big Baby
Freshmen forwards Wayne Chism and Duke Crews combined to hold LSU's Glen "Big Baby" Davis to his lowest scoring total since his freshman year in Tennessee's 70-67 victory over LSU ... The 2006 SEC Player of the Year, Davis was held to five points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, his lowest scoring output in 72 games ... It was the 6-foot-9 junior's fourth-lowest scoring total of his career ... Chism, a 6-foot-9 forward, finished the game with six points and three rebounds while Crews, a 6-foot-7 forward, had six points and three blocks. Ramar Smith Earns Second SEC Frosh Honor
Point guard Ramar Smith was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 5 after he scored a career-high 21 points in helping lead the Vols to an 82-71 win over Georgia ... He made 8-of-11 field goalsagainst the Bulldogs and scored 13 points with only one turnover against top-ranked Florida ... It was the second time this season the Mt. Clemens, Mich., native has earned the honor. Lofton Lately
- Missed four games after suffering an ankle injury Jan. 20 against South Carolina.
- Leads the SEC with 20.9 points per game.
- Leads the SEC with 3.6 3-pointers per game.
- According to the Feb. 4 NCAA statistics, he ranks 11th in the nation in scoring (21.5), eighth in 3-pointers per game (3.7), 11th in 3-point percentage (46.1).
- 71 3-pointers this season rank eighth on UT's single-season charts.
- Shooting 45.8 percent (71-of-155) 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 31 games.
- Owns three of the top five scoring performances in the SEC this year.
- Scored 30 or more points five times this season.
- Has shot 93 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 18th on UT's career scoring lists with 1,344 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.
Lofton A Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 Pick
On Jan. 30 the John R. Wooden Award Committee announced the Wooden Award Midseason All-American Team which is composed of the top 30 players who will compete for this season's player of the year award ... The Southeastern Conference lists six candidates for the award ... The 10-player Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced March 27. Vols Have Started Three Freshmen
UT has had three freshmen in the starting lineup for four games this season ... It is the most freshmen in the starting lineup for the Vols since the 1996-97 season when four Vols started an SEC Tournament game ... Ramar Smith, Wayne Chism and Duke Crews started UT's game against Ole Miss (1/24/07) and then Josh Tabb joined Smith and Chism in the starting lineup for the Kentucky (1/28/07), Georgia (1/31/07) and Florida (2/3/07) games ... South Carolina is the only other SEC school to have three freshmen in the starting lineup for a game this season (one player was a redshirt freshman) ... The four freshmen who drew starting assignments for Tennessee's 1997 SEC Tournament game were Cornelius Jackson, C.J. Black, Charles Hathaway and Vegas Davis. Tough Schedule
Tennessee's schedule ranked as the fifth toughest in the nation according to CollegeRPI.com on Feb. 8 ... The Vols' non-conference slate has featured seven teams currently ranked and another one receiving votes in the Associated Press poll ... UT has played No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 8 Memphis, No. 10 Butler, No. 17 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Vanderbilt (current rankings listed) ... Additionally, the Vols have four more games remaining on their schedule against teams that are currently ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press poll. UT One Of SEC's Top Scoring Teams
Tennessee is second in the SEC and ranks 12th nationally in scoring offense with 80.7 points per game ... Leading the league in scoring is nothing new for a Bruce Pearl coached team ... Pearl's teams have led their conference in scoring each of the last seven seasons ... 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. Close Calls
Tennessee has dropped six of its last nine games with five of those games being decided by one possession ... 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 ... The Vols did take a 70-67 win over LSU Feb. 6 ... UT is 7-3 in games decided by 10 points or less and 4-3 in games decided by five points or fewer this season. Free Throw Woes
Free throws have been a key component to Tennessee dropping six of its last nine games ... The Vols are shooting just 61.9 percent (101-of-163) from the line over the last nine games, four of which have been decided by just three points or less ... UT's opponents are shooting 72.3 percent (136-of-188) 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 18.1 times in the last nine games ... Chris Lofton averaged 5.7 free throw attempts in his first 15 games but has shot less than two free throws per game since then. Vols In The NCAA Stats
Tennessee is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the February 4 NCAA statistics. - Scoring offense: 81.1 ppg / 12th
- 3-pointers per game: 9.2 3pg / 14th
- Steals per game: 9.3 spg / 20th
- Assists per game: 15.6 apg / 60th
- Points per game: Chris Lofton - 21.5 pts / 11th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.7 3pg / 8th
- 3-point percentage: Chris Lofton - 46.1 % / 11th
- Steals per game: JaJuan Smith - 2.0 spg / 51st
- 3-pointers per game: JaJuan Smith - 2.7 3pg / 65th
- Steals per game: Dane Bradshaw - 2.0 spg / 67th
- Assists per game: Dane Bradshaw - 4.9 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 have forced 133 turnovers 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 18.8 turnovers per game. - 24 times the pressure has caused a timeout.
- 18 5-second counts have been called on UT's foes.
- 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 ... JaJuan Smith was second on the team with 61 treys while 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 leads the SEC with 9.04 3-pointers per game.
- Lofton leads the SEC with 3.55 triples per game.
- JaJuan Smith is tied for third in the SEC with 2.67 3-pointers per game.
- Combined, Lofton (71) and Smith (64) have made as nearly many 3-pointers as UT's opponents (165).
- Tennessee's 15 3-pointers against second-ranked North Carolina (11/24/06) came just one short of tying the school record of 16.
Bench Contributing
Tennessee's bench has played a key role in the Vols' success early this season ... UT's bench is averaging 21.7 points per game ... Two times this season the bench has contributed at least 40 points in a game ... Wayne Chism is giving the Vols 8.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game coming primarily 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. 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 15.7 points, is first with 52 steals and third with 31 assists while making 63 3-pointers this year. - He is tied for third in the SEC with 2.67 3-pointers per game on the season.
- He has scored 20 or more points in a game eight times this season.
- Led UT's scoring efforts 10 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 25 points on 5-of-11 3-point shooting at Kentucky (1/28/07).
- 17.2 points in SEC games rank third in the league.
- Last six games is averaging 20.2 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 38.5 percent (20-of-52) 3-point shooting.
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 (112) and is second in steals (47) and blocks (13).
- He has led the Vols in assists 15 out of 24 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 5.3 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.7.
Crews Missile
One of the most heralded freshmen in the SEC 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 8.7 points and 5.5 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).
- 63 of his 132 rebounds (48 percent) have come at the offensive end of the floor.
- He leads all SEC freshmen with 5.5 rebounds.
- Ranks sixth in the SEC with 2.6 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 13 games since then he is averaging 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game ... On the season, the 6-foot-2 Smith is averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26.6 minutes per game. - He has earned 18 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).
- He has scored 10 or more points in 14 of his last 15 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.
- Earned his second SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Feb. 5 after he scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting against Georgia (1/31/07).
- In league games, he leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (14.8 ppg), assists (3.44) and steals (1.22). He ranks fifth in rebounding (3.6 rpg).
- Ranks ninth in the SEC with 14.8 points per game in league games.
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 5.3 rebounds and is fourth on the squad with 8.8 points per game. - Chism has seven starting assignments and has been the first Vol off the bench in 15 of Tennessee's 23 games.
- Had nine points and six rebounds in 14 minutes of action against 15th-ranked Oklahoma State (12/18/06).
- Scored 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).
- Scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds at No. 1 Florida (2/3/07).
- Since moving into the starting lineup against Ole Miss (1/24/07) he is averaging 9.4 points.
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 4.1 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game ... But the most significant statistic for Howell has been his assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.00-to-1 ... In 304 minutes played this season, the 6-foot-3 junior guard has turned the ball over just nine times. - In 130 minutes (six games) of action since returning from the hand injury he has committed just one turnover.
- Scored a career-high 11 points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting against Georgia (1/31/07).
- Last three games is averaging 8.0 points on 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) 3-point shooting.
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 3.7 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 (3).
- 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).
Thompson-Boling Provides Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena is celebrating its 20th season in 2006-07 ... The Vols have won 72.4 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 225-86 (.724) in its 20th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 125-27 (.822) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 56-20 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 12-0 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. |
