| VOLS BATTLE BULLDOGS FOR TOURNAMENT SEEDING
- Tennessee will complete the regular season portion of its schedule at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 3, when the Vols travel to Athens, Ga., to meet the Georgia Bulldogs.
- The Vols have won six of their last seven games with four of those five wins coming against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. UT has beaten No. 5 Florida, No. 23 Vanderbilt, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 25 Alabama in the last two weeks.
- A win over the Bulldogs would secure the East's No. 3 seed for the Vols. A loss Saturday coupled with a Kentucky loss at Florida would also get the Vols the No. 3 seed while a UT loss and a Kentucky win would drop the Vols to the No. 4 seed.
- Tennessee finished its home schedule with a perfect 16-0 record with an 86-76 victory over fifth-rated Florida Tuesday. The Vols shot a season-high 58.0 percent from the field and forced the Gators into making 20 turnovers. It is the first time since the 1975-76 season that the Vols have posted a perfect home record. The 16 wins also tied a school record for most home wins in a season.
- Led by the deep threat duo of Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith, Tennessee's 268 3-pointers this year are the most in school history. Lofton leads the Vols with 87 triples while Smith adds 75.
- An All-America candidate, Lofton leads the Southeastern Conference with 20.8 points per game. The Maysville, Ky., native is averaging 24.0 points per game over his last three outings as he continues to recover from an ankle injury that forced him to miss four games earlier this season, including the first meeting with Georgia. UT was 1-3 without Lofton in the lineup but is 6-1 since his return.
Tennessee Trends
- UT's home attendance of 19,661 this season is the second-largest average in school history. The record for average attendance is 20,823 in 1987-88 -- the first year Thompson-Boling Arena was open.
- In the last three games Tennessee has recorded 35 steals on 70 opponent turnovers. Twenty-four of those turnovers have come on inbounds plays. Arkansas had 11 turnovers on inbounds plays alone.
- JaJuan Smith ranks in a tie for fourth on UT's single-season steals list with 64 pilfers on the year. Two more steals will tie Clarence Swearengen (66 in 1988-90) for third and three ties Tyrone Beaman (67 in 1982-83) for second on the list.
- Chris Lofton has moved into 14th place on Tennessee's career scoring charts with 1,468 points.
- UT has won each of its last four games against ranked teams, beating No. 23 Vanderbilt (84-57), No. 20 Kentucky (89-85), No. 25 Alabama (69-66 in ot) and No. 5 Florida (86-76). It is the first time in school history that UT has won four consecutive games against ranked teams.
- 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.
- Three of UT's top five scorers are freshmen.
- Each of UT's four freshmen is averaging at least 17 minutes of action per game.
- Dane Bradshaw ranks second in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.73), fifth in steals (1.83) and sixth in assists (4.63).
- Bradshaw has moved into ninth on UT's career charts with 360 career assists.
- Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith are the highest scoring duo in the Southeastern Conference. Lofton averages 20.8 points while Smith adds 15.1 points.
- Wayne Chism and Duke Crews are two of the top freshmen rebounders in the SEC. Chism leads all SEC freshmen with 5.4 rebounds and Crews is third with 5.1 boards.
- In league games, Ramar Smith leads all SEC freshmen in assists (3.13) and steals (1.53) and is second in scoring (13.0 ppg).
- The Vols are forcing 18.9 turnovers per game. Alabama's 26 turnovers on Feb. 21 are the most by an SEC school in league play this year.
- Tennessee is 29-2 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 9-4 against ranked teams while at Tennessee. This year he is 6-3 with wins over No. 5 Florida, No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Memphis, No. 20 Kentucky, No. 23 Vanderbilt and No. 25 Alabama 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. Eight have made at least 10 3-pointers.
- The Vols have made at least one 3-pointer in 314 consecutive games.
- Under Bruce Pearl, UT is 36-2 when leading or tied with five minutes left in the game.
- UT is 28-3 when scoring 80 or more points under the direction of Bruce Pearl.
- UT is 29-14 (.674) 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 1,388-901-2 in 98 seasons of basketball.
- UT's 619 regular season SEC victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 229-86 in its 20th season in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols have 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.
SEC Tournament Seeding Scenarios
Tennessee (9-6) can secure the East No. 3 seed with a win at Georgia or a Kentucky loss at Florida. A Kentucky (9-6) win at Florida coupled with a Tennessee loss at Georgia would give the Vols the No. 4 seed.
If Tennessee and Kentucky are tied at 10-6...........
Tennessee would earn the East No. 3 seed due to its 6-4 division record compared to Kentucky's 5-5 mark.
Kentucky would be the East No. 4 seed and Georgia the East No. 5 seed If Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee are all tied at 9-7...........
All three teams would finish 2-2 in head-to-head matchups.
Georgia and Tennessee would have 5-5 division records and Kentucky would be 4-6 in the division.
Tennessee's 1-1 record versus Florida would be the tiebreaker to earn the East No. 3 seed.
Georgia would be the East No. 4 seed and Kentucky the East No. 5 seed. Looking At Georgia
Georgia is 17-11 on the season and 8-7 in SEC action following a 70-82 loss at Kentucky Wednesday night ... The Bulldogs will take either the No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the East next week's SEC Tournament ... Junior forward Takais Brown leads Georgia with 14.0 points and is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game ... Sundiata Gaines, a 6-1 guard, leads the team with 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.2 steals while adding 10.6 points per game ... Seniors Steve Newman and Levi Stukes will be playing their final home games Saturday ... Mike Mercer, who was averaging 13.6 points per game, is out for the remainder of the season after suffering knee injuries in Georgia's win at South Carolina Feb. 10 ... The Bulldogs are 13-3 at home this year, including a 6-1 mark in SEC play ... The Bulldogs rank second in the SEC statistics in 3-point percentage (.368), scoring margin (+8.1), rebounding margin (+6.2) and steals (8.71) ... Georgia leads the league with 14.07 offensive rebounds. The Georgia Series
Saturday's meeting will be the 136th in the series with Tennessee holding an 84-51 advantage ... Tennessee won the first meeting 82-71 between the schools this year ... Last year the Vols swept the season series with an 89-76 win in Knoxville and an 83-78 victory in Athens ... The Vols have a five-game winning streak in the series and have won seven of the last eight meetings ... Tennessee holds a 51-13 series lead when playing in Knoxville ... Tennessee is 29-33 all-time when the series is played in Athens ... The last six games in Athens have been decided by a total of 33 points with one game going into overtime and another going into double overtime ... The Vols are 19-24 all-time against Georgia in Stegeman Coliseum ... Tennessee's 84 wins over the Bulldogs are the second-most by the Vols over any opponent. Last Meeting With Georgia
JaJuan Smith scored at least 20 points for the fourth consecutive game and Ramar Smith added a career-high scoring effort to lead the Vols to an 82-71 win over Georgia on Jan. 31 at Thompson-Boling Arena ... The Bulldogs entered the game having won five of their last six games but the Vols struck early and never trailed in the game ... UT rode 50 percent shooting from the field while holding Georgia to just 1-of-14 shooting from 3-point range to a 37-33 halftime lead ... UT opened the second half on an 12-5 run to build its lead to 11 (49-38) ... UGA cut the lead to seven with 9:17 remaining but Ramar Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the Bulldogs never got closer ... JaJuan Smith led all scorers with 22 points on 5-of-8 3-point shooting ... Ramar Smith had a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field ... Jordan Howell scored a career-best 11 points while Duke Crews added his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds ... UT shot 57.1 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from 3-point range ... Sundiata Gaines led the Bulldogs with 21 points ... UGA shot just 38.5 percent from the field and 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from 3-point range ... UT outrebounded the 'Dogs 35-34. Last Game: Vols Upset No. 5 Florida
It was a day to remember for Dane Bradshaw and Tennessee as the Vols upset the fifth-ranked Florida Gators 86-76 on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at Thompson-Boling Arena ... Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning delivered the pregame pep talk and then Pat Summitt sang Rocky Top while wearing a cheerleader uniform at the first timeout ... Tennessee used the extra inspiration and a 17-0 first half run to take a 50-31 lead at the half ... The Vols extended the lead to as many as 27 points in the second half before the Gators mounted a rally ... UT held a 65-40 lead with 11:54 remaining when Florida went on a 14-2 run to cut it to 67-54 with 9:22 left ... After a UT score, Florida cut the lead to 69-61 with a 7-0 run ... All-America guard Chris Lofton answered with a driving layup that started a 6-0 Tennessee run which extinguished any Gator hopes ... Lofton led all scorers with 21 points ... JaJuan Smith added 16 while Ramar Smith had 10 ... Bradshaw, a senior who was playing his last game in Thompson-Boling Arena, had 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals ... Before the game it was announced Bruce and Kim Pearl were endowing a scholarship in Bradshaw's name ... Al Horford led Florida with 17 points and 10 rebounds ... Tennessee shot a season-high 58.0 percent from the field ... The crowd of 24,047 was the seventh-largest in school history. Vols Have Won 6 Of 7 Since Lofton's Return
Tennessee has won six of its seven games since Chris Lofton has returned to the lineup from an ankle injury that forced him to miss four games ... Four of UT's six wins since his return have come against ranked teams ... The Vols were 1-3 in the three games without Lofton in the lineup ... The junior All-America candidate suffered an ankle injury against South Carolina (1/20/07) and was not able to return to the lineup until the LSU game (2/6/07). Pearls Endow Scholarship In Bradshaw's Name
Bruce and Kim Pearl announced Feb. 27 a $100,000 donation to endow a scholarship in the name of senior basketball player Dane Bradshaw ... The Dane Bradshaw Athletic Scholarship Endowment will be awarded to the male or female student-athlete at the University of Tennessee who best epitomizes the characteristics of the Memphis native ... Bradshaw has inspired the Pearl family as well as the entire Tennessee basketball program with his commitment to academic achievement, athletic excellence, hard work, team leadership and his personal faith. Lofton Named NABC All-District
Junior guard Chris Lofton was selected to the NABC All-District 7 first team on Feb. 28 ... Lofton is now eligible for the NABC Division I All-America team that will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season ... Other first team All-District 7 selections were: Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky), Derrick Byars (Vanderbilt), Randolph Morris (Kentucky) and Chris Douglas Roberts (Memphis). Vols Set 3-Point Record
Tennessee's 268 3-pointers this season are the most in school history, breaking the record of 266 set during the 1999-2000 season ... UT has made 266 of its 755 attempts from behind the 3-point arc. Lofton Lately
- Tennessee has won six of its seven games since he returned to the lineup from an ankle injury. Four of those victories have come against ranked teams. UT was 1-3 in the games he was out of the lineup.
- Leads the SEC with 20.8 points per game.
- Leads the SEC with 3.35 3-pointers per game.
- Third in the SEC with 81.2 free throw percentage.
- According to the Feb. 18 NCAA statistics, he ranks 20th in the nation in scoring (20.4), 10th in 3-pointers per game (3.4), 17th in 3-point percentage (44.3).
- 87 3-pointers this season rank fourth on UT's single-season charts.
- Made at least five 3-pointers in a game eight times.
- Made at least two 3s in 32 of his last 37 games.
- Owns six of the top 12 scoring performances in the SEC this year.
- Scored 30 or more points six times this season.
- Has shot 138 free throws this season after shooting just 101 free throws in his first two years at Tennessee.
- 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 14th on UT's career scoring lists with 1,468 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 Win 20 For 20th Time
Tennessee has recorded its second consecutive 20-win season ... It is the 20th time the Vols have won 20 games in a single season ... It is the 14th time in 15 years as a head coach Bruce Pearl has won 20 games ... Pearl has averaged 24.0 wins in his 15 years as a head coach ... Last year UT posted a 22-8 overall record. Pearl Doing Well Against The SEC
No team in the Southeastern Conference has a winning record against Tennessee since Bruce Pearl was named the head coach prior to the 2005-06 season ... Pearl has beaten every SEC team at least one time in his two years in Knoxville. Bradshaw Named Captain Of All-Glue Team
Dane Bradshaw has been named the captain of SI.com's eighth annual All-Glue team, a squad picked by Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis to recognize the players who do the little things that make teams stick together ... It was the second time that he has been selected to the All-Glue team, having also earned the honor last year ... Joining Bradshaw on the 2007 All-Glue Team are Kyle Shiloh (Nevada), Dominique Kirk (Texas A&M), Othello Hunter (Ohio State) and Marcus Landry (Wisconsin). 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. UT Leads The SEC In Scoring
Tennessee is leads the SEC and ranks 11th nationally in scoring offense with 80.4 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. Vols Post Undefeated Record At TBA
With an 86-76 victory over fifth-ranked Florida in their final home game, Tennessee posted a 16-0 record at Thompson-Boling Arena this season. - It is the first time the Vols have been perfect at home since the 1975-76 team went 13-0 at Stokely Athletic Center.
- It is the 14th time in school history the Vols have been unbeaten at home.
- The 16 wins are the most single-season wins in Thompson-Boling Arena history.
- It is the first time the Vols have had an undefeated home record at Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The 16 wins tie the school record for most home wins in a season. The 1984-85 posted a 16-3 record at Stokley Athletic Center but two of those wins came in the National Invitation Tournament.
Chism Is Third Vol To Earn SEC Frosh Honor
Wayne Chism was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12 after he recorded his third career double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds in UT's win over 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt (2/10/07) ... Chism became the third UT player to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors this year ... Ramar Smith has earned the honor two times (Jan. 8 and Feb. 5) and Duke Crews has won it one time (Dec. 24) ... UT is the only team in the conference to have three different freshmen win the weekly award this season. Tough Schedule
Tennessee's schedule ranked as the fourth toughest in the nation according to CollegeRPI.com on March 1 ... The Vols' schedule has featured seven teams currently ranked and another three receiving votes in the Associated Press poll ... According to the current poll, UT has played No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Florida (two times), No. 7 Memphis, No. 8 North Carolina, No. 15 Texas, No. 16 Butler and No. 23 Vanderbilt (two times). Tough Schedule Part 2: The Rankings
- Tennessee has played nine games against ranked teams this season. UT has won six of those games.
- Each of the Vols' three losses to ranked teams came away from home and to teams ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll. UT lost to No. 2 North Carolina (87-101) in New York, at No. 5 Ohio State (66-68) and at No. 1 Florida (78-94).
- UT has won each of its last four games against ranked teams, beating No. 23 Vanderbilt (84-57), No. 20 Kentucky (89-85), No. 25 Alabama (69-66 in ot) and No. 5 Florida (86-76).
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 finished the game with six points and three rebounds while Crews had six points and three blocks. 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. 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 165 turnovers off inbounds plays, most of which are coming off their press ... Four times their opponents have had 10 or more turnovers just from trying to inbound the ball ... UT is forcing an average of 18.9 turnovers per game. - 28 times the pressure has caused a timeout.
- 19 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.
- No. 25 Alabama (2/21/07) had 26 turnovers, including nine on inbounds plays.
- Arkansas (2/24/07) turned the ball over 24 times, 11 were on inbounds plays.
Vols In The NCAA Stats
UT is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the February 25 NCAA statistics. - Steals per game: 9.8 spg / 9th
- Scoring offense: 80.2 ppg / 11th
- 3-pointers per game: 9.0 3pg / 18th
- Assists per game: 15.6 apg / 47th
- Points per game: Chris Lofton - 20.8 ppg / 14th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.4 3pg / 11th
- 3-point percentage: Chris Lofton - 41.9% / 36th
- Steals per game: JaJuan Smith - 2.2 spg / 32nd
- Steals per game: Dane Bradshaw - 1.8 spg / 88th
- Assists per game: Dane Bradshaw - 4.6 apg / 82nd
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 returned 80.3 percent of its SEC-leading 8.80 3-point field goals per game from 2005-06 ... 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 is second in the SEC with 8.93 3-pointers per game.
- Lofton leads the SEC with 3.35 triples per game.
- JaJuan Smith is fifth in the SEC with 2.50 3-pointers per game.
- Tennessee's 15 3-pointers against second-ranked North Carolina (11/24/06) came just one short of tying the school record of 16.
Attendance Continues To Grow
Just one year after having the largest increase in average attendance in the nation, Tennessee continued to see its attendance grow ... In 2005-06 the crowds at UT's home games increased by 5,504 fans per game to an average of 17,954 ... This year the crowds increased by an additional 1,707 fans per game for an average of 19,661 ... In the two years that Bruce Pearl has been coach at Tennessee, attendance has grown by 7,211 per game. - Tennessee's home attendance of 19,661 is the second-largest in school history. The record for average attendance is 20,823 in 1987-88 -- the first year Thompson-Boling Arena was open.
Bench Contributing
Tennessee's bench has played a key role in the Vols' success early this season ... UT's bench is averaging 21.6 points per game ... Two times this season the bench has contributed at least 40 points in a game ... 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 30 minutes per game. JaJuan Smith Earns Star(ting) Role
Named the "Best Player Off The Bench" in the SEC by The Tennessean last year, 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 15.1 points, is first with 64 steals and fourth with 41 assists while making 75 3-pointers this year. - He is fifth in the SEC with 2.50 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).
- 15.5 points in SEC games rank seventh in the league.
- Two times this season has recorded six steals in a game, narrowly missing the school record of seven. He has registered six pilfers against No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Alabama.
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 (139) and is second in steals (55) and fourth in blocks (13).
- He has led the Vols in assists 18 out of 30 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).
- He was named the captain of SI.com's All-Glue team on Feb. 20.
- In SEC games he is averaging 5.00 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.88.
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 19 games since then he is averaging 13.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game ... On the season, the 6-foot-2 Smith is averaging 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. - He has earned 24 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 17 of his last 21 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 assists (3.13) and steals (1.53) and is second in scoring (13.0 ppg).
- Ranks 18th in the SEC with 13.0 points per game in league games.
- His driving lay-up with 30 seconds left in overtime against No. 25 Alabama proved to be the winning basket as the Vols took a 69-66 victory.
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 leads the Vols with 5.4 rebounds and is fourth on the squad with 9.3 points per game. - Chism has 13 starting assignments and has been the first Vol off the bench in 15 of UT's 30 games.
- Had nine points and six rebounds in 14 minutes 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).
- Had his third double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt (2/10/07).
- Since moving into the starting lineup against Ole Miss (1/24/07) he is averaging 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds.
- In nine games against ranked opponents, he averages 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from 3-point range.
- Has blocked 10 shots in his last five games after blocking nine in his first 25 contests this year.
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 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. - Scored 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).
- Tagged 20th-ranked Kentucky (2/13/07) for 18 points and a pair of blocks.
- 73 of his 152 rebounds (48 percent) have come at the offensive end of the floor.
- He is third among all SEC freshmen with 5.1 rebounds.
- Ranks ninth in the SEC with 2.43 offensive rebounds per game.
Howell Is A Steadying Influence
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 4.2 points, 1.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game ... But the most significant statistic for Howell has been his assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.25-to-1 ... In 413 minutes played this season Howell has turned the ball over just 16 times. - In 239 minutes (12 games) of action since returning from the hand injury he has committed just eight turnovers.
- Scored a career-high 11 points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting against Georgia (1/31/07).
- Last eight games is shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from 3-point range.
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 4.0 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.
- 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).
- He has led the Vols in rebounding four times this season, including two of the last three games.
Bernard King's Number 53 Retired
Tennessee retired Bernard King's No. 53 at halftime of the Vols' Feb. 13 game against Kentucky ... King became the first men's basketball player at UT to have his number retired ... Considered one of the best players in SEC history, King played at UT from 1974-77, earning first team All-America honors in each of his three seasons ... A three-time SEC Player of the Year, he led the Vols to the 1977 SEC championship with a 22-6 overall record and a 16-2 mark in the league ... The Brooklyn, N.Y., native finished his career ranking second all-time at UT with 1,962 career points and 1,004 rebounds ... Following his junior season he was drafted in the first round (seventh overall selection) by the New Jersey Nets ... During his 14-year career in the NBA he was a two-time first team All-NBA selection, four-time NBA All-Star and finished his career with a scoring average of 22.5 points per game. UT To Make Summer European Trip
The Tennessee basketball team will travel to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria on a five-game summer tour from August 8-19, 2007 ... The Vols will play three games in Prague and one in both Bratislava and Vienna ... Vacation packages must be booked by May 1 and are available through Basketball Travelers Inc. ... Fans interested in joining the Vols can get more information about the trip at www.basketballtravelers.com. 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. |
