University of Tennessee Athletics
UT-Vanderbilt Game Notes
February 25, 2008 | Men's Basketball
| Tennessee | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | |
| F | 1 Tyler Smith | 6-7 | 215 | So. | 13.5 | 6.5 | 3.7 |
| F | 4 Wayne Chism | 6-9 | 242 | So. | 9.3 | 6.1 | 1.2 |
| G | 5 Chris Lofton | 6-2 | 200 | Sr. | 15.1 | 3.3 | 2.0 |
| G | 2 JaJuan Smith | 6-2 | 195 | Sr. | 14.1 | 3.5 | 2.4 |
| G | 12 Ramar Smith | 6-2 | 200 | So. | 8.2 | 2.4 | 3.1 |
| Vanderbilt | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | |
| F | 32 Shan Foster | 6-6 | 205 | Sr. | 19.3 | 5.0 | 1.8 |
| F | 41 Ross Neltner | 6-9 | 240 | Sr. | 8.4 | 5.4 | 1.9 |
| C | 4 A.J. Ogilvy | 6-10 | 250 | Fr. | 17.1 | 6.9 | 1.2 |
| G | 0 Jermaine Beal | 6-3 | 210 | So. | 7.7 | 2.1 | 4.7 |
| G | 3 Alex Gordon | 6-0 | 170 | Sr. | 11.0 | 2.6 | 3.0 |
UT's magic number is 2 to clinch SEC
- The Volunteers continue their trip along I-40 when they travel to Nashville to meet the Vanderbilt Commodores in their second consecutive road game against a nationally-ranked opponent from the state of Tennessee. Tip off is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST Tuesday, Feb. 26, and will be televised nationally by ESPN.
- Tuesday???s game features the SEC???s top two scoring and 3-point shooting teams. UT leads the SEC with 83.3 points and 9.19 3-pointers per game while Vanderbilt is second with 81.0 points and 8.93 triples.
- The Vols??? are ranked No. 1 in both national polls for the first time in the program???s 99 seasons. Tennessee became the sixth SEC school to receive the top national ranking in the Associated Press poll.
- UT???s 25-2 start is the best 27-game start in school history, breaking the previous best mark of 22-5 in 1999-2000. Tennessee reached the 20-win milestone faster than any team in school history.
- The Vols extended their winning streak to nine games with a 66-62 win at No. 1-ranked Memphis Saturday, Feb. 23. The loss was the first this season for the Tigers and ended their 47-game home court winning streak. Tyler Smith scored a pair of buckets in the paint to give the Vols a one-point lead and then J.P. Prince and Chris Lofton each hit a pair of free throws with less than a minute remaining to seal the win. Tyler Smith led UT with 16 points while Prince and Wayne Chism each added 13 points.
- Chris Lofton needs 21 points to reach the 2,000 career point mark. The senior guard ranks sixth in school history with 1,979 career points after passing Bernard King (1,982) last week against Auburn.
- Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith have given the Vols a strong inside presence over the last four games. Smith has averaged 14.0 points and 8.3 rebounds and Chism has 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. UT has outrebounded its opponents by +6.5 rebounds during those games.
- UT leads the SEC in scoring (83.3 ppg), scoring margin (+14.4), assists (18.89 apg), steals (10.04 spg), turnover margin (+6.30), assist-turnover ratio (1.44), 3-point field goals made (9.19 3pg) and 3-point field goal defense (.291).
Tennessee Trends
- The Vanderbilt game is the second of a treacherous stretch for the Vols that includes contests at Memphis (Feb. 23), vs. Kentucky (March 2) and at Florida (March 5).
- For the first time since SEC divisional play started in 1991-92, UT posted a 6-0 record against the West.
- Tennessee has started with an 11-1 record in league play for first time since 1976-77. The 1976-77 team led by Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King opened SEC action with a 14-1 mark before suffering their second loss.
- Tennessee???s 25 wins this season are the second most in school history.
- Bruce Pearl???s 71 wins in his first three years at Tennessee are the most by a Tennessee coach in his first three seasons in Knoxville. Jerry Green is second with a 67-25 record from 1997-2000.
- UT has won 11 games away from home this season (11-2).
- Tennessee has outrebounded each of its last nine opponents and owns a +6.3 rebounding advantage during those games. The Vols are averaging 16.9 offensive rebounds during the stretch.
- Chris Lofton was named the SEC Player of the Week on Feb. 11 after leading the Vols to wins over Florida and LSU. Lofton has earned more SEC POW awards (7) than any other player in league history.
- Four different Vols have earned SEC Player of the Week honors this season: J.P. Prince (Dec. 24), JaJuan Smith (Jan. 14), Chris Lofton (Feb. 11) and Tyler Smith (Feb. 25). Additionally, Brian Williams was named freshman of the week Dec. 17.
- Chris Lofton is shooting 46.3 percent (44-of-95) from 3-point range in his last 11 games.
- Tennessee???s last 13 opponents have combined to shoot 71-of-266 (26.7 percent) from 3-point range. Vanderbilt entered its Jan. 17 game against the Vols as the SEC???s top 3-point shooting team but made just 3-of-21 and Ohio State went 2-of-20 behind the arc.
- Only two Vols have fouled out of Tennessee???s first 26 games despite having a player record their fourth foul 39 times.
- UT???s schedule is ranked as the second-most difficult in the nation by kenpom.com.
- Tennessee is averaging 22.8 points per game off turnovers this season (615 points in 27 games).
- Tennessee???s 83.3 points per game are leading the SEC for the third consecutive year. Pearl???s teams have led their league in scoring 15 of his 16 years as a head coach.
- Tennessee is the only team in the SEC that does not have a player ranked among the league???s top 30 in minutes played. UT has eight players averaging at least 16 minutes per game.
- Tennessee has forced an average of 19.4 turnovers off an SEC-best 10.0 steals per game this year.
- UT is leading the SEC with 18.9 assists per game.
- Six different players have led the Vols in scoring this season.
- UT???s home attendance has grown for the third consecutive year. The Vols are averaging 20,065 fans per game, up from 19,661 last season.
- Tennessee is 43-2 at Thompson-Boling Arena since the start of the 2005-06 season.
- UT has a 30-game home court winning streak. The Vols??? last home loss was a 78-80 decision to Kentucky in the final home game of the 2005-06 season.
- The Vols are 23-0 in non-conference home games under Bruce Pearl.
- Bruce Pearl is 15-6 against ranked teams while at Tennessee.
- The Vols have made at least one 3-pointer in 346 consecutive games.
- Under Bruce Pearl, UT is 64-5 when leading or tied with five minutes left in the game.
- UT is 47-4 when scoring 80 or more points under the direction of Bruce Pearl.
- UT is 38-14 (.731) when playing before crowds of 20,000 or larger at Thompson-Boling Arena. In 2007-08 the Vols are 8-0 playing in front of 20,000 fans at home.
- UT???s 69-point (109-40) win over Middle Tennessee (11/20/07) is the second-largest margin of victory in school history.
- The Vols tied a school record with 16 3-pointers against Middle Tennessee (11/20/07). Their 30 assists were one dime shy of tying a school record.
- Tennessee has an all-time record of 1,416-905-2 in its 99th season of basketball.
- UT???s 631 regular season SEC victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
- Tennessee is 243-86 in its 21st 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 fourth time in 2006-07.
UT Ranked No. 1 For First Time
Tennessee is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time in the program???s 99 seasons ... The Vols elevated to the top spot from No. 2 after upsetting top-ranked Memphis 66-62 Feb. 23 in Memphis ... Tennessee had never been ranked higher than No. 4 in the AP poll prior to this season ... The Vols have set several new poll standards this season by receiving their highest preseason ranking (7th) and then setting new highs on three occasions (No. 3 on Jan. 21, No. 2 on Feb. 18 and then No. 1 on Feb. 25) ... UT is the sixth Southeastern Conference team to be ranked No. 1, joining Alabama), Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina.
No. 1 Is Nothing New For Pearl
Being ranked No. 1 is a familiar feeling for Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl ... Pearl???s squads have achieved No. 1 national rankings in seven of his 16 seasons as a head coach ... Prior to coming to Tennessee, he directed Southern Indiana to No. 1 rankings in six of his nine seasons, including a stretch of five consecutive (1995-99) years with at least one week at the top of the charts ... In nine years at the NCAA Division II school, Pearl posted a 231-46 record and won a national championship in 1995 ... Tennessee received the program???s first No. 1 national ranking on Feb. 25, 2008.
Vols??? 25 Wins Rank 2nd In School History
Tennessee???s 25 wins this season are the second-most single-season wins in school history ... It is the third consecutive year the Vols have won 20 or more games and the 21st time in school history ... It is the 15th time in 16 years as a head coach Bruce Pearl has won 20 games ... Pearl has averaged 24.3 wins in his 16 years as a head coach and 23.7 in three years at UT ... The record is 26 set in the 1999-2000 season when that squad finished 26-7.
Lofton Breaks SEC 3-Point Record; Ranks 5th In NCAA History
Chris Lofton became the Southeastern Conference???s all-time 3-point leader against Kentucky (1/22/08), passing Arkansas??? Pat Bradley ... Lofton???s 402 career treys rank first in SEC history and are fifth all-time in the NCAA record books ... He became just the seventh player in NCAA history to make 400 career triples ... The senior has made 89 3-pointers this season ... He holds Tennessee career records for 3-pointers made (402), attempted (944) and percentage (.426).
- He ranks among the SEC leaders with an .857 free throw percentage.
- Second in the SEC with 3.30 3-pointers per game.
- His 89 3-pointers this year are fifth on UT???s single-season lists. He holds four of the top five single season marks in school history.
- Is shooting 46.4 percent from 3-point range and is making 3.75 treys in SEC games.
- Broke the SEC record for career 3-point attempts at LSU (2/9/08). Has 944 career 3-point attempts.
- Passed Bernard King for sixth on UT???s career scoring lists against Auburn (2/20/08), finishing the game with 1,972 points.
Lofton Approaching 2,000-Point Milestone
Chris Lofton needs 21 points to become the sixth Vol to score 2,000 career points ... The senior has scored 1,979 points in 119 career games ... He would become the first Vol to reach the milestone since Allan Houston (1989-93) and the first Southeastern Conference player since South Carolina???s B.J. McKie (2,119 points) reached the mark during the 1998-99 season ... Other Vols who have scored 2,000 points include: Houston (2,801), Ernie Grunfeld (2,249), Tony White (2,219), Reggie Johnson (2,103) and Dale Ellis (2,065).
Crashing The Boards
The Vols held a -1.5 rebounding margin through their first 18 games but have outrebounded their last nine opponents by an average of +6.3 (382-325) rebounds per game ... 40.0 percent (152-of-382) of Tennessee???s boards during the nine-game stretch have come at the offensive end ... UT is averaging 16.9 offensive rebounds per game during the stretch.
Turning Up The Heat
Tennessee is forcing its opponents to turn the ball over an average of 19.4 times per game which ranks as the seventh-most in the nation (as of Feb. 24) ... The Vols are averaging 22.7 points per game off turnovers this season (615 points in 27 games) ... UT???s turnover margin of +6.30 easily leads the SEC.
Looking At Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt enters Tuesday???s game with a 23-4 overall record and an 8-4 mark in SEC action ... The Commodores??? six-game winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the conference ... Vandy owns a 17-game home winning streak which ranks as the seventh-longest active streak in the nation ... VU has won 30 of its last 31 home games ... The ???Dores authored one of the most dominant SEC wins in recent memory, a 93-52 decision over Kentucky Feb. 12 ... VU is coming off an 86-74 victory over Georgia Saturday in Nashville ... Shan Foster leads the ???Dores and ranks second in the SEC with 19.3 points per game ... The 6-foot-6 senior leads the SEC in 3-point percentage (.449) and 3-pointers per game (3.74) ... Foster ranks fourth in SEC history with 334 career triples ... Center A.J. Ogilvy leads all SEC freshmen with 17.1 points per game and his 6.9 rebounds rank ninth in the league ... Jermaine Beal is fourth in the SEC with 4.67 assists per game and his 3.00 assist turnover ratio is the best in the conference ... Alex Gordon adds 11.0 points and is connecting on 43.0 percent of his shots from beyond the 3-point arc ... Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-point shooting accuracy (.406) and is second in the league in scoring (81.0 ppg), field goal percentage (.471), assists (18.07 apg) and 3-pointers made (8.93 3pg) ... Kevin Stallings is 167-112 in his ninth season in Nashville and 290-175 in his 15th year as a head coach.
Vols Riding 30-Game Home Win Streak
Tennessee???s 30-game home winning streak is the Vols??? longest in Thompson-Boling Arena history and the school???s longest in more than three decades ... It is the second-longest in school history ... The last team to leave Knoxville with a win was Kentucky after an 80-78 decision on March 1, 2006 ... The Vols were 16-0 at home in 2006-07 ... In his third season at UT, Bruce Pearl is 43-2 in Thompson-Boling Arena ... As of Feb. 21, Tennessee???s 30-game streak was the fourth-longest in NCAA Division I ... The record is 33 from Jan. 2, 1966 - Feb. 24, 1968.
Balanced Offense
Tennessee is one of the top scoring teams in the Southeastern Conference but does not list a player among the top 10 scorers in the league ... UT leads the SEC with 83.3 points per game but leading scorer Chris Lofton ranks 16th in the league individually with 15.1 points ... Tennessee also leads the SEC and the nation with 18.9 assists per game but UT leader Tyler Smith ranks ninth with 3.7 assists per game.
- The Vols have had four or more players reach double figure scoring in a game 15 times this year. Five or more players scored at least 10 points four times. Six different players have led the Vols in scoring this season.
Vols Lead The Nation in Assists
UT is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the Feb. 24 NCAA statistics.
- Assists per game: 18.9 apg / 1st
- Assist-Turnover Ratio: 1.44 / 4th
- Steals per game: 10.0 spg / 6th
- Scoring offense: 83.3 ppg / 6th
- Scoring margin: 14.4 / 8th
- 3-pointers per game: 9.2 3pg / 16th
- 3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.3 3pg / 21st
It Doesn???t Rain 3s, It Pours Them
The 3-point shot has been a key part of Tennessee???s repertoire under Bruce Pearl ... The Vols are averaging 25.5 3-point shots per game this season ... 39.6 percent (688 of 1,738) of the Vols??? shots have been from 3-point range ... UT leads the SEC with 9.19 3-pointers made per game on the year ... 13 different Vols have made a 3-pointer this season.
- Tennessee???s 50 3-point attempts against North Carolina A&T (11/27/07) shattered the school record of 37 and are the third-most in SEC history. The Vols??? 37 3-point attempts at UT-Chattanooga (12/4/07) are tied for the second-most in school history.
- The Vols have tied the school record for 3-pointers made in a game with 16 two times this season. They performed the feat less than a week between games, doing it against Middle Tennessee State (11/20/07) and then against Texas (11/24/07).
- Chris Lofton is the SEC???s career leader with 402 3-pointers.
- Lofton broke his own single-game record for attempts by going 8-of-20 from 3-point range against North Carolina A&T (11/27/07). It tied for the third highest number of attempts in SEC history.
- Lofton???s eight 3-pointers against North Carolina A&T are tied for second-most in school history. Lofton already holds the school record with nine triples in a game against Georgia his sophomore season.
- JaJuan Smith???s seven 3-pointers against Middle Tennessee (11/20/07) rank in a tie for fourth on UT???s single-game lists.
