UT-Kentucky Game Notes

Tennessee		Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
F	1 Tyler Smith	6-7	215	So.	13.4	6.9	3.6
F	4 Wayne Chism	6-9	242	So.	9.1	6.0	1.1
G	5 Chris Lofton	6-2	200	Sr.	15.4	3.4	2.0
G	2 JaJuan Smith	6-2	195	Sr.	14.0	3.5	2.4
G	12 Ramar Smith	6-2	200	So.	8.2	2.4	3.1
Kentucky		Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
F	34 Ramon Harris	6-6	213	So.	3.5	3.4	1.1
F	42 Mark Coury	6-8	238	So.	2.2	2.0	0.7
C	54 Patrick Patterson	6-8	232	Fr.	16.4	7.7	1.7
G	3 Ramel Bradley	6-2	191	Sr.	15.8	4.6	3.3
G	32 Joe Crawford	6-5	207	Sr.	16.8	3.6	2.3

Vols Put 30-game Home Win Streak on the Line

After playing their last two games on the road against nationally-ranked instate opponents, the Tennessee Volunteers return home to play host to a Kentucky team that bring???s the SEC???s second-best record in league play. Tip off is scheduled for noon Sunday, March 2.
Kentucky is one of just two schools that has recorded a win against the Vols in Thompson-Boling Arena since the start of the 2005-06 season. The last opponent to leave the building with a win, Kentucky took an 80-78 win March 1, 2006.
The Vols saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end with a 69-72 loss at Vanderbilt Tuesday. Chris Lofton led UT with 25 points on six 3-pointers while Tyler Smith added 11 points and 17 boards.
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 25-3 start is the best 28-game start in school history, breaking the previous best mark of 23-5 in 1999-2000. Tennessee reached the 20-win milestone faster than any team in school history.
Chris Lofton became the sixth player in UT history to reach the 2,000-point milestone Tuesday at Vanderbilt. His 25-point effort against the Commodores pushed his scoring total to 2,004 career points.
Tyler Smith is averaging 11.0 points and 13.5 rebounds over his last four games. The Pulaski, Tenn., native leads the Vols in rebounding (6.9 rpg), assists (3.6 apg) and field goal percentage (.539) while ranking third on the team with 13.4 points. Against Vanderbilt he recorded a career-high 17 rebounds.
Tennessee has outrebounded its last 10 opponents by an average of 6.4 rebounds per game. In their first 18 games, the Vols were outrebounded by 1.7 boards per game.
UT leads the SEC in scoring (82.8 ppg), scoring margin (+13.8), assists (18.46 apg), steals (9.82 spg), turnover margin (+6.14), assist-turnover ratio (1.43), 3-point field goals made (9.11 3pg) and 3-point field goal defense (.294).

Tennessee Trends

The Kentucky game is the third of a treacherous stretch for the Vols that includes contests at Memphis (Feb. 23), at Vanderbilt (Feb. 26) 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 11-2 record in league play for the second time in three seasons under Bruce Pearl. The 2005-06 team also started with an 11-2 mark. The Vols haven???t won at least 12 of their first 14 SEC games since the 1976-77 team opened with a 13-1 mark.
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.
UT has won 11 games away from home this season (11-3).
Tennessee has outrebounded each of its last 10 opponents and owns a +6.4 rebounding advantage during those games. The Vols are averaging 16.6 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 45.5 percent (50-of-110) from 3-point range in his last 12 games.
Tennessee???s last 14 opponents have combined to shoot 80-of-290 (27.6 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 three Vols have fouled out of Tennessee???s first 28 games despite having a player record their fourth foul 44 times.
UT???s schedule is ranked as the second-most difficult in the nation by kenpom.com.
Tennessee is averaging 22.3 points per game off turnovers this season (623 points in 28 games).
Tennessee???s 82.8 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 19.0 turnovers off an SEC-best 9.8 steals per game this year.
UT is leading the SEC with 18.5 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 homecourt 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 15-7 against ranked teams while at Tennessee.
The Vols have made at least one 3-pointer in 347 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 1,416-906-2 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 To Retire Ernie Grunfeld???s Number

Tennessee will retire Ernie Grunfeld???s No. 22 at halftime of the Vols??? March 2 game against Kentucky ... Grunfeld will become the second men???s basketball player at UT to have his number retired ... Last year UT retired Bernard King???s No. 53 ... Grunfeld is remembered by many UT and SEC fans for his pairing with King to comprise the ???The Ernie and Bernie Show??? - one of the most powerful combinations in college basketball ... Grunfeld donned the orange and white from 1974-77, earning first team All-America honors in 1975-76 and 1976-77 ... The four-time first team All-SEC selection was named the conference???s Player of the Year as a senior ... He led the SEC in scoring with 25.3 points per game in 1975-76 and finished his career as Tennessee???s all-time scorer and ranked second in SEC history with 2,249 career points ... He became Tennessee???s first Olympian when he helped lead the United States to the gold medal at the 1976 Olympics.

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 408 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 95 3-pointers this season ... He holds Tennessee career records for 3-pointers made (408), attempted (959) and percentage (.425).

He ranks second in the SEC with an .845 free throw percentage.
Second in the SEC with 3.39 3-pointers per game.
His 95 3-pointers this year are fourth on UT???s single-season lists. He holds four of the top five single season marks in school history.
Is shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range and is making 3.92 treys in SEC games.
Broke the SEC record for career 3-point attempts at LSU (2/9/08). Has 959 career 3-point attempts.
Passed Bernard King for sixth on UT???s career scoring lists against Auburn (2/20/08) and currently has 2,004 points.

Lofton Reaches 2,000-Point Milestone

Chris Lofton became the sixth Vol to score 2,000 career points when he reached the milestone in the second half of the Vanderbilt game (2/26/08) ... The senior has scored 2,004 points in 120 career games ... He became 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).

My Old Kentucky Home

In seven career games against Kentucky, University of Tennessee senior guard Chris Lofton is averaging 19.6 points per game on 46.3 percent (31-of-67) 3-point shooting ... The Maysville, Ky., native is also adding 3.4 rebounds in the seven games ... In three games at UK???s Rupp Arena, he averaged 23.3 points on 58.6 percent (17-of-29) 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.

Crashing The Boards

The Vols held a -1.5 rebounding margin through their first 18 games but have outrebounded their last 10 opponents by an average of +6.4 (427-363) rebounds per game ... 38.9 percent (166-of-427) of Tennessee???s boards during the 10-game stretch have come at the offensive end ... UT is averaging 16.6 offensive rebounds per game during the stretch.

Turning Up The Heat

Tennessee is forcing its opponents to turn the ball over an average of 19.0 times per game which ranks among the most in the nation ... The Vols are averaging 22.3 points per game off turnovers this season (623 points in 28 games) ... UT???s turnover margin of +6.14 easily leads the SEC.

Looking At Kentucky

Kentucky is 16-10 on the season and its 10-3 SEC record is tied for the second-best mark in the conference this season ... The Wildcats have won each of their last three games, including a 58-54 victory over Ole Miss Wednesday night in Lexington ... Senior guard Joe Crawford leads the ???Cats with 16.8 points per game ... The Detroit native is averaging 17.5 points in SEC play ... Freshman center Patrick Patterson adds 16.4 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game ... The three-time SEC Freshman of the Week has six double-doubles to his credit this season ... Ramel Bradley leads the SEC in free throw percentage (.850) and averages 15.8 points and a team-best 3.3 assists per game ... Crawford, Patterson and Bradley each rank among the SEC???s top 10 scorers and account for 68 percent of Kentucky???s offense ... The trio is also averaging at least 36 minutes of action each during league play ... UK???s .753 free throw shooting leads the SEC ... The Wildcat defense allows its opponents to shoot just 39.0 percent from the field, the second-best defense in the SEC ... Only one SEC team (Vanderbilt) has scored more than 70 points on Kentucky in regulation play this season ... Billy Gillispie is 16-10 in his first season at Kentucky and 116-68 in his sixth 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 82.8 points per game but leading scorer Chris Lofton ranks 14th in the league individually with 15.4 points ... Tennessee also leads the SEC and the nation with 18.5 assists per game but UT leader Tyler Smith ranks 10th with 3.6 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 ... 39.7 percent (714 of 1,799) of the Vols??? shots have been from 3-point range ... UT leads the SEC with 9.11 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 408 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.

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