UT-Arkansas Game Notes

Tennessee		Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
F	1 Tyler Smith	6-7	215	So.	13.3	6.8	3.5
F	4 Wayne Chism	6-9	242	So.	9.5	5.9	1.2
G	5 Chris Lofton	6-2	200	Sr.	15.8	3.2	1.8
G	2 JaJuan Smith	6-2	195	Sr.	14.3	3.7	2.4
G	12 Ramar Smith	6-2	200	So.	7.6	2.4	3.3

Vols seeking first tourney title since 1979

Tennessee advanced to the semifinals of the 2008 SEC Tournament with an 89-87 victory over South Carolina. The win ended an 11-game UT losing streak in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Arkansas is the No. 2 seed in the West. The Vols are 0-3 all-time against the SEC West???s No. 2 seed.
Wayne Chism led the Vols with career marks for points (23) and blocks (5) against the Gamecocks.
Chris Lofton hit a postseason game-winning 3-pointer for the second time in his career. His trey with 11 seconds left against USC proved to be the winning margin. He also hit a triple with 0.4 seconds left against Winthrop in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
After scoring in the 60s three consecutive games, UT has scored 89 points in each of its last three games.
The Vols are looking to advance to the championship game of the SEC Tournament for the first time since 1991 when they made an improbable run to the championship game as the league???s No. 9 seed.
Tennessee is making its 19th SEC Tournament semifinal appearance. The Vols are 9-10 in the semifinals, including a 2-4 mark since the tournament???s renewal in 1979.
This will be the fourth meeting between Tennessee and Arkansas in the SEC Tournament. UT has won two of the three previous meetings.
A win against Arkansas would give UT its 30th victory this season. The Vols would become the 17th school in SEC history to reach the 30-win milestone. UT???s 29 wins entering the game are the most in school history.
The win over South Carolina gave the Vols their first three-game season sweep over an opponent since defeating Vanderbilt three times during the 1987 season.
UT???s 14-2 league record earned the school its ninth regular season SEC title. It is UT???s first conference crown since 1999-2000 and the first outright (no ties) title since 1966-67. The Vols won their second SEC Eastern Division championship in the last three seasons and their fourth overall.

Tennessee Trends

Bruce Pearl will be coaching his 499th career game Saturday in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.
UT???s 587 assists this season are the most in school history, breaking the school record of 546 (in 35 games) set in 2006-07.
UT???s schedule is ranked as the most difficult in the nation by kenpom.com.
Tennessee???s 29 wins this season are the most in school history.
Tennessee???s 14 SEC wins are the most since the league went to divisional play in 1991-92. It is the most UT has ever had in a 16-game conference schedule.
For the first time since SEC divisional play started in 1991-92, UT posted a 6-0 record against the West.
Bruce Pearl???s 75 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 13 games away from home this season (13-3).
Tennessee has outrebounded 12 of its last 14 opponents and owns a +5.9 rebounding advantage during those games. The Vols are averaging 15.0 offensive rebounds during the stretch.
Tennessee???s last 19 opponents have combined to shoot 110-of-368 (29.9 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 four Vols have fouled out of Tennessee???s first 32 games despite having a player record their fourth foul 51 times.
Tennessee is averaging 21.9 points per game off turnovers this season (702 points in 32 games).
Tennessee???s 82.7 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 15 minutes per game.
Tennessee has forced an average of 18.4 turnovers off an SEC-best 9.4 steals per game this year.
UT leads the SEC with 18.3 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 20,267 fans per game, up from 19,661 last season.
Tennessee is 45-2 at Thompson-Boling Arena since the start of the 2005-06 season.
UT has a 32-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 351 consecutive games.
Under Bruce Pearl, UT is 68-5 when leading or tied with five minutes left in the game.
UT is 50-4 when scoring 80 or more points under the direction of Bruce Pearl.
Tennessee has an all-time record of 1,420-906-2 in its 99th season of basketball.
UT???s 634 regular season SEC victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
Tennessee is 245-86 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 In The SEC Tournament

The Vols are 55-43 all-time in the SEC Tournament ??? Since the tournament was renewed in 1979, the Vols are 20-28 ... Tennessee???s four SEC Tournament titles are the third-most of any league member ??? Only Kentucky (25) and Alabama (6) have won the tournament more times ??? Only Kentucky (110 wins) and Alabama (55) had more SEC Tournament victories entering this year???s tournament.

Tennessee As The East???s No. 1 Seed

The Vols are the SEC East???s No. 1 seed for the fourth time since league expansion in 1992 ... The Vols also earned the East???s top seed in 1999, 2000 and 2006 ... After Friday???s win over South Carolina, UT is 1-3 as the top seed, losing to West No. 4 Mississippi State 56-62 in 1999, East No. 5 South Carolina 68-75 in 2000 and East No. 5 South Carolina 71-79 in 2006.

Vols In Atlanta

The Vols are 8-11 all-time in the SEC Tournament when it is played in Atlanta ... UT is 26-43 all-time when playing in Atlanta ... Since 1964-65 the Vols are 9-10 when playing in Atlanta.

Working For The Weekend

Tennessee has advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament for the first time since 1991 ... Until UT???s 89-87 win over South Carolina Friday, the Vols had dropped 11 consecutive quarterfinal games in the tournament.

Vols Win 9th SEC Title

With an 89-86 victory at Florida March 5, Tennessee secured its ninth Southeastern Conference regular season championship and the school???s first since in eight years ... It is UT???s first outright title (not shared with any other school) since the 1966-67 squad won the conference crown with a 15-3 league record ... Tennessee has won SEC titles in 1936, 1941, 1943, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982 and 2000 ... The Vols won their fourth SEC Eastern Division title, including their second in three years under the direction of head coach Bruce Pearl.

Lofton Breaks SEC 3-Point Record; Ranks 3rd 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 421 career treys rank first in SEC history and are third 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 106 3-pointers this season ... He holds Tennessee career records for 3-pointers made (421), attempted (989) and percentage (.426).

He leads the Southeastern Conference with an .842 free throw percentage.
Second in the SEC with 3.38 3-pointers per game.
His 108 3-pointers this year are second on UT???s single-season lists. He holds four of the top five single-season marks in school history.
Led the SEC in 3-point percentage (47.0), free throw percentage (.872) and 3-pointers made per game (3.88) in league games.
17.9 points in SEC games ranked fifth in the league.
Broke the SEC record for career 3-point attempts at LSU (2/9/08). Has 989 career 3-point attempts.
Passed Dale Ellis for fifth on UT???s career scoring lists against South Carolina (3/9/08) and currently has 2,077 points.
Earned first team All-SEC honors for the third time in his career. Joins Len Kosmalski, Ernie Grunfeld, Bernard King, Reggie Johnson and Allan Houston as UT???s three-time first team All-SEC picks.
Added to the Lofton legend with a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to give the Vols an 89-87 victory over South Carolina (3/14/08) in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.

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 ranks fifth in Tennessee history with 2,077 career points ... 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).

Vols??? 29 Wins Are Most In School History

Tennessee???s 29 wins this season are the 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 24.5 wins in his 16 years as a head coach and 25.0 in three years at UT ... Three of the seven winningest teams in Tennessee history have been coached by Bruce Pearl.

Turning Up The Heat

Tennessee is forcing its opponents to turn the ball over an average of 18.4 times per game which is among the most in the nation ... The Vols are averaging 21.9 points per game off turnovers this season (702 points in 32 games) ... UT???s turnover margin of +5.47 easily leads the SEC.

Last Meeting With Arkansas

Tennessee avenged one of its two home losses in the Bruce Pearl era with a 93-71 victory over a talented Arkansas team Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Thompson-Boling Arena ... The Razorbacks are one of just two teams to own a win over the Vols in Knoxville since the start of the 2005-06 season, taking a 73-69 win Feb. 25, 2006 ... Tennessee opened the game with an 11-4 lead and never looked back ... The Razorbacks cut the Vols lead, which reached as much as 11 points, to three points on a Sonny Weems 3-pointer and a Darian Townes free throw but free throws from Wayne Chism and Duke Crews gave UT a 43-38 advantage at halftime ... JaJuan Smith opened the second half with a 3-pointer and then Tyler Smith stole the inbounds pass and was fouled as he placed the ball in the bucket to help Tennessee begin the half on an 11-1 run ... UT kept its lead in double digits the rest of the way as the Vols handed Arkansas its worst loss in a year ... JaJuan Smith tied his career high with 32 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field ... His 6-of-6 effort from 3-point range tied the school record for 3-point percentage ... Crews registered his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds ... Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism each added 15 points ... Weems led the Razorbacks with 20 points ... Patrick Beverley, who came into the game averaging a double-double in SEC play, was held to just five points and one rebound ... A total of 49 fouls were called in the game.

Pearl Earns Coaching Honors

After leading the Vols to a school record number of wins and their first SEC title in eight years, Bruce Pearl has deservedly seen several accolades come his way ... In his third season at Tennessee, Pearl has received SEC Coach of the Year honors for the second time ... This season he shared the honor with Kentucky???s Billy Gillispie ... Other honors include:

co-SEC Coach of the Year (SEC Coaches)
co-NABC District 7 Coach Of The Year
USBWA District IV Coach of the Year
USBWA Henry Iba Award nominee (1 of 12)
Jim Phelan National Coach Of The Year Finalist (1 of 10)

Balanced Offense

Tennessee is the top scoring team in the Southeastern Conference but list only one player among the top 10 scorers in the league ... UT leads the SEC with 82.7 points per game but leading scorer Chris Lofton ranks 10th in the league with 15.8 points ... Tennessee also leads the SEC with 18.3 assists per game but UT leader Tyler Smith ranks 12th with 3.5 assists Vols have had four or more players reach double figure scoring in a game 17 times this year. Five or more players scored at least 10 points four times.

Vols Rank 6th Nationally In Assists

UT is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the March 11 NCAA statistics.

Assists per game: 18.1 apg / 6th
Assist-Turnover Ratio: 1.42 / 6th
Scoring offense: 82.5 ppg / 7th
Steals per game: 9.5 spg / 9th
Scoring margin: 13.7 / 10th
3-pointers per game: 9.0 3pg / 22nd
3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.4 3pg / 16th

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 24.8 3-point shots per game this season ... 38.9 percent (793 of 2,043) of the Vols??? shots have been from 3-point range ... UT is second in the SEC with 8.91 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 421 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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