UT-South Carolina Game Notes

Tennessee		Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
F	1 Tyler Smith	6-7	215	So.	13.4	6.8	3.5
F	4 Wayne Chism	6-9	242	So.	9.2	5.9	1.1
G	5 Chris Lofton	6-2	200	Sr.	15.6	3.3	1.9
G	2 JaJuan Smith	6-2	195	Sr.	14.1	3.5	2.3
G	12 Ramar Smith	6-2	200	So.	7.8	2.5	3.2
South Carolina		Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
F	21 Dominique Archie	6-7	208	So.	10.5	5.7	1.3
F	24 Mike Holmes	6-7	230	Fr.	7.7	5.4	0.3
G	2 Devan Downey	5-9	175	So.	18.9	3.1	5.1
G	20 Zam Fredrick	6-0	203	Jr.	14.8	3.0	3.1
G	23 Dwayne Day	6-6	185	Sr.	5.2	3.9	0.9

Vols seeking 32nd straight home win

After playing three of the last four games on the road, the fourth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will close out their regular season schedule at home Sunday, March 9, when South Carolina visits Knoxville.
Three seniors - Jordan Howell, Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith - will be making their final appearance at Thompson-Boling Arena Sunday afternoon. A pregame ceremony will honor the trio that have led the Vols to an average of 21.5 overall wins and 10.3 SEC victories during the last four years.
Tennessee has won nine of its last 10 games on Senior Day and is 71-27 all-time in its home finale.
Tennessee???s 13-2 league record has secured 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???s 27 wins are the most in school history. UT???s 27-3 start is the best 30-game start in school history, breaking the previous best mark of 24-6 in 1999-2000. Tennessee reached the 20-win milestone faster than any team in school history.
The Vols have won 13 SEC games for the first time since divisional play started in 1991-92.
Chris Lofton became the sixth player in UT history and the first SEC player since USC???s B.J. McKie in 1999 to reach the 2,000-point milestone last week at Vanderbilt (2/26/08). He ranks sixth in school history with 2,039 career points and needs 27 points to pass Dale Ellis (2,065 from 1979-83) for fifth all-time.
Tyler Smith is averaging 13.3 points and 9.8 rebounds over his last six games. The Pulaski, Tenn., native leads the Vols in rebounding (6.8 rpg), assists (3.5 apg) and field goal percentage (.528) while ranking third on the team with 13.4 points.
UT leads the SEC in scoring (82.3 ppg), scoring margin (+13.1), steals (9.47 spg), turnover margin (+6.20), assist-turnover ratio (1.43), and 3-point field goal defense (.303). The Vols are second in the league in assists (17.97 apg), offensive rebounds (14.80 orpg) and 3-pointers (8.90 3pg).

Tennessee Trends

UT???s 539 assists are the second-most in school history. The Vols need eight assists to break the school record of 546 (in 35 games) set last year.
Tennessee has started with a 13-2 record in league play for the first time since the 1976-77 team posted a 16-2 SEC mark.
Tennessee???s 27 wins this season are the most in school history.
Bruce Pearl???s 73 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 12 games away from home this season (12-3).
Tennessee has outrebounded 10 of its last 12 opponents and owns a +5.2 rebounding advantage during those games. The Vols are averaging 15.8 offensive rebounds during the stretch.
Chris Lofton is shooting 45.8 percent (55-of-120) from 3-point range in his last 14 games.
For the first time since SEC divisional play started in 1991-92, UT posted a 6-0 record against the West.
Tennessee???s last 17 opponents have combined to shoot 96-of-326 (29.4 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 30 games despite having a player record their fourth foul 48 times.
UT???s schedule is ranked as the second-most difficult in the nation by kenpom.com.
Tennessee is averaging 22.2 points per game off turnovers this season (666 points in 30 games).
Tennessee???s 82.3 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 15 minutes per game.
Tennessee has forced an average of 18.8 turnovers off an SEC-best 9.5 steals per game this year.
UT is second in the SEC with 17.97 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 20,169 fans per game, up from 19,661 last season.
Tennessee is 44-2 at Thompson-Boling Arena since the start of the 2005-06 season.
UT has a 31-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 349 consecutive games.
Under Bruce Pearl, UT is 66-5 when leading or tied with five minutes left in the game.
UT is 48-4 when scoring 80 or more points under the direction of Bruce Pearl.
UT is 39-14 (.736) when playing before crowds of 20,000 or larger at Thompson-Boling Arena. In 2007-08 the Vols are 9-0 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 1,418-906-2 in its 99th season of basketball.
UT???s 633 regular season SEC victories rank third all-time in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama have won more league games.
Tennessee is 244-86 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.

Senior Day

Seniors Jordan Howell, Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith will be playing their final game at Thompson-Boling Arena when the Vols meet South Carolina Sunday afternoon ... The trio, who have presided over some of the most successful seasons in Tennessee basketball history, will be honored in a pregame ceremony ... Their accomplishments include:

86 wins are second-most by a senior class. Only the 2001 class won more games (89)
Led the Vols to three consecutive 20-win seasons
Have played on three of the seven winningest teams in school history, including this year???s school record 27 wins
Averaged 10.3 (41) wins in SEC play
2008 SEC Champions
2006 and 2008 SEC Eastern Division champions
Led UT to its first No. 1 ranking in school history
54-8 record when playing at Thompson-Boling Arena
16 wins against ranked teams
Combined to score 3,662 points, hit 736 3-pointers, dish out 539 assists and record 386 steals

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 413 career treys rank first in SEC history and are tied for 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 100 3-pointers this season ... He holds Tennessee career records for 3-pointers made (413), attempted (969) and percentage (.426).

He leads the Southeastern Conference with an .847 free throw percentage.
Second in the SEC with 3.33 3-pointers per game.
His 100 3-pointers this year are third on UT???s single-season lists. He holds four of the top five single season marks in school history.
Is shooting 45.9 percent from 3-point range and is making 3.73 treys in SEC games.
Broke the SEC record for career 3-point attempts at LSU (2/9/08). Has 969 career 3-point attempts.
Passed Bernard King for sixth on UT???s career scoring lists against Auburn (2/20/08) and currently has 2,039 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 2,039 points in 122 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).

Home Wins

Tennessee???s 15 wins at Thompson-Boling Arena this season are tied for the second-most in a season in the Arena???s history ... Last year the Vols set the facility record with a 16-0 home mark ... The 1999-2000 team registered a 15-1 record at home.

A win over South Carolina would give Tennessee a 16-0 home record for the second consecutive season.
It would be the 15th unbeaten season at home in school history and the first time it had been done in back-to-back years since 1940-41 (11-0) and 1941-42 (12-0).

Vols??? 27 Wins Are Most In School History

Tennessee???s 27 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 24.4 wins in his 16 years as a head coach and 24.3 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 18.8 times per game which is among the most in the nation ... The Vols are averaging 22.2 points per game off turnovers this season (666 points in 30 games) ... UT???s turnover margin of +6.20 easily leads the SEC.

Looking At South Carolina

South Carolina enters Sunday???s game with a 13-16 overall record and a 5-10 mark in SEC action ... The Gamecocks are coming off a 63-71 loss to Kentucky Wednesday night in Columbia ... Sophomore guard Devan Downey leads USC and ranks third in the SEC with 18.9 points per game ... In SEC games he is scoring 19.2 points ... Downey???s 3.17 steals lead the league and his 5.07 assists are second ... Zam Fredrick, a junior transfer from Georgia Tech, is second on the squad with 14.8 points ... Dominique Archie adds 10.5 points and a team-best 5.7 rebounds ... USC ranks fifth in the nation by committing just 10.5 turnovers per game ... Head coach Dave Odom will be coaching his final regular season game at South Carolina ... On Jan. 18 he announced that he would retire at the conclusion of this season ... Odom has recorded a 127-102 record in seven seasons at USC, including two (2005 and 2006) National Invitation Tournament titles ... The 1995 national coach of the year, Odom has a 405-276 record in 22 years as a head coach.

Vols Riding 31-Game Home Win Streak

Tennessee???s 31-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 44-2 in Thompson-Boling Arena ... As of March 2, Tennessee???s 31-game streak was the third-longest in NCAA Division I ... The record is 33 from Jan. 2, 1966 - Feb. 24, 1968.

Balanced Offense

Tennessee is the top scoring team in the Southeastern Conference but does not list a player among the top 10 scorers in the league ... UT leads the SEC with 82.3 points per game but leading scorer Chris Lofton ranks 13th in the league with 15.6 points ... Tennessee ranks second in the SEC with 18.0 assists per game but UT leader Tyler Smith ranks 11th with 3.5 assists per game.

The Vols have had four or more players reach double figure scoring in a game 16 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 Rank 3rd Nationally In Assists

UT is prominently listed among the national leaders according to the March 2 NCAA statistics.

Assists per game: 18.5 apg / 3rd
Assist-Turnover Ratio: 1.43 / 4th
Steals per game: 9.8 spg / 5th
Scoring offense: 82.8 ppg / 6th
Scoring margin: 13.8 / 10th
3-pointers per game: 9.1 3pg / 17th
3-pointers per game: Chris Lofton - 3.4 3pg / 19th

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 24.9 3-point shots per game this season ... 38.9 percent (746 of 1,916) of the Vols??? shots have been from 3-point range ... UT is second in the SEC with 8.90 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 413 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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