University of Tennessee Athletics
HOOPS CENTRAL: Vols in Brooklyn
November 26, 2015 | Men's Basketball
SOCIAL WALL
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Coming off three consecutive home wins, Tennessee now travels to the Big Apple to take part in the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Vols open play on Friday when they meet George Washington at 9 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center.
MORE INFO
Gameday Time & Broadcast Info
- Opponent: George Washington Colonels
- Date: Friday, Nov. 27
- Tipoff: 9 p.m. ET
- Venue: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
- TV: WKNX The Knox
- Watch Online: ESPN3.com
- Radio: Vol Network
- Online: Live Audio , Live Stats
Related Links
BARCLAYS CENTER CLASSIC Follow @Vol_Hoops SEC Clubhouse
Tennessee (4-1)
Roster Schedule Stats Game Notes
George Washington (5-0)
Roster Schedule Stats Game Notes
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Friday night's contest is the second game of a doubleheader as No. 24 Cincinnati and Nebraska square off earlier that day. Tennessee's game will be televised on the American Sports Network (WKNX The Knox in Knoxville) and can also be viewed online through ESPN3.com. The game can also be heard over the airwaves through any Vol Network affiliate station.
The winner between the Vols and Colonels will advance to the Barclays Center Classic title game, which is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET against the winner of Game One between the Bearcats and Huskers. The losers of both games will meet Saturday at 12 p.m. for the third-place game.
Tennessee (4-1) heads to the Classic having wrapped up an unblemished homestand where it picked up three consecutive wins at Thompson-Boling Arena. On Tuesday night, the Vols offense fired its way past Army West Point by a score of 95-80. Forward Armani Moore put together an impressive performance, notching a career-high 29 points to go along with eight rebounds, six assists, and four blocks. Kevin Punter picked up his second consecutive game of 20+ points as he notched 26. His 21.8 ppg scoring average currently ranks as the third-best in the SEC.
The 95 points scored against Army were the most by the Volunteers in regulation since defeating Memphis, 104-84, on Jan 4. 2011. Tennessee has now scored 80+ points in four of its five games this season after failing to crack 80 once last year, the 2014-15 season high of 78 coming against LSU.
George Washington (5-0) has enjoyed a hot start to the season, securing five wins in five games including a 73-68 home win over No. 6 Virginia on Nov. 16. Other victories for the Colonels have come against Lafayette, South Florida, Army West Point, and Gardner-Webb.
The Vols and Colonels enter Friday's meeting with identical average scoring outputs of 83.4 ppg.
BARCLAYS CENTER CLASSIC
- Tennessee makes its first appearance in New York City since winning the 2010 NIT Season Tip-Off in Madison Square Garden when it takes part in the Barclays Center Classic this week.
- This is UT's first-ever appearance in the Barclays Center Classic, and it is the program's first game at the Barclays Center, which opened in Sept. 2012.
- It also marks Rick Barnes' first career coaching appearance at the Barclays Center.
- The venue seats 17,732 when configured for hoops.
NEW YORK CONNECTIONS
- Senior Tennessee point guard Kevin Punter Jr. was born and raised in the Bronx (Sedgwick Avenue), and he graduated from Salesian High School in New Rochelle.
- Punter's favorite NYC eateries? The New Fulton Fish Market (800 Food Center Drive #65B, Bronx, NY 10474) and Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill (29 Brooklyn and 13 Bronx locations).
- Tennessee associate head coach Rob Lanier was born in Manhattan. But he grew up, along with assistant coach Desmond Oliver, in the Ferry-Grider area of Buffalo.
- Oliver played college basketball and graduated from Dominican College, a Division II school in Orangeburg, New York. Dominican's suburban campus is less than 20 miles from New York City.
- And Lanier, from 2001-05, was the head coach at Siena College in Loudonville, New York.
- The Vols own a 7-14 all-time record in New York City. In their last trip to The Big Apple, the Vols defeated Villanova and VCU at Madison Square Garden to win the 2010 NIT Season Tip-Off championship.
- Tennessee has produced five All-Americans from the state of New York: Ed Wiener (Brooklyn), Bernard King (Brooklyn), Ernie Grunfeld (Forest Hills), Howard Wood (East Hampton) and Tobias Harris (freshman All-American, Dix Hills).
ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON
- The Vols' first game in Brooklyn takes place Friday against George Washington (~9 p.m. ET, American Sports Network).
- The Colonials posted a 73-68 home win over sixth-ranked Virginia last Monday. George Washington also has beaten Lafayette, South Florida, Army and Gardner-Webb this season.
- The Volunteers are 1-2 all-time against George Washington, with the most recent meeting coming on Dec. 28, 2000, at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii (the sixth-ranked Vols won, 92-81).
- The Vols are 26-13 all-time against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
- Rick Barnes is 2-1 vs. George Washington as a head coach, and he is 11-7 in his career against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
TENNESSEE'S LONE HALL OF FAMER IS A BROOKLYN NATIVE
- Tennessee's only representative in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is Brooklyn native Bernard King.
- King went on to become a New York Knicks legend, playing four seasons for the franchise.
HUBBS IS LETHAL NEAR THE RIM
- Through his first two seasons as a Vol, 43.1 percent of Robert Hubbs III's field-goal attempts came from behind the 3-point line (125 of 290).
- This season, however, Hubbs has shifted his offensive focus much closer to the basket, where he is displaying an incredibly soft touch. Through five games this year, 60 percent of his points have come in the paint.
- Hubbs is Tennessee's third-leading scorer (16.2 ppg), and he has scored in double figures in all five games this season.
MOORE, PUNTER PULL OFF RARE FEAT
- In Tennessee's 95-80 triumph over Army West Point Tuesday, the Vols had two players score 25 or more points (Armani Moore 29, Kevin Punter Jr. 26) for the first time since Nov. 29, 1999. On that night, a 102-90 Tennessee win over South Florida, point guard Tony Harris scored 29 points while forward Vincent Yarbrough added 25.
MOORE WORK = MOORE THREES
- Vols senior Armani Moore made three of his four 3-point attempts Tuesday against Army West Point and is shooting 50 percent from long range this season (6 of 12).
- His six makes in five games equals his total number of 3-point makes in 32 games all of last season.
- Moore entered this season as a .230 career 3-point shooter, but increased long range reps during the offseason has led to him being a player that coach Rick Barnes expects to be a threat beyond the arc.
