University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Play No. 11 North Carolina at Maui Invitational
November 23, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2004
| QUICK FACTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Volunteers (1-0) vs. UNC Tar Heels (1-1)
RADIO TV RANKINGS
THE COACHES: North Carolina Tar Heels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee Trends
- Tennessee has an all-time record of 1,332-867-2 in its 96th season of basketball.
- Tennessee returns all five starters and a total of nine letterwinners for the 2005 season. It is the first time that UT has returned all five starters since 1998-99.
- Every statistical category leader from 2004 returns for the 2005 season. The Vols return 88.1 percent of their scoring and 85.5 percent of their rebounding. In fact, UT returns at least 78 percent of its 2004 production in every statistical category.
- Tennessee was one of six teams without a senior in 2003-04. Of those six teams, only Tennessee and Wake Forest received postseason invitations.
- Tennessee has made postseason appearances in six of the last seven seasons. It is the second-best stretch in school history. The Vols made nine postseason appearances in 10 seasons (1976-85), including a stretch of seven in a row (1979-85).
- Freshman Chris Lofton is the third Kentucky Mr. Basketball to sign with the Vols. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 26.7 points per game for Mason County HS. Allan Houston (1989) and Jermaine Brown (1991) also earned Mr. Basketball honors in the state of Kentucky.
- Freshman guard JaJuan Smith was invited to join the Vols as a walk-on but was awarded a scholarship prior to the start of the season.
- Elliott DeVoe, a freshman walk-on from Annapolis, Md., is the son of former Vols head coach Don DeVoe. The elder DeVoe recorded a 204-137 mark in 11 seasons at Tennessee and a 512-389 record in 31 seasons as a head coach. Elliott was born in Knoxville while his father was coaching the Vols.
- Tennessee needs 10 home wins this season to reach the 200-win milestone in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols are 190-78 in 17 seasons of play in Thompson-Boling Arena. UT, which has averaged 12 home wins in Buzz Peterson's three seasons in Knoxville, has 16 home games on the schedule this year.
Vols Win Sixth Consecutive Season-Opener
Tennessee won its sixth consecutive season-opener with a 69-57 win over Stanford in the first round of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Monday, Nov. 22 ...In their last 20 season-openers, the Vols have recorded a 19-2 record ... The only teams to post a win over the Vols in that time were No. 18 Arizona (73-72 on Nov. 13, 1998) and East Tennessee State (87-79 on Nov. 25, 1991) ... This was the first time that the Vols have opened the season away from home since the 1998-99 season when the UT fell to Arizona at the BCA Classic in Albuquerque, N.M. ... This was just the 15th time in school history that the Vols have started a season away from home.
Vols Enjoying Success In Hawaii
Tennessee's win over Stanford in the first round of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational isn't the Vols' only victory in Hawaii so far ... Pee-Wee Gash was the champion of the EA SPORTS March Madness 2005 video game tournament Saturday, Nov. 20 ... Gash defeated North Carolina's Rashad McCants in the finals ... Buzz Peterson, along with a local youth, won a free throw shooting contest that featured the tournaments head coaches Sunday, Nov. 21 ... Peterson made all 10 of his attempts in the two rounds of the competition ... The event was to raise money for local Maui schools.
Tennessee In Hawaii
Tennessee is enjoying a four-game winning streak in the state of Hawaii following their first round win over Stanford in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational ... The Vols went 3-0 in the 2000 Rainbow Classic in their last visit to the Aloha state ... This is UT's first appearance in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational and their seventh visit to the state of Hawaii ... This is their first visit to the island of Maui, as all of their previous trips to the Aloha state have been for the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu ... The Vols are 10-9 all-time when playing in the state of Hawaii.
Looking At Second Round Opponent North Carolina
North Carolina rebounded from a season-opening loss at Santa Clara Friday night in Oakland, Calif., to defeat BYU 86-50 in the first round of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Monday afternoon ... Sean May led four Tar Heels in double figure scoring with 18 points and eight rebounds against the Cougars ... Rashad McCants added 13 points while Jawad Williams had 11 points and Melvin Scott threw in 10 ... UNC bolted out to a 48-18 halftime lead against BYU and then coasted to the victory as all 15 players on the Tar Heel roster saw action ... The Tar Heels are ranked 12th in the ESPN/USA Today poll and 11th in the Associated Press poll ... Preseason All-ACC pick McCants, a junior guard/forward, led the Tar Heels in scoring last season with 20.0 points per game ... May, a 6-foot-9 junior forward who also earned preseason All-ACC honors, is back after averaging 15.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game ... Preseason All-America selection Raymond Felton entered the season seventh all-time in Atlantic Coast Conference history with 6.91 assists per game ... UNC's roster sports three preseason Wooden Award candidates (Felton, May, McCants) ... North Carolina was picked to finish second in the ACC in a poll of the league's media ... The Tar Heels are under the direction of second-year mentor Roy Williams who recorded a 19-11 mark in his first season in Chapel Hill and owns a 438-113 career record after a stellar career at Kansas.
The North Carolina Series
North Carolina leads the all-time series 6-1, including a 3-0 advantage when playing at neutral sites ... The last time Tennessee and North Carolina met was in the South Regional Semifinal of the 2000 NCAA Tournament when the Tar Heels rallied to defeat the Vols 74-69 in Austin, Texas ... UNC won the first five meetings between the schools until an 84-56 UT win Jan. 31, 1949 in Knoxville ... Tennessee and North Carolina were both members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) that later reorganized into the Southern Conference ... UT left the Southern Conference before the 1932-33 season to join the Southeastern Conference while North Carolina was a member of the SoCon through the 1953 campaign.
North Carolina Connections
Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson played at North Carolina (1981-85) and was a member of the Tar Heels' 1982 national champion team ... UNC head coach Roy Williams was an assistant coach at North Carolina when Peterson was a player for the Tar Heels ... UT's Pee-Wee Gash and UNC's Rashad McCants are both from Asheville, N.C., and are good friends ... Tennessee assistant athletics director for marketing Chris Fuller worked in the UNC sports marketing office from 1991-95 ... The North Carolina Gators, which featured UNC's Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants, defeated the Tennessee Thunder, which was led by UT's C.J. Watson and Stanley Asumnu, in the championship game of the 2002 AAU Junior Olympics in Knoxville.
Last Meeting Between Tennessee and North Carolina
Ed Cota spurred a late second-half comeback, then he and freshmen Joseph Forte and Julius Peppers hit six straight free throws in the final 34.9 seconds, giving North Carolina a 74-69 victory over Tennessee in the South Regional semifinals March 24, 2000 ... The Tar Heels winning rally kicked into top gear when Forte drilled a 3-pointer and Jason Capel hit a lay-up to get the Tar Heels within 64-63 ... Cota made a running jumper in the lane and then hit another floater to make it 66-64 with 2:00 left ... Tennessee's scoring drought, which left the Vols without a field goal since 7:15, ended with 13.6 seconds left when Tony Harris made his first basket of the night, a 3-pointer ... Tennessee got off to a slow start as North Carolina led by seven early ... Then, the Vols' speed and athleticism carried them to a 22-7 run and a nine-point lead ... Capel kept the Tar Heels close by scoring the last five points of the first half, putting North Carolina within 39-36 ... C.J. Black led the Volunteers with 17 points, Vincent Yarbrough had 13 and Ron Slay added 12 ... Isiah Victor had 11 ... Forte scored a game-high 22 for the Tar Heels, while Brendan Haywood and Cota each scored 11, followed by Kris Lang with 10.
Peterson Against Carolina
Buzz Peterson, a 1986 North Carolina graduate, is 0-2 all-time as a head coach against his alma mater with both meetings coming while he was coaching at Appalachian State ... The No.1-ranked Tar Heels took a 96-63 win over the Mountaineers Jan. 17, 1998 and then opened the 1998-99 campaign with an 87-64 victory ... He was 3-4 against the Heels as an assistant coach.
Vols Open Maui Invitational With Win Over Stanford; Dedicate Victory To Gary Lundy
Tennessee's leading scorer from 2003-04, Scooter McFadgon picked up where he left off by leading the Vols in a 69-57 win over Stanford in the first round of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Monday night in Hawaii ... McFadgon, who averaged 17.6 points last season, led all scorers with 21 points to go with a team-high eight rebounds ... C.J. Watson threw in 16 points, one shy of his career-high, to go with four assists and a career-best five steals ... Brandon Crump overcame early foul trouble to finish the game with 10 points ... Dan Grunfeld, the son of former Tennessee All-America Ernie Grunfeld, led Stanford with 19 points while Matt Haryasz and Chris Hernandez each had 10 points ... The Vols used a 12-2 run early in the second half to take a 51-31 lead with 11:50 left but only managed two field goals over the final 10 minutes as the Cardinal cut into the lead ... Grunfeld led a 14-0 Stanford run that cut UT's lead to 53-47 with 5:39 remaining ... Baskets by Major Wingate and Watson gave Tennessee a double-figure lead back at 57-47 and then the Vols made 12 of their 14 free throw attempts over the final 2:38 to hold on for the win ... The win marked the sixth consecutive season that Tennessee has opened its year with a win ... Following the game the Vols dedicated the game to Knoxville News-Sentinel sports writer Gary Lundy, who passed away earlier in the day after suffering a massive heart attack.
McFadgon's Dunk Ranked Sixth On ESPN's Top Plays
Scooter McFadgon's alley-oop dunk off a fast break pass from Chris Lofton in the Stanford game was sixth on ESPN's Top Plays Monday night Nov. 22 ... C.J. Watson started the play with one of his five steals on the night and then fed the ball ahead to Chris Lofton ... Lofton, breaking down the left side, threw a lob pass that looked like it might be too high to a streaking McFadgon who elevated well above the rim to catch the ball and slam it through the hoop.
Recapping The Exhibition Games
Tennessee picked up wins over area NCAA Division II schools Tusculum (117-89) and Carson-Newman (95-59) in its two exhibition games this season ... Five Vols averaged double-figure scoring in the two contests ... Scooter McFadgon led the Vols with 20.5 points per game on 59.1 percent shooting from the field and 53.3 percent (8-of-15) shooting from 3-point range ... Freshman guard Chris Lofton was second on the squad with 17.0 points on 72.2 percent (13-of-18) shooting from the field and 63.6 percent (7-of-11) shooting from 3-point distance.
- UT's 16 3-pointers against Tusculum would have been a school record if exhibition games counted. The most 3-pointers a Tennessee team has made is a game is 15 which has been accomplished twice. The Vols made their first nine 3-point attempts and finished the game 16-of-30 (53.3 percent) from behind the arc.
- As a team, UT shot 55.1 percent (27-of-49) from 3-point range in the two exhibition games. It is important to note that the Vols were using the NCAA's experimental 3-point line which is 20 feet, 6 inches.
- Tennessee shot 60.5 percent from the field in the two games while holding opponents to 42.4 percent shooting. The Vols were consistent in the two games, shooting 61.3 percent against Tusculum and 59.7 percent against Carson-Newman.
- C.J. Watson had 10 assists against two turnovers in the win over Tusculum. Dane Bradshaw had six assists without a turnover against Carson-Newman.
UT Coaches With Ties To Maui Invite
Buzz Peterson coached in the 1995 Maui Invitational when he was associate head coach at Vanderbilt ... The Commodores fell to North Carolina in the first round but rallied to defeat Chaminade and fourth-ranked UCLA to finish fifth in the tournament ... Tennessee administrative coordinator Clarence Swearengen was an administrative assistant with Memphis in 1999 when the Tigers competed in the Maui Invitational.
New Faces Contribute In Opener
Newcomers Andre Patterson, a 6-foot-7 junior transfer from UCLA, and Chris Lofton, a freshman guard from Maysville, Ky., were each in the starting lineup when the Vols met Stanford in the 2004-05 season-opener ... Patterson scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds while Lofton had five points, four rebounds and two assists ... Jordan Howell came off the bench to give the Vols 13 quality minutes and JaJuan Smith saw four minutes of action.
Vols Trio Earn Coaches Preseason All-SEC Honors
Tennessee was one of three SEC teams to have three players selected to the inaugural SEC men's preseason All-SEC first and second teams that were selected by the league's coaches ... Senior guard Scooter McFadgon was a first team selection while senior forward Brandon Crump and junior guard C.J. Watson were second team picks.
Crump, McFadgon & Watson Named Tri-Captains
Seniors Brandon Crump and Scooter McFadgon along with junior C.J. Watson have been named team captains for the 2004-05 season ... It is the first captaincy appointment for McFadgon while Crump and Watson were also captains last season ... In 95 years of Tennessee basketball prior to this season only four players had been two-time captains ... V.H. Klein (1913-14), Harry Anderson (1935-36), Garland O'Shields (1945-46) and Johnny Darden (1978-79) are the only other Vols to serve two terms as captain.
Watson Is Top Assist Man In SEC Over Last Two Seasons
C.J. Watson's 305 assists over the last two seasons are the most of any Southeastern Conference player during that period ... Watson's 160 assists as a freshman in 2003 were the second-most in the SEC that year, and his 145 assists as a sophomore in 2004 tied for second-most in the league ... Kentucky's Cliff Hawkins ranks second with 277 assists over the last two seasons.
Crump Creeping Up On 1,000-Points
Brandon Crump needs 29 points to become the 37th player in Tennessee history to score 1,000 career points ... He would become just the fourth UT player 6-foot-10 or taller to reach the 1,000-point milestone ... The 6-foot-10 senior forward has scored 971 points in 89 career games ... In 2004 he ranked second on the team with 14.8 points per game.
Crump Attending Graduate School
Senior forward Brandon Crump received a degree in sport management in May 2004 and is currently pursuing a master's degree ... A true scholar-athlete, he ranked second on the team with 14.8 points per game while leading the Vols with 6.8 rebounds per game in 2004 ... In the classroom, he was named to the 2003-04 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll and was selected as the Edamerica Scholar-Athlete of the month in February 2004.
Scooter Looks To Build On Free Throw Shooting
Scooter McFadgon broke one of Tennessee's oldest records last year when his 91.2 percent shooting at the free throw line dispatched a school record that had stood since 1969 ... The Memphis native connected on 134 of his 147 free throw attempts to lead the SEC and rank fifth in the nation ... His free throw success rate was the second-best in SEC history ... This year he enters his senior season as the league's second-leading returning scorer with 17.6 points per game ... Only Florida's Anthony Roberson averaged more points with 17.9.
What Returns
Who could blame Buzz Peterson for being excited when he looks at what is back from last year's team ... The Vols return an unprecedented amount of their production from last season's squad ... UT returns all five starters and a total of nine letterwinners from last year's squad ... In fact, nearly 80 percent of every statistical category returns from 2003-04 ... A total of 88.1 percent of UT's scoring is back from a team that averaged 71.1 points per game ... 85.5 percent of the team's rebounding returns and 83.0 percent of the Vols' assists are also back.
Vols Sign Three In Early Period
Buzz Peterson announced that three players signed national letters of intent to play basketball at the University of Tennessee in the November signing period.
- Tyler Smith, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward from Pulaski, Tenn., was selected as one of the top 10 high school players in the nation when Street & Smith's named him a second team selection on the 2004 Boys High School All-America Team. As a junior at Giles County High School the first team all-state selection averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists while leading the Bobcats to the state tournament. As a sophomore he earned tournament MVP honors after leading Giles County to a state championship. Rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, he was named the MVP of the all-star game at the adidas Superstar camp last summer in Atlanta.
- Matthew Dotson, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward from Centerville, Tenn., is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. He was named the Class 3A Player of the Year for Hickman County High School's district last year. A big man who has a deft outside shooting touch that extends beyond the 3-point arc, he averaged 23 points and 14.5 rebounds as a junior.
- Damion Harris, a 6-foot-10, 275-pound center from Greenville, S.C., was a Class AAA All-State selection at Wade Hampton High School last season. As a senior in 2003-04 he led the Generals to the state tournament and as a junior he averaged 16 points, 14 rebounds and 6.5 blocks in leading Wade Hampton to the Class AAA Upper State finals. He first signed with the Vols last year, but is spending the 2004-05 season playing for Prince Avenue Prep in Pickens, S.C.
Preseason Honors & Predictions
| Team Predictions | |
| SEC Media | 3rd/SEC East |
| Athlon Sports | 3rd/SEC East |
| Street & Smith's | 3rd/SEC East |
| Basketball Time In TN | 3rd/SEC East |
| Lindy's Basketball | 3rd/SEC East |
| Blue Ribbon | 4th/SEC East |
| The Sporting News | 4th/SEC East |
| Basketball News | 4th/SEC East |
| Postseason Predictions | |
| Athlon Sports | NCAA Tournament |
| Basketball News | NCAA Tournament |
| Lindy's Basketball | NCAA Tournament |
| Individual Predictions | |
| Scooter McFadgon | First Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches) |
| First Team All-SEC (SEC Media) | |
| First Team All-SEC (Athlon Sports) | |
| First Team All-SEC (Basketball News) | |
| First Team All-SEC (Blue Ribbon CBY) | |
| Second Team All-SEC (The Sporting News) | |
| Second Team All-SEC (Lindy's Basketball) | |
| No. 9 "Slasher" nationally (Athlon Sports) | |
| No. 15 "SG" nationally (Lindy's Basketball) | |
| No. 16 "SG" nationally (The Sporting News) | |
| SEC's "Most Entertaining" (Lindy's Basketball) | |
| C.J. Watson | Second Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches) |
| Third Team All-SEC (Athlon Sports) | |
| SEC's "Best Playmaker" (The Sporting News) | |
| SEC's "Best Passer" (Street & Smith's) | |
| SEC's "Top Playmaker" (Lindy's Basketball) | |
| Brandon Crump | Second Team All-SEC (SEC Coaches) |
| Third Team All-SEC (Athlon Sports) | |
| Third Team All-SEC (Lindy's Basketball) | |
| Andre Patterson | No. 7 "Top Transfer" nationally (Lindy's Basketball) |
| Top Transfer (Athlon Sports) | |
| Top Transfer (Basketball News) | |
| SEC's "Best Transfer" (Street & Smith's) | |
| Chris Lofton | Top 100 Freshmen (Street & Smith's) |
