University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee vs. Kentucky - Game Preview
March 11, 2005 | Men's Basketball
March 11, 2005
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| Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers
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TV LIVE STATS RANKINGS: THE COACHES: Kentucky Wildcats
Tennessee's SEC Tournament Results
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Tennessee Trends
- Five of Tennessee's six SEC road losses were by a combined total of 15 points. Two losses were by two points and two were by three points.
- The Vols are making a bid to become just the second UT team in the last 13 years to have more assists than turnovers. As a team, Tennessee has recorded 410 assists against 414 turnovers this season. The only other team to accomplish the feat in the last 13 years came in 2002-03, Buzz Peterson's second season at UT, when they had 452 assists and 442 turnovers. In 2001 Tennessee had a school record 528 assists but committed 528 turnovers. It would be just the eighth time in the 27 years that both assists and turnovers have been recorded at UT that the Vols had more assists than giveaways.
- Chris Lofton's 91 3-pointers this season are the most ever by a Southeastern Conference freshman. He broke Allan Houston's (1989-90) school record of 83 and former LSU standout Chris Jackson's (1988-89) conference standard of 84 triples in a rookie season.
- Chris Lofton's 30 points against Arkansas (2/26/05) are the most by a Tennessee freshman since Allan Houston scored 31 against Vanderbilt (3/19/90) in the 1990 National Invitation Tournament. Houston reached the 30 point mark eight times as a frosh, including a high of 43 points against LSU (2/10/90).
- Scooter McFadgon returned to the Tennessee lineup in the regular season finale against Georgia (3/5/05) after missing four games with a bruised leg ... Brandon Crump missed four games in late January and early February ... The Vols have had both of their scholarship seniors in the lineup for just four of their last 12 games.
- Brandon Crump will be making his 100th career start when the Vols take the court against Kentucky.
- Against Florida (2/12/05) Brandon Crump became the 23rd UT player to record 600 career rebounds. In 114 career games he has 645 rebounds. He ranks 20th all-time at UT with 1,263 career points.
- C.J. Watson, Chris Lofton and Andre Patterson are the only UT players who have not missed a game this year. Watson and Lofton are the only ones to earn starts in all of Tennessee's games.
- Tennessee is 12-2 when leading or tied at halftime.
- Four different players have led the Vols in scoring this season. Chris Lofton (11 times), C.J. Watson (7), Scooter McFadgon (7) and Brandon Crump (6) have all led UT in scoring.
- C.J. Watson became the sixth Tennessee player to have 400 career assists when he dished out seven assists against Kentucky (1/25/05). He ranks sixth all-time at UT with 455 career assists.
- UT's starters have accounted for 79.7 percent (1,654 of 2,076 points) of the Vols' scoring this season.
- C.J. Watson became the first Vol in five years to record 10 or more assists in a game when he registered a career-high 10 dimes against Nebraska (12/30/04).
- C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton have tied a school record for single-game 3-point percentage by going 5-for-5 from 3-point range. Watson did it against Campbell (12/23/04) and Lofton accomplished the feat at New Mexico (12/18/04). They tied the mark set by Shane Carnes (5-for-5 against Michigan State on Dec. 20, 1994) and Thaydeus Holden (5-for-5 against Vanderbilt on Jan. 18, 2003).
- Tennessee's 70.0 percent (7-of-10) 3-point shooting against Xavier (12/11/04) established a new school record for 3-point success. It broke the record of 64.3 percent (9-of-14) set Jan. 27, 1992 against a North Carolina State team on which Buzz Peterson was an assistant coach.
- Tennessee has an all-time record of 1,345-883-2 in its 96th season of basketball.
| Team Statistical Comparisons | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Kentucky |
| 69.2 | Points | 74.2 |
| 68.6 | Opponent Points | 61.0 |
| +0.6 | Scoring Margin | +13.2 |
| .457 | Field Goal % | .464 |
| .456 | Opponent Field Goal % | .404 |
| .382 | Three-Point % | .344 |
| .368 | Opponent Three-Point % | .320 |
| .686 | Free Throw % | .663 |
| 32.7 | Rebounds | 35.6 |
| 33.2 | Opponent Rebounds | 33.0 |
| -0.4 | Rebounding Margin | +2.6 |
| 13.7 | Assists | 15.6 |
| 13.8 | Turnovers | 13.0 |
| 3.1 | Blocks | 4.5 |
| 7.4 | Steals | 9.2 |
| 14-16 | Record | 23-4 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Kentucky |
| McFadgon, 14.4 | Points | Azubuike, 14.5 |
| Patterson, 6.3 | Rebounds | Hayes, 8.0 |
| Watson, 5.0 | Assists | Azubuike, 4.9 |
| Patterson, .572 | Field Goal % | Morris, .542 |
| Lofton, .474 | Three-Point % | Sparks, .368 |
| Lofton, .854 | Free Throw % | Sparks, .760 |
Lofton Named To All-Freshman Teams
After ranking among the national leaders in 3-point percentage the entire season in addition to breaking the Southeastern Conference record for 3-pointers made by a freshman with 89, freshman guard Chris Lofton is seeing some postseason honors come his way ... The Maysville, Ky., native was named the SEC All-Freshman Team announced Wednesday, March 9 ... He was the first UT player since C.J. Watson (2003) to be named to the league's All-Freshman team ... On March 7 he was named to the 2004-05 Rivals.com Freshman All-America Team ... One of six players from the SEC on the Rivals.com list, Lofton was a third team Freshman All-America selection.
Tennessee in the SEC Tournament
The Vols are 54-40 all-time in the SEC Tournament ... Since the tournament was renewed in 1979, the Vols are 19-25 ... 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 (105 wins) has more SEC Tournament victories ... Alabama also has 54 SEC Tournament wins.
Buzz Peterson In Conference Tournaments
Buzz Peterson, who is coaching his fourth SEC Tournament, is 12-7 all-time in conference tournaments ... He was 8-3 in four Southern Conference Tournaments at Appalachian State, including a 2000 SoCon Tournament title ... At Tulsa his Golden Hurricane were 2-1 in the 2001 Western Athletic Conference Tournament before bowing out to Hawaii in the championship game ... He is 2-3 in three previous SEC Tournaments.
UT As The East's Fifth Seed
Tennessee is making its first appearance in the SEC Tournament as the Eastern Division's fifth seed... The Vols have been every other seed at least one time but this is the first as the fifth seed.
Tennessee Against The Seeds
UT enters the 2005 SEC Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the East and will meet the East's No. 1 seed Kentucky in the second round ... The Vols have never met the East's No. a seed since the SEC began seeding the teams in divisions in 1992.
Tennessee In Atlanta
The Vols are 7-9 all-time in the SEC Tournament when it is played in Atlanta ... UT is 25-41 all-time when playing in Atlanta ... Since 1964-65 the Vols are 8-8 when playing in Atlanta.
Looking At Kentucky
Kentucky finished the regular season with a 23-4 overall record and a 14-2 mark in league play that assured the school of its 43rd Southeastern Conference championship ... The Wildcats are looking to become the first school in NCAA history to win 1,900 games ... UK has an all-time record of 1,899-578-1 ... Kentucky has been the most successful team in SEC Tournament action, winning 25 tournament titles and recording a 105-17 record in 43 SEC Tournament appearances ... The Wildcats have won three of the last four SEC Tournaments and have won 10 tournament titles since 1992 ... Kentucky has shot 50 percent or better from the field in three of its last four games ... Kelenna Azubuike, a second team All-SEC selection by the league's coaches, leads the Wildcats with 14.5 points per game ... First team All-SEC pick Chuck Hayes is averaging 10.8 points and 8.0 rebounds for the 'Cats ... Patrick Sparks, who also earned second team all-conference honors, is second on the team with 11.4 points per game ... Rajon Rondo, a member of the SEC All-Freshman team,is adding 7.9 points and 3.4 assists per game ... Rondo's 2.59 steals per game lead the Southeastern Conference ... Kentucky owns the SEC's best defense ... The 'Cats lead the league in scoring defense (61.0 ppg) and steals (9.22 spg), are second in field goal percentage defense (.404) and are third in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.302) ... UK has won 49 of its last 54 games against SEC opponents ... Tubby Smith is 15-2 in the SEC Tournament at Kentucky and has led the Wildcats to five tournament titles.
The Kentucky Series
Kentucky leads the all-time series 136-62 ... This will be the 199th meeting all-time between the two schools ... Kentucky won both regular season meetings this year, a, 84-62 decision in Knoxville (1/25/05) and a 73-61 win in Lexington on Senior Day (3/2/05) ... UK has won seven consecutive games in the series ...This is the first time since 1993 that Tennessee and Kentucky have met in the SEC Tournament ... UK holds a 9-4 advantage when the schools meet in the SEC Tournament ... The Wildcats hold an 80-15 advantage when playing in Lexington ... Tennessee was the second team ever and the first SEC team to defeat Kentucky at Rupp Arena when the Vols took a 71-67 win on Jan. 12, 1977 ... Utah was the first opponent to win in Rupp when the Utes defeated the Wildcats 70-68 on Dec. 18, 1976 in the finals of the UK Invitation Tournament ... Kentucky leads the series 47-43 when played in Knoxville ... Tennessee's 62 wins against the Wildcats more than any other Kentucky opponent ... Vanderbilt has beaten UK 37 times to rank second ... Kentucky's 136 wins against Tennessee are the most of any Volunteer opponent ... Tennessee is 15-12 all-time against Kentucky when the Wildcats are not ranked ... The Kentucky series is Tennessee's oldest and most played among SEC opponents ... The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910 ... That was just the second season that the University of Tennessee fielded a basketball team.
Lofton Likes Kentucky
In two career games against Kentucky, UT freshman guard Chris Lofton is averaging 18.0 points per game on 45.5 percent 3-point shooting ... The Maysville, Ky., native has made 10 3-pointers against the 'Cats ... He went for 19 points and five rebounds against UK in Rupp Arena (3/2/05).
Kentucky Connections
Freshman Chris Lofton is a native of Maysville, Ky. ... He is the third Kentucky Mr. Basketball to play for the Vols, joining Allan Houston (1989) and Jermaine Brown (1991) ... 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 ... As a high school All-America Buzz Peterson was heavily recruited by Kentucky and even orally committed to the Wildcats before reversing his decision and signing with North Carolina ... Peterson and Kentucky's Tubby Smith both served as head coach at Tulsa University ... Peterson led the Golden Hurricane to a 2001 NIT championship in his lone season in the Sooner state while Smith was 79-43 and made two Sweet 16 appearances in four seasons at Tulsa (1991-95) ... Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart worked at Tennessee from 1986-98 ... Barnhart was UT's Senior Associate Athletic Director from 1996-98 ... UK's Smith and Tennessee track coach Bill Webb attended High Point University in North Carolina together in the 1970s ... Teammates on both the High Point basketball and track and field teams, they comprised half of the shuttle hurdle relay team that set a school record that still stands today ... Webb has led the Tennessee men's track and field team to 2001 outdoor and 2002 indoor national championships ... Smith led UK to the 1998 NCAA basketball championship ... UK assistant media relations director Mandy Polley attended the same high school (Mason County HS) as UT's Chris Lofton.
Last Meeting With Kentucky
Chris Lofton drilled his fifth 3-pointer of the game to tie the score 55-55 with with 8:21 remaining but the third-ranked Kentucky Wildcats went on a 14-2 run to seal a 73-61 victory Wednesday, March 2, in Lexington ... Tennessee led for most of the first half but Kentucky scored the final 10 points before halftime to take a 37-32 lead at the break ... In the second half the Wildcats led by as many as 12 points until Lofton led the Vols on a 16-4 run to tie the score 55-55 ... A former Kentucky Mr. Basketball, Lofton led all scorers with 19 points ... Andre Patterson was the only Vol in double figures with 10 points ... C.J. Watson had seven assists and two steals ... Patrick Sparks scored all of his 14 points in the first half to lead the Wildcats ... It was Senior Day in Lexington as Chuck Hayes and Josh Carrier played their last career game in Rupp Arena for UK ... The 'Cats shot 55.3 percent from the field but the Vols won the battle of the boards, 30-28 ... Kentucky had 10 steals on 21 Tennessee turnovers ... The Vols were without leading scorer Scooter McFadgon, who was out with a bruised leg, for the fourth game in a row.
Last Game: Tennessee Beats Arkansas In First Round Of SEC Tournament
Scooter McFadgon and Brandon Crump combined to score 38 points in leading Tennessee to a 65-46 victory over Arkansas in the first round of the 2005 Southeastern Conference Tournament ... Arkansas jumped out to an 8-3 lead before UT head coach Buzz Peterson called a 30 second time out ... The Vols responded with by scoring 11 straight points to erase an 8-12 deficit ... A pair of McFadgon 3-pointers later capped off a 21-2 Vols run in the first half the gave UT a commanding 29-15 advantage ... The Vols went into the locker room at halftime holding a 34-24 lead ... Tennessee used a 21-6 run in the second half to take a 57-34 lead that removed any doubt about the game ... McFadgon, playing just his second game since returning to the lineup from a leg injury, led the Vols with a game-high 22 points on 4-of-7 3-point shooting ... Crump had 16 points and seven rebounds, including seven at the offensive end of the floor ... Five of Andre Patterson's eight rebounds were at the offensive end ... Darian Townes and Ronnie Brewer led Arkansas with 10 points each ... Tennessee outrebounded the Razorbacks 42-23 and had nearly as many offensive rebounds (22) as Arkansas had at both ends of the floor (23) ... UT's 22 offensive rebounds are the school postseason record, breaking the previous record of 21 set two times at the SEC Tournament ... Arkansas was held to its lowest point total of the season and its fewest points ever in the SEC Tournament.
Ron Widby Named SEC Legend
Knoxville native Ron Widby will be honored as an SEC Legend at the 2005 SEC Basketball Tournament in Atlanta ... A 1967 All-America forward for the Vols' basketball team, Widby also earned All-America honors on the gridiron as a punter in 1966 ... A two-time first team All-SEC pick, he was named the league's Player of the Year as a senior in 1967 ... The 6-foot-4 Widby averaged 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds in leading Tennessee to a 21-7 record and the 1966-67 Southeastern Conference championship ... At the conclusion of his collegiate career he ranked second on the school's scoring lists with 1,432 career points ... His 50 points against LSU (3/4/67) stood as a school record for more than 20 years ... Played professional basketball for one season and spent six years as a punter for the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers ... In 1971 he was a Pro Bowl selection.
C.J. Watson Named To SEC Good Works Team
Junior point guard C.J. Watson was featured as the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week on Jefferson Pilot's telecasts the week of March 2-5 ... The Las Vegas, Nev., native visited patients at the UT Medical Center and served as a guest reader at West View Elementary Family Reading Night ... He assisted at the week long First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Summer Basketball Camp ... He also was part of the annual National Student Athlete Day community service event, known as April Play Day ... This is the second time Watson has been named to the SEC Good Works Team ... He joins Jon Higgins (2001, 2002, 2003) as Vols who have been named to the Good Works Team multiple times.
Crump And McFadgon Earn NABC All-District 7 Honors
Brandon Crump and Scooter McFadgon were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 7 Team on February 18 ... Both were second team selections ... This is the second consecutive year that McFadgon has been a second team all-district selection by the NABC ... The teams are selected by a panel of member coaches of the NABC ... First team selections included Francisco Garcia (Louisville), Chuck Hayes (Kentucky), Rodney Carney (Memphis), Taquan Dean (Louisville) and Willie Jenkins (Tennessee Tech). Joining Crump and McFadgon on the second team were Anthony Winchester (Western Kentucky), Tim Smith (East Tennessee State) and Kelenna Azubuike (Kentucky).
Watson Named Finalist For Cousy Award
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Jan. 14 that Tennessee junior guard C.J. Watson is one of 19 finalists for the 2005 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award ... This is the second year that the Cousy Award, which considers outstanding point guards from all three NCAA divisions, has been given ... Watson is the only other player from the Southeastern Conference listed among the finalists ... The award will be presented at a press conference at the Final Four in St. Louis. Mo., on April 4.
Tennessee Ranked Among Greatest Basketball Programs Of All Time
Tennessee was ranked as the 77th "Greatest Basketball Program of All Time" by Street & Smith's ... The Vols were one of six teams from the Southeastern Conference that were ranked in the publication that took into account factors such as postseason appearances and wins, conference championships, all-time wins and NBA Draft picks ... Kentucky (1), Arkansas (8), LSU (50), Alabama (54), Florida (96) and Mississippi State (99) were all ranked among the top 100 programs by the magazine.
Buzz's Bombers
Tennessee's starting backcourt of C.J. Watson, Scooter McFadgon have combined to make 178 3-pointers this season ... As a unit, they are shooting 40.3 percent (178-of-442) from beyond the 3-point arc ... Lofton, a freshman, is second in the Southeastern Conference with his 47.4 percent (91-of-192) 3-point shooting ... Watson is shooting 36.4 percent (44-of-121) from 3-point range while McFadgon is converting 33.3 percent (43-of-129) of his triples ... The trio has made 178 of Tennessee's 212 (84.0 percent) 3-pointers on the season and made 96 of 107 (89.7 percent) in SEC games.
Lofton Breaks SEC Freshman 3-Pointers Record
Chris Lofton's 91 3-pointers this season are the most ever by a freshman in the Southeastern Conference ... The Maysville, Ky., native made five 3-pointers against Kentucky (3/2/05) to break former LSU standout Chris Jackson's league record ... Jackson made 84 triples during the 1988-89 season ... Allan Houston had held the Tennessee record of 83 in 1989-90 until the Kentucky game ... Pat Bradley (Arkansas) had 82 triples in 1995-96.
Lofton Among Nation's Top 3-Point Shooters
Freshman Chris Lofton arrived on the UT campus with a reputation as an extraordinary 3-point shooter ... In just the second game of his career he scored 22 points on 6-of-10 3-point shooting against nationally-ranked North Carolina at the Maui Invitational ... Since then, he has established himself as one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation.
- His 91 3-pointers are the most in the SEC this season ... He ranks second in the SEC with 3.03 3-pointers per game this season ... His 47.4 percent (91-of-192) 3-point shooting ranks second in the SEC on the year.
- Lofton's 91 3-pointers rank second on Tennessee's single-season lists and are the most ever by an SEC freshman ... Allan Houston holds UT's record with 99 triples in 1990-91 ... LSU's Chris Jackson held the SEC freshman record of 84 in 1988-89.
- Despite the fact that he is still playing his first season at Tennessee, his 91 career 3-pointers rank 12th on Tennessee's career lists.
- His 3.03 3-pointers per game rank first on UT's single season lists ... Allan Houston has held the school record of 2.91 triples per game since the 1990-91 season when he made 99 3-pointers in 34 games.
- Lofton ranks seventh in the March 7 NCAA statistics with a 47.1 percent (89-of-189) success rate behind the arc ... He currently ranks second the Southeastern Conference with his 47.1 percent (89-of-189) from 3-point range ... Is making a bid to become just the second freshman in league history to lead the SEC in 3-point percentage (Alabama's Terrence Meade led the SEC by shooting 42.3 percent in 2000).
- His 47.4 percent (91-of-192) 3-point shooting qualifies him for UT's single season record books ... A minimum of 100 attempts is needed to qualify ... Jon Higgins has held the school record since making 48.6 percent (53-of-109) of his 3-pointers as a sophomore in 2000-01.
- His 13.3 points per game ranks second on the UT roster and are 15th in the Southeastern Conference this season ... It is the second-highest scoring average among SEC freshman this year ... In conference games he averaged a team-high 14.8 points per game ... His 14.8 points against SEC teams ranked in a tie for ninth in the league ... He has led Tennessee in scoring 11 times.
- Lofton scored a career-high 30 points on 7-of-14 shooting from 3-point range at Arkansas (2/26/05) ... He has scored 20 or more points five times this season.
- His 30 points against Arkansas are the most by a Tennessee freshman since Allan Houston scored 31 against Vanderbilt (3/19/90) in the 1990 National Invitation Tournament. Houston reached the 30 point mark eight times as a frosh, including a high of 43 points against LSU (2/10/90).
- Against New Mexico (12/18/04) he tied a school record by going 5-for-5 from 3-point range.
- Lofton's seven 3-pointers against South Carolina (2/23/05) and at Arkansas (2/26/05) tied for the most by a player in SEC games this season ... They are tied for the second-most by an SEC player in all games this year.
- Four times this season he has made six or more 3-pointers in a game.
- Ranks second on the team with 40 steals ... Recorded a career-high four steals at Louisville (1/22/05).
- Over his last five games, Lofton has scored 102 points (20.4 ppg) while making 24 3-pointers (4.8 per game) ... He has gathered 20 rebounds (4.0 rpg), including eight offensive rebounds.
Watson Leads League In Assists, Again
For the second time in the last three years C.J. Watson has led the Southeastern Conference in assists in league games ... Watson averaged a league-best 5.00 assists per game in 16 conference games this season ... As a freshman in 2002-03 he tied for the league with 5.44 assists during the SEC schedule ... Last year, as a sophomore, he ranked second in the SEC with 4.75 assists per game in conference games ... In his three seasons at Tennessee, the Las Vegas, Nev., native is averaging 5.06 assists per game in SEC regular season games.
Watson Running The Point
Entering his junior season C.J. Watson had accumulated more assists over the previous two seasons (305) than any other player in the Southeastern Conference during that period ... This year the Las Vegas, Nev., native ranks leads in the SEC with 5.00 assists per game ... He currently ranks fourth on the team with 11.4 points per game.
- In conference games he ranked third on the team with 11.7 points per gam.
- His 36.4 percent (44-of-121) 3-point shooting ranks second on the team ... He ranks eighth all-time at Tennessee with 112 career 3-pointers made ... Against Campbell (12/23/04) he tied a school record for 3-point percentage in a game by going 5-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc.
- His 455 career assists are sixth all-time at Tennessee ... He became just the sixth Vol to record 400 career assists ... Recorded a career-high 10 assists against Nebraska (12/30/04) and had his best effort against a conference opponent with nine assists against Mississippi State (1/12/05) and South Carolina (2/23/05).
- His 5.0 assists per game in SEC contests led the league.
- Watson's 56steals lead the Vols ... His 1.87 steals per game rank fifth in the SEC ... He has averaged 1.5 steals per game over his career ... He sealed the win against Xavier (12/11/04) when he took the ball from Dedrick Finn before he could get a shot off at the final buzzer ... In the season opener he recorded a career-high five steals against Stanford at the Maui Invitational.
- He needs 60 points to reach the 1,000 career point milestone ... In 88 career games he has scored 940 points (10.7 per game) ... He would become just the third Vol to score 1,000 points and have 400 career assists, joining Allan Houston (2,801 points and 460 assists from 1990-93) and Tony Harris (1,588 points and 509 assists from 1998-01).
McFadgon Leading Vols In Scoring
Scooter McFadgon has led the Vols in scoring in each of his two seasons in Knoxville ... After leading Tennessee and ranking fourth in the SEC with 17.6 last season, McFadgon is leading the Vols with 14.4 points per game in his senior season ... Seven times this season he has led the Vols in scoring, including a season-high 23 point effort in Tennessee's overtime victory at Florida (1/19/05) ... He has scored in double figures in 22 of his 25 games this season.
- McFadgon ranks ninth all-time at Tennessee with 108 career 3-pointers made and eighth with 300 career 3-point attempts.
- After missing two free throws in the season-opener against Stanford (11/22/04), McFadgon went on a streak where he made 31 consecutive free throws without a miss ... The streak came to an end against Xavier (12/11/04) when he went 4-of-6 from the line ... It was the second-longest streak for him as he had a streak of 32 consecutive free throws made last year.
- He suffered a bruised right leg against Florida (2/12/05) and missed four games before returning to the lineup in Tennessee's final regular season game against Georgia (3/5/05).
- In the first round of the 2005 SEC Tournament he scored a game-high 22 points on 4-of-7 3-point shooting to lead the Vols to a win over Arkansas ... He scored 15 of his points in the first half.
Crump Reaching Milestones This Season
Brandon Crump's senior season has been a year full of milestones ... The Houston, Texas, native has reached the 1,000 point, 600 rebound and 100 blocked shot marks this year ... The 6-foot-10 senior forward has scored 1,263 points in 114 career games ... He currently ranks third on the team with 11.6 points and is second with 5.8 rebounds this year.
- He became the 37th player in Tennessee history to score 1,000 career points when he reached the milestone against UT-Chattanooga (12/5/04) ... He became just the fourth UT player 6-foot-10 or taller to reach the 1,000-point milestone ... He is the first Vol to reach 1,000 career points since Ron Slay accomplished the milestone in the 2002-03 season.
- Against South Carolina (2/23/05) he became the eighth player in Tennessee history to record 1,200 points, 600 rebounds and 100 blocks ... Crump became just the 23rd Vol to record 600 career rebounds.
- He ranks 20th all-time at Tennessee with 1,263 career points and 11th with 105 career rejections.
- Crump overcame a slow start to his senior season ... After the Vols' first five games he was averaging 8.8 points per game, six points less than he averaged as a junior (14.8 ppg) ... He broke out of his early season slump in style with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting against Xavier (12/11/04) ... The 26 points were one better than his previous career high that he had accomplished two times (most recently against Mississippi in 2004).
- He recorded his first double-double of the season and the 12th of his career with 22 points and 10 rebounds against South Carolina (2/23/05) ... He also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in his final game in Thompson-Boling Arena against Georgia (3/5/05).
Patterson's Up To His Old Tricks
Andre Patterson's 6.3 rebounds per game leads Tennessee and his 57.2 percent shooting from the field is also first on the squad ... The transfer from UCLA, who is in his first season playing for UT, led the Bruins and the Pac-10 Conference win a 60.8 field goal percentage in 2002-03 and his 5.5 rebounds also led the team ... The Los Angeles native recorded a career-high 16 points against Belmont (12/20/04) ... Five times this season he has recorded double figure rebounding marks, including four times against SEC opponents .. Going against a much larger front line versus LSU, Patterson recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
- His 6.3 rebounds per game ranks 10th in the SEC this season and his 6.6 boards in conference games rank eighth in the SEC.
- Three times this season he has tied his career-high with 12 rebounds ... His 12 boards are tied for highest rebounding total by a Vol this season.
Bradshaw Stepping Up
After averaging just 12.4 minutes in UT's first 12 games, Dane Bradshaw has seen his role increase with the start of conference play ... In 16 SEC games the sophomore guard averaged 20.8 minutes per game ... In non-conference games he averaged 1.7 assists but improved that to 2.2 in league games.
- Drew seven starting assignments in conference action, three of which came when the Vols went with a smaller starting lineup ... He averaged 5.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a starter against SEC teams.
- In the smaller lineup, the 6-foot-4 Bradshaw has drawn defensive assignments against 6-8, 252-pound Brandon Bass of LSU and 6-10 Jermareo Davidson of Alabama.
- Had his best game of the season against South Carolina (2/23/05) with season-highs for points and assists when he had seven points, five rebounds and five assists against just one turnover in 29 minutes.
- After not making a 3-pointer in his 10 SEC games, he has made one in five of his last six contests.
Wingate's Role Increases
Looking for a bigger lineup, Buzz Peterson inserted Major Wingate in the Vols' starting lineup at Florida (1/19/05) ... In his eight games this year as a starter, Wingate is averaging 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game ... Wingate had earned 15 starting assignments as a freshman last season.
- When Brandon Crump went down with an ankle injury early in the game at Louisville (1/22/05), Wingate responded with his best game as a Volunteer ... The Florence, S.C., native scored 13 points and had eight rebounds against the Cardinals.
- When he moved into the starting lineup he responded with career marks ... Against Louisville (1/22/05) he had career marks in six categories including scoring (13 points) and rebounding (8 boards) ... He improved his scoring mark in his next game against Kentucky (1/25/05) with 14 points against the seventh-ranked Wildcats.
Stan's Been The Man
Junior guard Stanley Asumnu has made the most of his playing time in Tennessee's last three games ... The Houston, Texas, native has scored 22 points in 18 minutes of action in his last three games ... He registered a career-high 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field in 10 minutes against Georgia (3/5/05) ... In five minutes on the court at Kentucky (3/2/05) he recorded six points on 3-of-4 shooting ... When his statistics are pro-rated to where he averaged 40 minutes per game over those three games, he would be averaging 48.9 points per game.
Vols Win 200th Game In Thompson-Boling Arena
With a 78-68 victory over Georgia (3/5/05) in the regular season finale Tennessee won its 200th game in Thompson-Boling Arena ... The Vols are 200-84 (.704) in 18 seasons of play in Thompson-Boling Arena ... UT entered the season with a 190-78 all-time record in the arena ... More than half of the Vols' wins in the arena have come in the last eight years as UT is 101-25 in Thompson-Boling since 1998 ... The Vols are 47-16 against SEC teams at home over the last six seasons and have won 60 of their last 67 home games against non-conference opponents.
Former Vols Earn Degrees
Jon Higgins (1999-2003) and C.J. Black (1996-2000) received their college degrees on Dec. 10, 2004 ... Higgins, who is currently playing professionally in France, received a degree in political science while Black, who has played professionally in the U.S. and Europe, received an interdisciplinary studies - urban studies degree as a part of Tennessee's Renewing Academic Commitments (RAC) program.
Vols Enjoy Success On And Off The Court 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.
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.
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.
Home Court Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena has provided the Vols with a definite home court advantage since the facility opened in time for the 1987-88 season.
- Tennessee is 200-84 (.704) in its 18th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 101-25 (.802) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 47-16 against SEC teams at home over the last six seasons.
- UT has won 60 of its last 67 home games against non-conference opponents.
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.
