University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee vs. Georgia - Game Preview
March 04, 2005 | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2005
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| Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers
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TV LIVE STATS RANKINGS: THE COACHES: Georgia Bulldogs
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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 382 assists against 384 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 86 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 has missed each of Tennessee's last 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 two of their last 10 games.
- Brandon Crump returned to the Tennessee lineup against Alabama (2/9/05) after missing four games with a sprained ankle. In the six games since his return, he is averaging 11.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game.
- Against Florida (2/12/05) Crump became the 23rd UT player to record 600 career rebounds. In 112 career games he has 626 rebounds. He ranks 22nd all-time at UT with 1,236 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 9-2 when leading or tied at halftime.
- Four different players have led the Vols in scoring this season. Chris Lofton (10 times), C.J. Watson (7), Scooter McFadgon (6) 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 443 career assists.
- UT's starters have accounted for 80.3 percent (1,553 of 1,933 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 1,343-883-2 in its 96th season of basketball.
| Team Statistical Comparisons | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Georgia |
| 69.0 | Points | 59.6 |
| 69.5 | Opponent Points | 67.1 |
| -0.4 | Scoring Margin | -7.5 |
| .456 | Field Goal % | .395 |
| .459 | Opponent Field Goal % | .459 |
| .379 | Three-Point % | .296 |
| .374 | Opponent Three-Point % | .328 |
| .691 | Free Throw % | .629 |
| 32.5 | Rebounds | 31.9 |
| 33.6 | Opponent Rebounds | 35.9 |
| -1.1 | Rebounding Margin | -4.0 |
| 13.6 | Assists | 9.9 |
| 13.7 | Turnovers | 15.2 |
| 3.3 | Blocks | 3.5 |
| 7.3 | Steals | 7.3 |
| 12-16 | Record | 8-18 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Georgia |
| McFadgon, 14.1 | Points | Stukes, 15.1 |
| Patterson, 6.3 | Rebounds | Bliss, 5.4 |
| Watson, 4.9 | Assists | Gaines, 3.0 |
| Patterson, .583 | Field Goal % | Bliss, .514 |
| Lofton, .487 | Three-Point % | Stukes, .312 |
| Lofton, .865 | Free Throw % | Toney, .910 |
Vols Need One Win For 200 In Thompson-Boling Arena
Tennessee needs one home win to reach the 200-win milestone in Thompson-Boling Arena ... The Vols are 199-84 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 100-25 in Thompson-Boling since 1998 ... The Vols are 46-16 against SEC teams at home over the last six seasons and have won 60 of their last 67 home games against non-conference opponents.
Looking At Georgia
Georgia dropped to 8-18 on the season and 2-13 in Southeastern Conference action with a 38-50 loss to Florida Wednesday in Athens ... The Bulldogs led 25-21 at halftime and had a nine-point lead early in the second half, but only managed 13 points in the final period ... Levi Stukes led the 'Dogs with 20 points against the Gators ... On the season, the 6-foot-1 sophomore guard leads UGA and ranks ninth in the SEC with 15.1 points per game ... Stukes ranks eighth in the SEC with 2.10 3-pointers per game his 32.2 percent 3-point shooting is ninth in the league ... Stukes missed three games with a sprained ankle in early February ... Since returning from the injury he is averaging 14.0 points per game ... Sundiata Gaines, a 6-foot-1 freshman guard, is averaging 11.5 points per game, the fourth-best average among the league's freshmen ... A native of Jamaica, N.Y., Gaines is third in the SEC with 2.36 steals per game ... Georgia is averaging just 37.5 points in its last two games ... In a loss at Vanderbilt (2/26/05) the Bulldogs scored just 37 points, Georgia's lowest point total in the shot clock era (1985-86) ... Channing Toney is adding 9.8 points and is shooting 91.0 percent from the free throw stripe ... With just eight wins on the season, the Bulldogs could finish the season without reaching double-digit wins for the first time since 1976-77 ... Eleven of Georgia's 18 players that could dress for a game were not on last year's team ... There are only seven scholarship players on the UGA roster ... Dennis Felton is 24-32 in his second season at Georgia and 124-86 in his seventh year as a head coach.
The Georgia Series
Saturday's meeting will be the 132nd in the series with Tennessee holding an 80-51 advantage ... Tennessee won the season's first meeting, a 72-65 decision Jan. 5 in Athens ... Tennessee holds a 48-13 series lead when playing in Knoxville ... Tennessee is 28-33 all-time when the series is played in Athens ... The last five games in Athens have been decided by a total of 28 points with one game going into overtime and another going into double overtime ... The Vols are 18-24 all-time against Georgia in Stegeman Coliseum ... Tennessee's 80 wins over the Bulldogs are the second-most by the Vols over any opponent ... Tennessee has won nine of the last 15 meetings between the two schools ... Tennessee is 5-3 all-time against Georgia when the Bulldogs are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll ... The two teams have never met when both are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Last Meeting With Georgia
Tennessee won its fifth SEC opener in its last six attempts with a 72-65 win at Georgia on Wednesday, Jan. 5 ... Tennessee held a 60-52 lead with just over seven minutes left when the Bulldogs went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to two points with 4:41 remaining ... A pair of C.J. Watson free throws capped an 11-0 UT run that secured the Vols' lead at 71-58 with 2:30 left in the game ... Watson made 7 of 8 free throws in the game's final 2:30 to lead the Vols with 17 points ... Chris Lofton, who along with Watson had to overcome foul trouble, scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range ... Andre Patterson had one of his best games as a Vol with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with seven rebounds ... Scooter McFadgon was the only other Vol in double figure scoring with 11 points ... Dane Bradshaw had two points and three assists in 22 strong minutes of relief for Watson and Lofton ... Georgia's Levi Stukes and Sundiata Gaines combined for nearly 67 percent of the Bulldogs' scoring ... Gaines had a game-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting while his backcourt mate Stukes had 21 points ... Tennessee struggled with 15 turnovers but made up for it by making 51.1 percent of its field goals.
Last Game: Third-Ranked Kentucky Outlasts Tennessee
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.
Three Seniors To Be Recognized Saturday
Seniors Brandon Crump, Scooter McFadgon and Fred Smithwick will be playing their final game in Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday when the Vols take the court against Georgia ... The three seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony ... The trio has combined to score 2,059 career points and have gathered 847 rebounds ... Senior manager Ben Griffith will also be honored before the game ... The Vols are 3-0 on Senior Day under Buzz Peterson and have a seven-game winning streak in home finales for seniors.
Looking Ahead At The SEC Tournament
Tennessee will be the Eastern Division's fifth seed and will play Arkansas, the Western Division's fourth seed at 7:30 p.m. (EST) in the first round of the 2005 SEC Tournament in Atlanta, Ga. ... The winner will advance to meet SEC champion Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the second round ... Tennessee will practice at the Georgia Dome from 3-4 p.m. Wednesday and then head coach Buzz Peterson, along with selected players, will meet with the media from 4-4:30 p.m.
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 161 3-pointers this season ... As a unit, they are shooting 40.1 percent (167-of-417) from beyond the 3-point arc ... Lofton, a freshman, is second in the Southeastern Conference with his 47.5 percent (86-of-181) 3-point shooting ... Watson is shooting 37.3 percent (44-of-1183) from 3-point range while McFadgon is converting 31.4 percent (37-of-118) of his triples ... The trio has made 167 of Tennessee's 198 (84.3 percent) 3-pointers on the season and 91 of 101 (90.1 percent) in SEC games.
Lofton Breaks SEC Freshman 3-Pointers Record
Chris Lofton's 86 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.
- Lofton ranks fifth in the Feb. 28 NCAA statistics with a 48.2 percent (81-of-168) success rate behind the arc ... He currently ranks second the Southeastern Conference with his 47.5 percent (86-of-181) 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) ... Lofton ranks second in the SEC with 3.07 3-pointers per game.
- His 47.5 percent (86-of-181) 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.
- Against New Mexico (12/18/04) he tied a school record by going 5-for-5 from 3-point range.
- Four times this season he has made six or more 3-pointers in a game.
- Lofton's 86 3-pointers rank second on Tennessee's single-season lists and are the most ever by an SEC freshman ... Allan Houston held UT's freshman record with 83 triples in 1989-90 ... LSU's Chris Jackson held the SEC record of 84 in 1988-89.
- His 86 3-pointers are the most in the SEC this season.
- Allan Houston is the only Vol to make more 3-pointers in a single season ... Houston made 83 triples as a freshman, 99 as a sophomore, 82 as a junior and 82 as a senior.
- His 3.07 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's seven 3-pointers against South Carolina (2/23/05) and at Arkansas (2/26/05) are 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.
- 67.7 percent (86-of-127) of Lofton's field goals this season have come behind the 3-point line.
- His 13.3 points per game ranks second on the UT roster this season ... In conference game he is averaging 14.4 points per game ... He has led Tennessee in scoring 10 times ... His 13.3 points per game on the season ranks second among SEC freshmen.
- 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 four 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).
- Ranks second on the team with 38 steals ... Recorded a career-high four steals at Louisville (1/22/05).
- His 48.7 percent shooting from the field is fifth on the team ... A guard has not led the Vols in field goal percentage since Bobby Carter's 46.1 percentage (142-of-310) in 1960-61.
- Over his last three games, Lofton has scored 74 points (24.7 ppg) on 47.5 percent (19-of-40) 3-point shooting ... He has gathered 16 rebounds (5.3 rpg), including six offensive rebounds ... He is averaging 6.3 3-pointers per game during the three-game stretch.
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 fourth in the SEC with 4.93 assists per game ... He currently ranks third on the team with 12.0 points per game.
- In conference games he is third on the team with 12.1 points per gam.
- His 37.3 percent (44-of-118) 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 443 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 4.73 assists per game in SEC contests are tied for the league lead.
- Watson's 53 steals lead the Vols ... His 1.89 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 67 points to reach the 1,000 career point milestone ... In 86 career games he has scored 933 points (10.8 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 14.1 points per game in his senior season ... Six 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 20 of his 23 games this season.
- McFadgon ranks ninth all-time at Tennessee with 102 career 3-pointers made and eighth with 289 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 has missed Tennessee's last four games because of the injury.
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 mark, 600 rebound and 100 blocked shot marks this year ... The 6-foot-10 senior forward has scored 1,236 points in 112 career games ... He currently ranks fourth on the team with 11.5 points and is second with 5.5 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 22nd all-time at Tennessee with 1,236 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).
- Crump suffered a sprained left ankle just two minutes into the Louisville game (1/22/05) and did not return ... He missed four games due to the injury before returning against Alabama (2/9/05) ... He is averaging 11.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in the six games since his return ... Against Florida (2/12/05) he led the Vols with 16 points and seven rebounds.
- 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).
Patterson's Up To His Old Tricks
Andre Patterson's 6.3 rebounds per game leads Tennessee and his 58.3 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 6.7 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 the 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 15 SEC games the sophomore guard is averaging 21.3 minutes per game ... In non-conference games he averaged 1.7 assists but has improved that to 2.3 in league games.
- He has drawn seven starting assignments in conference action, three of which came when the Vols went with a smaller starting lineup ... He is averaging 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 three of his last four 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.
- Since Crump's injury, Wingate ranks sixth on the team with 6.7 points and fourth with 3.7 rebounds per game in the 11 games.
- Since moving into the starting lineup he has 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.
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 199-84 (.703) in its 18th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 100-25 (.800) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 46-16 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.
