Tennessee Tidbits
? Over the last two games, Tennessee?s opponents are shooting 54.6 percent (59-of-108) from the field and 53.8 percent (14-of-25) from 3-point range.
? Scooter McFadgon?s 31 points against Georgia (1/7/04) tied his career-high set in the season opener against Wofford. It is the most points by a Vol since Ron Slay?s 38 against New Mexico (1/4/03).
? Brandon Crump is shooting 65.2 percent (30-of-46) from the field over his last five games.
? C.J. Watson, who flirted with a triple-double against Georgia (1/7/04), tied his career-high with nine assists against the Bulldogs. It is the second time this season he has had nine assists in a game.
? UT?s 63.2 percent (12-of-19) 3-point shooting against Georgia (1/7/04) narrowly missed the school record of 64.3 percent (9-of-14) set against North Carolina State (1/27/92).
? UT is shooting 51.8 percent from the field when playing at Thompson-Boling Arena. When playing on the road, the Vols are shooting just 34.1 percent from the field.
? All but one of Tennessee?s games have been decided by at least 10 points this season. The only game decided by less than 10 points was the Vols? 74-66 win at UMass (1/3/04).
? Over the last seven games the Vols have opened the second half by outscoring their opponents 91-45 before the first media time out.
? The Vols have outshot their opponents at the free throw line 293-161 in the first 11 games. UT has made more free throws (219) than its opponents have attempted (161).
? Tennessee has outscored its last six opponents at the free throw line 134-61.
? Scooter McFadgon saw his streak of 27 consecutive free throws made come to an end against UNC Asheville (12/30/03). On the season he is shooting 92.3 percent (48-of-52) from the line.
| Team Statistical Comparisons |
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Vanderbilt |
| 81.5 | Points | 80.6 |
| 69.2 | Opponent Points | 62.1 |
| +12.4 | Scoring Margin | +18.5 |
| .470 | Field Goal % | .480 |
| .409 | Opponent Field Goal % | .392 |
| .364 | Three-Point % | .354 |
| .328 | Opponent Three-Point % | .315 |
| .747 | Free Throw % | .749 |
| 41.3 | Rebounds | 40.2 |
| 33.6 | Opponent Rebounds | 32.4 |
| +7.6 | Rebounding Margin | +7.8 |
| 18.7 | Assists | 19.1 |
| 14.7 | Turnovers | 13.9 |
| 4.8 | Blocks | 4.5 |
| 7.7 | Steals | 7.6 |
| 9-2 | Record | 12-1 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders |
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Vanderbilt |
| McFadgon, 19.0 | Points | Freije, 18.3 |
| Crump, 7.1 | Rebounds | Terrell, 5.8 |
| Watson, 6.5 | Assists | Holwerda, 3.9 |
| Crump, .639 | Field Goal % | Hundley, .663 |
| Watson, .450 | Three-Point % | Przybyszewski, .405 |
| McFadgon, .930 | Free Throw % | Freije, .851 |
The Series
Tennessee leads the all-time series, 101-62 ? Vanderbilt leads the series 46-34 when it is played on the Commodores? home court ... UT leads 61-15 when playing in Knoxville ... Last year Tennessee swept the series with a 71-66 win in Knoxville on Jan. 18, 2003, and then 70-65 in Nashville on March 8 ... Tennessee?s 101 wins over Vanderbilt is the most by the Vols over any opponent ... Tennessee and Vanderbilt have played every season since their first meeting during the 1922 season except for the war years of 1944 and 1945 ... Only Kentucky has been an opponent of the Vols more times than Vanderbilt ... The Vols have played the Wildcats 195 times while Wednesday?s game will be their 164th against the Commodores ... UT has won eight of the last 11 meetings between the schools and 12 of the last 18 games ... Tennessee has won more games at Vanderbilt (36) than any other place outside of Knoxville.
Last Meeting
Tennessee rallied from an 11-point second half deficit to sweep the season series from in-state rival Vanderbilt, 70-65 on March 8, 2003 ... The Commodores took a 29-27 lead at halftime and turned it into a 43-33 advantage with a 14-6 run to begin the second half ... Tennessee took a hit when leading scorer Ron Slay picked up his fourth foul with 13:51 left in the game ... With Slay on the bench, Vanderbilt built a 50-39 lead with 11:38 remaining ... Slay didn?t last too long on the bench as he returned to help the Vols go on a 15-5 run to cut the Commodore lead to one ... Both teams battled back-and-forth but neither was able to score for more than two minutes until C.J. Watson stole the ball at midcourt and went in for his first career dunk, giving the Vols the lead at 56-55 ... The Vols built a six-point lead but Vandy battled back to cut the UT lead to 63-61 on a basket by Matt Freije ... Slay responded by making the play of the game ... Jon Higgins missed a driving lay-up but Slay stood under the basket and tore the ball away from three Vanderbilt players and layed it in to give UT a 65-61 lead with 13 seconds left ... Thaydeus Holden added a pair of free throws and Crump converted a 3-point play to seal the win ... Slay led UT with 22 points while Crump turned in his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds ... Freije led all scorers as the only Commodore in double figure scoring with 25 points.
Looking at Vanderbilt
The Commodores, ranked 20th in the nation by the Associated Press, suffered their first setback of the season Saturday with a 63-75 at Kentucky?s Rupp Arena ... At 12-1 on the season, Vanderbilt has already won more games than a year ago (11-18) ... Vanderbilt?s 12-0 start to the season was the best start in school history ... Vanderbilt is ranked in the polls for the first time since late in the 1999-2000 season ... The Commodores opened SEC action with a 59-53 win over Auburn ... Ten players are averaging at least 11 minutes per game for Vandy ... The ?Dores are led by preseason SEC Player of the Year Matt Freije ... A 6-foot-10 forward, Freije is averaging 18.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game ... Matt Hundley, a 6-foot-5 senior guard who is coming off the bench, is the only other player in double digit figure scoring with 10.4 points per game ... Vanderbilt has outscored its opponents by an average of 18.5 points per game, the best scoring margin in the Southeastern Conference ... Head coach Kevin Stallings is 74-60 in his fifth season in Nashville and 197-123 in his 11th year as a head coach.
Vanderbilt Connections
Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson is no stranger to Vanderbilt ? The third year Vol mentor spent three seasons as the associate head coach on Jan van Breda Kolff?s coaching staff ? During that three-year run the Commodores were 51-41 and made two appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, including an appearance in the 1994 championship game ? Peterson and Vanderbilt assistant coach Brad Frederick are both North Carolina grads ? Peterson played for the Tar Heels from 1981-85 while Frederick played from 1996-99 ? UT?s roster sports one Nashvillian - Boomer Herndon played at Donelson Christian Academy ... C.J. Watson?s sister, Vonyette, along with his grandparents live in Nashville.
Last Time Out
The Vols committed a season-high 20 turnovers in a 57-95 loss at Florida Saturday afternoon in Gainesville ... The loss was Tennessee?s worst since the 1996 season ... The Gators used a 17-2 run to jump out to a 24-7 lead to start the game ... Scooter McFadgon led the Vols with 12 points while Brandon Crump and C.J. Watson each added 11 points ... Crump also added a game-high eight rebounds ... Florida shot 64.8 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range ... Matt Walsh led three Gators in double figure scoring with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field ... David Lee added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and Anthony Roberson had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
January Schedule Is Tough
Tennessee?s next eight opponents have a combined record of 94-10 (90.4 percent) ... None of the opponents have more than two losses on the season ... Six of the eight teams are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including three that are ranked in the Top 10 ... The only two opponents in that stretch that are not ranked are receiving votes in the poll ... UT?s next eight opponents include No. 20 Vanderbilt (12-1), South Carolina (14-2), No. 7 Kentucky (10-1), No. 10 Louisville (11-1), No. 22 Mississippi State (13-0), No. 14 Florida (11-2), LSU (11-1) and No. 8 Georgia Tech (12-2).
Tennessee Against Ranked Teams
Vanderbilt is the second ranked team that the Vols will play this season ... The Vols are 0-1 against ranked teams this year ... Last year Tennessee was 3-5 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 ... The Vols have won three of their last five games against ranked teams including wins over No. 17 Georgia (78-72), No. 4 Florida (66-59) and No. 23 Mississippi State (59-49) while the only losses have come at Kentucky and Florida ... The Vols are 17-26 all-time against teams ranked in the Top 5 and 39-113 against teams ranked in the Top 10.
Tennessee & Vanderbilt: Two Of SEC?s Top Rebounding Teams
Wednesday?s game against Vanderbilt will feature two of the top three rebounding teams in the Southeastern Conference ... Vanderbilt is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 7.8 boards per game to rank second in the league ... Tennessee?s rebounding margin of +7.6 rates third in the SEC ... The Vols? 41.3 rebounds per game ranks second only to Florida?s 42.2 rebounds per game ... Vanderbilt is fourth in the SEC with 40.2 rebounds per game ... Surprisingly, neither team has a player ranked among the top 10 rebounders in the latest SEC statistics.
Vols Well Represented in SEC Statistics
Tennessee players lead three of the 12 individual stat categories in the latest Southeastern Conference statistics ... Scooter McFadgon leads two categories, including scoring (19.0 ppg) and free throw percentage (93.0 percent) while he is third in 3-point field goal percentage (42.0 percent) ... C.J. Watson sits atop the assists (6.45 apg) list and is second in assist/turnover ratio (2.45 assists-to-turnovers) ... Brandon Crump is third in the league in field goal percentage by making 63.9 percent of his shots ... As a team, the Vols rank second in the SEC in scoring offense (81.5 ppg), free throw percentage (74.7 percent), rebounding offense (41.3 rpg) and assist/turnover ration (1.27 assists-to-turnovers).
New Guys Contributing
Without any seniors on the Tennessee roster this season, the Vols have been counting on some significant contributions from four new players in the lineup.
? Scooter McFadgon, a junior transfer from Memphis, is leading the Vols and the Southeastern Conference with 19.0 points per game ... Two times he has scored 31 points in a game this year.
? Jemere Hendrix, a sophomore transfer from Clemson, has started all 11 games and ranks second on the team with 6.8 rebounds per game ... Three times he has recorded double digit rebounds.
? Dane Bradshaw, a freshman guard, has given the Vols a huge boost off the bench with 4.5 points per game to go with 21 assists.
? Major Wingate, a 6-foot-10 freshman, has averaged 13.0 minutes per game off the bench ... He is third on the team with seven blocks.
Tennessee Making a Living at Free Throw Line
Head coach Buzz Peterson has said that, ?... our goal is to make more free throws than they shoot.? ... So far, the Vols have dominated the free throw line ... Tennessee has made 219 (219-of-293) free throws this season compared to just 161 attempts (110-of-161) for UT?s opponents ... UT ranks second in the SEC by making 74.7 percent of its free throws ... Six times the Vols have made more free throws than their opponents attempted ... Four times this season UT has limited its opponents to less than 10 free throw attempts.
Hitting the Boards
Tennessee ranks second in the Southeastern Conference with 41.3 rebounds per game ... The Vols have surpassed the 50-rebound mark two times with 50 boards at Nebraska (12/13/03) and 57 against The Citadel (12/17/03) ... UT is outrebounding its opponents by 7.6 rebounds per game which ranks third in the SEC ... The Vols held a 29-7 halftime rebounding advantage against The Citadel before finishing the game with 57 rebounds to the Bulldogs? 26 ... UT is averaging 14.18 offensive rebounds per game.
Watson: Leads SEC in Assists
While several other point guards around the nation have been bogarting the headlines and highlights, Tennessee sophomore C.J. Watson has quietly established himself as one of the top playmakers in the college game ... Nicknamed ?The Quiet Storm,? he leads the Southeastern Conference with 6.45 assists per game this season ... He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.45 (71 assists against 29 turnovers in 358 minutes) ... According to the Jan. 5 NCAA statistics, Watson?s 6.4 assists ranked 12th in the nation ... Five times this season he has had a game with eight or more assists ... Against Georgia (1/7/04) he flirted with a triple-double with nine points, eight rebounds and nine assists ... As a true freshman last season he led the SEC in minutes played (35.8 mpg) while leading the league with 5.44 assists per game against conference opponents ... His 160 assists as a rookie ranked seventh on UT?s single-season charts and were the second-most ever by a Tennessee freshman.
Watson Can Score Too
Although he usually looks to pass first, Watson has also found opportunities to score ... While leading the SEC with 6.45 assists per game, he ranks third on the team with 11.5 points per game ... He has also established himself as a deep threat by leading the team in 3-point percentage (.450) and ranking second in 3-pointers made (18) ... Over his last four games he is shooting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from 3-point range.
Watson Flirts With Triple-Double
Sophomore point guard C.J. Watson flirted with history in the SEC opener against Georgia (1/7/04) ... The Las Vegas native nearly became the first Tennessee player in history to record a triple-double ... He finished the game with nine points, eight rebounds and nine assists ... It isn?t the first time that Watson has flirted with a triple-double ... In just his second collegiate game he recorded nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists against VMI (11/25/02).
Jumping Jemere Gets The Rebounds
Saying that he would rather have 20 rebounds than score 20 points in a game because ?anyone can score 20 points but not many can get 20 rebounds? Jemere Hendrix has been a presence on the boards this season ... A transfer from Clemson, the 6-foot-8 Hendrix ranks second on the Vols and ranks 14th in the SEC with 6.8 boards per game ... 42.7 percent (32-of-75) of his rebounds have come at the offensive end of the floor ... He ranks 10th in the SEC with 2.91 offensive rebounds per game ... Two times this season he has recorded a career--high 11 rebounds.
Scooter Scores Big
Scooter McFadgon had a memorable debut in a Tennessee uniform with a 31-point outing against Wofford (11/21/03) ... His 31 points were the most in a UT debut since Bernard King scored 42 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee (11/30/74) ... McFadgon hasn?t had a scoring letdown since the season opener ... In the SEC opener he matched his career scoring mark with a 31-point effort against Georgia (1/7/04) ... The Memphis transfer leads in the SEC with 19.0 points per game ... He has scored 20 or more points four times and 30 or more points two times ... While carrying a reputation as an outstanding outside shooter, he has scored 53 of his points at the free throw line ... He leads the SEC with his 93.0 percent free throw percentage.
Bradshaw Giving UT a Backcourt Boost
Last year point guard C.J. Watson led the Southeastern Conference by playing 35.8 minutes per game ... This year Watson has received relief from freshman Dane Bradshaw ... The Memphis native is averaging 15.1 minutes per game off the bench and is contributing 4.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game ... A player who has a outstanding feel for the game, Bradshaw has dished out 21 assists.
Crump Making His Presence Felt
With each year at Tennessee, Brandon Crump has steadily improved his play ... The Houston, Texas, native owns one of the best shooting percentages in the Southeastern Conference, currently ranking third in the league with a 63.9 field goal percentage ... According to the Jan. 5 NCAA statistics, Crump?s 64.6 field goal percentage ranked 12th in the nation ... He ranks 11th in the SEC in scoring (15.6 ppg) and 11th in rebounding with 7.1 boards per game ... The 6-foot-10 forward has scored 20 or more points in four of his last eight games after not reaching the 20-point mark in his first two seasons at Tennessee ... He has three double-doubles on the season and six in his career ... He has steadily improved his averages from 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman to 11.0 points to 5.9 rebounds as a sophomore to 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds as a junior this year ... Against Nebraska (12/13/03) he recorded a career-high 25 points.
Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena has provided the Vols with a definite homecourt advantage since the facility opened in time for the 1987-88 season.
? Tennessee is 184-75 (.710) in its 17th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
? Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 85-16 (.842) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
? Tennessee is 71-14 (.835) since the 1999 season at home. UT recorded a 14-1 record in 1999, a 15-1 mark in 2000, 12-3 in 2001, 10-4 in 2002 and 12-5 in 2003.
? The Vols are 37-13 against SEC teams at home over the last four plus seasons.
? UT has won 54 of its last 57 home games against non-conference opponents.
| TENNESSEE CAREER STATS VS. FLORIDA |
| ? | G-GS | FG-A | 3FG-A | FT-A | Reb | Avg | A | To | Blk | Stl | Pts | Avg |
| Asumnu | 2-0 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 3-0-3 | 1.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3.0 |
| Crump | 4-4 | 13-29 | 1-1 | 16-23 | 9-16-25 | 6.3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 43 | 10.8 |
| Watson | 2-2 | 6-12 | 0-1 | 5-6 | 1-7-8 | 4.0 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 8.5 |
| Winchester | 1-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
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