Tennessee Tidbits
* Tennessee is in a stretch of playing three of four games on the road. The Vols visited Alabama and now host Mississippi before hitting the road again to go to Georgia and Kentucky.
* UT has won its last two games decided by five points or less after starting the season 0-2 in games decided by five points or less. The Vols have only had four games decided by less than five points.
* Scooter McFadgon has bounced back from games that he has been held to single-digit scoring to score at least 15 points in his next game. He has not had back-to-back single-digit outings this year.
* C.J. Watson is averaging 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists his last three games.
* Through almost all of January and early February the Vols played seven ranked opponents in a nine-game stretch. UT played No. 14 Florida, No. 23 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 5 Louisville, No. 11 Mississippi State, No. 22 Florida and No. 15 Georgia Tech over the course of nine games.
* With an 11-3 home record at home this season, the Vols have secured their eighth consecutive winning record at home at their 14th winning season at Thompson-Boling Arena.
* The Vols lead the SEC with a 73.6 free throw percentage and have outshot their opponents at the line 534-388 this season. UT has made more free throws (393) than its opponents have attempted (388).
* Scooter McFadgon's 33 points against Kentucky (1/20/04) marked the third time this season he has scored 30 or more points. It is the most points by a Vol since Ron Slay's 38 against New Mexico (1/4/03).
* McFadgon is shooting 91.4 percent (106-of-116) from the line to rank second on UT's single season free throw percentage list. Bill Justus has held the record at 92.0 percent (133-of-147) since the 1968-69 season.
| Team Statistical Comparisons |
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Ole Miss |
| 74.3 | Points | 64.4 |
| 71.4 | Opponent Points | 63.5 |
| +2.9 | Scoring Margin | +1.0 |
| .439 | Field Goal % | .451 |
| .431 | Opponent Field Goal % | .421 |
| .345 | Three-Point % | .345 |
| .342 | Opponent Three-Point % | .346 |
| .736 | Free Throw % | .647 |
| 38.9 | Rebounds | 29.5 |
| 34.0 | Opponent Rebounds | 33.4 |
| +4.9 | Rebounding Margin | -3.8 |
| 15.9 | Assists | 13.8 |
| 15.1 | Turnovers | 13.3 |
| 3.7 | Blocks | 2.2 |
| 6.4 | Steals | 7.3 |
| 12-9, 4-6 | Record) | 12-9, 4-6 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders |
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Ole Miss |
| McFadgon, 18.3 | Points | Reed, 18.5 |
| Crump, 7.2 | Rebounds | Reed, 7.8 |
| Watson, 5.3 | Assists | Harper, 3.2 |
| Crump, .551 | Field Goal % | Eddie, .563 |
| Watson, .429 | Three-Point % | Fox, .417 |
| McFadgon, .914 | Free Throw % | Reed, .752 |
The Series
Tennessee and Mississippi have met 97 times with the Vols holding a 62-35 all-time advantage ... When the series is played in Knoxville, the Vols have a 34-10 advantage ... Tennessee won last year's meeting 66-64 in Oxford ... Mississippi is the only SEC opponent that the Vols have a winning record on its home court ... Tennessee leads the series when it is played in Oxford, 24-19 ... The Vols have won five of the last six meetings in Oxford ... Tennessee has won 11 of the last 14 meetings dating back to the 1991 season ... Tennessee is 4-6 all-time against Mississippi in the SEC Tournament ... UT is 10-7 all-time against the Rebels when the Vols are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 ... Tennessee is 1-2 all-time against Mississippi when the Rebels are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
Last Meeting
Freshman Stanley Asumnu put back a missed shot with 2.6 seconds remaining to give Tennessee a come-from-behind 66-64 victory over Mississippi Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003, at Tad Smith Coliseum ... Asumnu, who scored just four points in the game, rebounded a C.J. Watson shot from the baseline on the Vols' final possession following a time out by the UT bench ... Tennessee played the final minutes without its three top post players after Brandon Crump, Ron Slay and Elgrace Wilborn each fouled out down the stretch ... Jon Higgins, who scored 14, fueled the rally with two big baskets to tie the game at 62-62 (1:31) and at 64-64 at the 1:00 mark ... UT's defense forced an Ole Miss shot clock violation with 23 seconds to go before Asumnu's winning basket ... Slay, who fouled out with 2:11 remaining and the Vols trailing 62-57, scored 17 points ... Watson scored a career-best 17 ... Aaron Harper led Ole Miss with 23 points ... Tennessee trailed by as many as 12 early in the first half before rallying to take a 30-29 lead at halftime at Tad Smith Coliseum ... The hot-shooting Rebels, who hit 7 of their first 10 field goal attempts, took a 23-11 advantage on a David Sanders layup with 9:52 remaining in the half ... Tennessee took its first lead at 28-27 on a John Winchester 3-pointer with 2:41 to go before halftime to cap a 17-4 UT run over a seven-minute stretch ... The Vols' win ended the Rebels' 20-game home winning streak and their 15-game SEC home winning streak.
Looking at Mississippi
Mississippi ended a two-game losing streak with a 72-68 win over Auburn Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss. ... Aaron Harper led the Rebels with 30 points as Ole Miss shot an impressive 58.1 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from 3-point range ... Justin Reed, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, is leading the Rebels and the Southeastern Conference with 18.5 points per game ... Reed, a Senior CLASS Award candidate for the top senior student-athlete in the nation, also leads the Rebels and ranks fifth in the SEC with 7.8 rebounds per game ... Harper, a 6-foot-7 senior guard/forward, is the only other Mississippi player averaging double figures with 16.1 points per game, a figure that ranks eighth in the SEC ... Harper also ranks third in the SEC for 3-point field goals made (2.48 per game) and is fourth in 3-point percentage (39.7 percent) ... Harper's 263 career 3-pointers are the most in school history ... Mississippi has done a good job of holding on to the ball this season, averaging just 13.29 turnovers per game which is second-best in the SEC ... Mississippi sports one of the most experienced starting lineups in the SEC with two seniors, two juniors and one freshman on the court for the opening tip ... Mississippi head coach Rod Barnes is 112-70 in his sixth season in Oxford.
Buzz Looking For 150
Tennessee's next win will be Buzz Peterson's 150th as a head coach ... In eight seasons as a head coach Peterson has recorded a 149-87 (.631) career mark ... Forty-four of those wins have come at Tennessee while 26 were at Tulsa and 79 were at Appalachian State ... Peterson's 149 career wins ranks seventh among active Southeastern Conference coaches.
Westbury Christian Teammates Reunite
Tennessee freshman forward Stanley Asumnu and Mississippi's junior forward Chris Rhodes attended Westbury Christian Academy in Houston, Texas, together ... Together, they helped lead Westbury Christian to state titles in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
King A Finalist For The Basketball Hall Of Fame
Former Tennessee Vol Bernard King (1975-77) has been named one of 16 finalists for this year's Basketball Hall of Fame class ... A three-time All-America selection, King averaged 25.8 points per game in his three seasons at Tennessee ... The Brooklyn, N.Y., native went on to score 19,655 career points in 14 seasons in the NBA ... A four-time NBA All-Star, he led the league in scoring with 32.9 points in 1984-85 and finished his career with a career scoring average of 22.5 points ... Playing for the New Jersey Nets Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Washington Bullets he scored 19,655 career points ... The new members will be announced April 5 at the NCAA men's Final Four in San Antonio; induction is September 10.
Last Time Out
Alabama snapped a five-game losing streak with an 83-70 win over Tennessee Saturday, Feb. 14, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. ... Tennessee led by as many of six points in the first half but a Jermareo Davidson dunk with 13 seconds left in the opening half cut the lead to 36-32 at the break ... Alabama tied the score at 45-45 with 16 minutes left in the game ... The Tide then went on a 6-0 run to take a 53-47 advantage ... The Vols battled back to cut the lead to three points (55-52) but could get no closer ... Brandon Crump led the Vols with 19 points while C.J. Watson narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds ... Scooter McFadgon was held five points under his scoring average with 13 points ... Earnest Shelton turned in a game-high 27 points to lead Alabama ... Chuck Davis added 20 points while Kennedy Winston scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half ... The two teams combined to commit 46 fouls and shoot 61 free throws.
Houston Named To ESPN's Silver Anniversary All-SEC Team
Former UT standout and current New York Knicks star Allan Houston was named to ESPN's Silver Anniversary All-SEC Team at halftime of its telecast of the Tennessee-Kentucky game Jan. 20 ... The second-leading scorer in Southeastern Conference history, Houston scored 2,801 career points while playing for the Vols (1989-93) ... Joining Houston on the team were Chris Jackson (LSU), Chuck Person (Auburn), Jamal Mashburn (Kentucky) and Shaquille O'Neal (LSU) ... Celebrating its 25th season of covering college basketball, ESPN listed its top five players from each major conference over the last 25 years (since the 1979-80 season) ... The teams were chosen by a seven-member panel of SEC media and league representatives.
Tennessee One of Nation's Youngest Teams
Tennessee is one of six NCAA Division I schools and the only SEC team without a scholarship senior on its roster ... UT joins Harvard, UNC Asheville, Oregon State Pepperdine and Wake Forest as the only schools without any seniors ... Only one player ( Brandon Crump) played on Buzz Peterson's first team at UT during the 2001-02 season ... The Vol roster lists only three scholarship juniors who are active this season ... Seven of the 10 scholarship players who are active this year are either freshman or sophomores ... The Vols lost three scholarship seniors ( Jon Higgins, Thaydeus Holden and Ron Slay) from last year's team that went 17-12 and made an appearance in the NIT.
Watson Named To SEC Good Works Team (Feb. 11-14)
Sophomore 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 Feb. 11-14 ... The Las Vegas, Nev., native was named the 2003 co-Male Community Service Student-Athlete of the Year by Tennessee's CHAMPS/Life Skills Office for his community efforts ... He assisted the Meals On Wheels program, delivering warm meals to the elderly in Knoxville on Thanksgiving Day, hosted children from The Wesley House and spoke at the Westbury Christian Upward Bound Banquet ... This is the first time Watson has been named to the SEC Good Works Team ... He joins C.J. Black (2000) and Jon Higgins (2001, 2002, 2003) as Vols who have been named to the Good Works Team.
Tennessee Against Ranked Teams
Tennessee is 2-5 against teams ranked among the Associated Press Top 25 this year ... UT has wins over 23rd-ranked Vanderbilt and No. 22 Florida and a losses at No. 14 Florida, vs. No. 9 Kentucky, vs. No. 5 Louisville, at No. 11 Mississippi State and vs. No. 15 Georgia Tech this season ... The Vols are 81-185 all-time against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 ... Tennessee is 39-115 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 10 and 17-27 against teams ranked in the Top 5.
Vols Meet Four Consecutive Ranked Teams
For the first time in school history the Vols played four consecutive teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 ... The streak started against No. 9 Kentucky and continued with No. 5 Louisville, at No. 11 Mississippi State and finally No. 22 Florida ... The Vols have played three consecutive games against ranked opponents three times but this was the first time a fourth team has been added to the mix.
Home Sweet Home
While the Vols have struggled on the road this season, they have been tough at home ... Tennessee is 11-3 at Thompson-Boling Arena this season ... UT's only home losses have come to No. 9 Kentucky, No. 5 Louisville and No. 15 Georgia Tech ... Kentucky needed a 25-foot 3-pointer with 16.3 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime in the Wildcats' win.
Vols Well Represented in SEC Statistics
Tennessee players lead two of the 12 individual categories in the latest Southeastern Conference statistics ... Scooter McFadgon leads the league in free throw percentage (91.4 percent) while he is second in scoring (18.3 ppg) and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (36.4 percent) ... C.J. Watson sits atop the assists (5.29 apg) list and is second in assist/turnover ratio (2.13 assists-to-turnovers) ... Brandon Crump is sixth in the league in field goal percentage by making 55.1 percent of his shots while ranking 14th in scoring (15.0 ppg) and eighth in rebounding (7.2 rpg) ... As a team, the Vols lead the SEC in free throw percentage (73.6 percent), are second in rebounding offense (38.9 rpg) and are third in assists (15.86 apg).
Hitting The Boards
Tennessee ranks second in the Southeastern Conference with 38.9 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 4.9 rebounds per game which ranks fourth in the SEC ... UT is averaging 14.05 offensive rebounds per game.
Road Woes
Tennessee has been two different teams at home and on the road this season ... When playing at home the Vols are averaging 79.0 points per game and are shooting 46.9 percent from the field ... On the road UT is averaging 64.9 points on 37.8 percent shooting ... The Vols opponents are averaging just 66.3 points on 39.2 percent shooting in Thompson-Boling Arena ... When hosting UT, the Vols' opponents are scoring 81.7 points on 51.7 percent shooting ... Tennessee is 11-3 at home and 1-6 on the road this season.
Hendrix And The Vols Are Getting Offensive On The Boards
Tennessee ranks third in the SEC with 14.05 offensive rebounds per game on the season ... Ten times the Vols have recorded 15 or more offensive rebounds in a game ... Over their last six games the Vols are averaging 14.83 offensive boards per game ... Jemere Hendrix has been leading the offensive charge with 66 offensive rebounds per game, a number that ranks fourth in the SEC (3.14 rpg) ... Against 15th-ranked Georgia Tech he recorded a career-high nine rebounds at the offensive end of the court ...Over his last six games Hendrix is averaging 8.3 rebounds, including 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Watson Is One Of The SEC's Top Playmakers
While several other point guards around the nation have been bogarting the headlines and highlights, 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 SEC with 5.29 assists per game ... His assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.14 (111 assists against 52 turnovers in 712 minutes) is third in the SEC ... According to the Feb. 10 NCAA statistics, Watson's 5.4 assists ranked 41st in the nation ... Five times this season he has had a game with eight or more 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 freshman.
Watson Can Score Too
Although he usually looks to pass first, Watson has also found opportunities to score ... While leading the SEC with 5.29 assists per game, he ranks third on the team with 11.7 points per game ... He has also established himself as a deep threat by leading the team in 3-point percentage (.429) and ranking second in 3-pointers made (33).
Watson Flirting With Triple-Doubles
Sophomore point guard C.J. Watson has flirted with history two times in SEC action this season ... 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 ... Against Vanderbilt (1/14/04) he came close with a career-high 13 rebounds, 11 points and seven assists... This year isn't the first time he has come close to a triple-double ... In just his second collegiate game he recorded nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists against VMI (11/25/02).
McFadgon Leads The SEC, Ranks Fourth In The Nation In Free Throw Percentage
Scooter McFadgon gets mad when he misses a free throw, calling free throws "the easiest baskets you'll ever get." ... The junior guard hasn't gotten mad very often this season as he is leading the SEC by making 91.4 (106-of-116) free throws this season ... According to the Feb. 10 NCAA statistics he ranked fourth in the nation with a 92.5 free throw percentage ... He saw a streak of 32 consecutive free throws made come to an end against Louisville (1/25/04) ... He also had a streak of 27 consecutive free throws made until a miss against UNC Asheville 12/30/03) ... The school record for consecutive free throws made is 39 by Danny Schultz (12/2/63 - 12/28/63) and Michael Brooks (1/30/85 - 3/6/85).
McFadgon Challenging Free Throw Charts
Scooter McFadgon's 91.4 percent (106-of-116) shooting from the free throw line this season ranks as the second-best percentage in Tennessee history ... Bill Justus, who led the nation with a 92.0 percent (133-of-147) success rate during the 1968-69 season, holds the school record.
Scooter Scores Big
Playing his first season of Southeastern Conference basketball, Scooter McFadgon has taken the league by storm ... The Memphis transfer ranks second in the SEC in scoring with 18.3 points per game this year ... His 36.4 percent 3-point shooting ranks sixth in the league while his 2.15 treys per game is seventh ... He owns three of the top seven scoring performances in the Southeastern Conference this year ... He has scored 20 or more points nine times and 30 or more points three times ... Against ninth-ranked Kentucky (1/20/04) he scored a career-high 33 points, scoring 19 of the Vols' first 24 points against the Wildcats ... The junior guard 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) ... In the SEC opener he matched that mark with a 31-point effort against Georgia (1/7/04).
McFadgon Gets 1,000 Career Points
Junior transfer Scooter McFadgon scored his 1,000th career point against Georgia Tech (2/7/04) ... He has scored 1,049 points in his three years playing college basketball ... The 6-foot-5 guard scored 674 points in two seasons at Memphis and has scored 365 points in his first season at Tennessee.
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 sixth in the league with a 55.1 field goal percentage ... According to the Feb. 10 NCAA statistics, Crump's 55.6 field goal percentage ranked 40th in the nation ... He ranks 14th in the SEC in scoring (15.0 ppg) and is eighth in rebounding with 7.2 boards per game ... The 6-foot-10 forward has scored 20 or more points in five games after not reaching the 20-point mark in his first two seasons at Tennessee ... He has seven double-doubles on the season and 10 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 15.0 points and 7.2 rebounds as a junior this year ... Against Nebraska (12/13/03) he recorded a career-high 25 points.
Crump Doubles Up
Junior forward Brandon Crump has recorded seven double-doubles this season ... That is the most by a Vol since Ron Slay had seven in 2002-03 ... No Tennessee player has had more than seven since Steve Hamer recorded nine double-doubles during the 1995-96 season ... Other Vols who have had seven double-doubles in recent years include Slay (2002-03), Vincent Yarbrough (2000-01) and Isiah Victor (1998-99) ... Crump's seven double-doubles are the fourth-most in the Southeastern Conference this season.
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 187-78 (.706) in its 17th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 88-19 (.822) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee is 74-17 (.813) 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 40-14 against SEC teams at home over the last five seasons.
* UT has won 54 of its last 59 home games against non-conference opponents.
| TENNESSEE CAREER STATS vs. OLE MISS |
| ? | G-GS | FG-A | 3FG-A | FT-A | Reb | Avg | A | To | Blk | Stl | Pts | Avg |
| Asumnu | 1-0 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0-2 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 |
| Crump | 2-1 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 2-2-4 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 5.0 |
| Hendrix | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Herndon | 1-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Watson | 1-1 | 4-9 | 2-2 | 7-10 | 2-3-5 | 5.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 |
| Winchester | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0-0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3.0 |
BACK TO TOP
