2003-04 Season Review

April 7, 2004

Fielding one of the youngest teams in the nation, the Tennessee Volunteers played like veterans in posting the school's 71st winning season and making their 24th postseason tournament appearance, including their sixth postseason appearance in the last seven seasons.

One of just six NCAA Division I teams (the only Southeastern Conference squad) without a scholarship senior on its roster, the Vols fielded a team that finished the season with two true freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup. Junior forward Brandon Crump was the only player who was a member of third-year head coach Buzz Peterson's first Tennessee squad. Of the six teams without a scholarship senior on the roster, only Tennessee and Wake Forest received postseason bids.

Despite the experience limitations, the Vols fought hard throughout the season. Tennessee posted a 15-14 overall record on the season and finished with a 7-9 mark in the SEC. After the SEC Tournament, the Vols received their second consecutive National Invitation Tournament bid.

One of the Vols' strengths in 2003-04 was free throw shooting. Tennessee ranked second in the SEC with a 72.5 free throw percentage. The Vols converted 499 of their free throw attempts compared to just 387 free throws for their opponents. Eleven times in 29 games UT made more free throws than its opponents attempted.

Junior transfer Scooter McFadgon was one of the keys to Tennessee's success at the charity stripe. The Memphis native broke a 35-year-old school record by making 91.2 percent of his free throws. He led the SEC and ranked fifth in the nation. McFadgon made an instant impact with the Vols by scoring 31 points in his first game in an orange and white uniform. A second-team All-SEC selection by the league's coaches and the Associated Press, he went on to lead Tennessee and rank fourth in the SEC with 17.6 points per game.

Crump continued to establish himself as a force in the paint as he ranked second on the squad with 14.8 points while leading the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. His eight double-doubles on the season are the most by a Vol since Steve Hamer had nine during the 1995-96 season. The 6-foot-10 junior will enter his senior season needing just 39 points to become the 37th player in Tennessee history to reach the 1,000 career point total.

Sophomore point guard C.J. Watson gained considerable international experience during the summer that translated into him becoming one of the top playmakers in the conference. After spending the summer playing for the USA Basketball Men's Junior World Championship Team that competed in Greece, Watson was third on the team with 11.5 points. The Las Vegas native ranked second in the SEC with 5.0 assists per game while his assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.99 was third in the league. Adding a new dimension to his game, he led the team in 3-point percentage (.411) and was second in treys made (44).

Orange Slices
* UT's 7-1 record in home SEC games tied with Kentucky for best home mark in the league.
* The Vols' 15-14 record in 2003-04 was Tennessee's 71st winning season in school history.
* Freshman Dane Bradshaw moved into the starting lineup in each of UT's last five games. He averaged 4.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 22.8 minutes of action during those five outings.
* C.J. Watson recorded his 300th career assist against South Carolina (3/6/04). In 58 career games he has recorded 305 career assists, including 145 as a sophomore.
* Scooter McFadgon's 65 3-pointers rank seventh on UT's single season 3-pointers made lists. McFadgon made 65-of-171 3-point attempts.
* McFadgon shot 91.2 percent (134-of-147) from the line to break UT's single season free throw percentage record. Bill Justus had held the record at 90.5 percent (133-of-147) since the 1968-69 season.
* Combining both his Memphis and UT career scoring totals, McFadgon has scored 1,167 career points.
* Brandon Crump led the Vols with eight double-doubles on the season. His eight double-doubles were fourth-most in the SEC and the most by a Vol since 1995-96.
* Tennessee was 11-2 when C.J. Watson had six or more assists.
* The Vols ranked second in the SEC with a 72.5 free throw percentage and outshot their opponents at the line 688-570.
* With a 14-3 record at home, the Vols secured their eighth consecutive winning record at home and their 14th winning season at Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee was 14-1 when leading with five minutes left in a game.
* The Vols were 12-1 when scoring 70 or more points. They were 3-14 when scoring less than 70.
* Scooter McFadgon's 33 points against Kentucky (1/20/04) marked the third time during the season he scored 30 or more points. It was the most points by a Vol since Ron Slay's 38 against New Mexico (1/4/03).
* Scooter McFadgon made his third NIT appearance (his first for the Vols) when UT visited George Mason. At Memphis he helped lead the Tigers to two NIT Final Fours and a 9-1 record in the postseason tournament.
* C.J. Watson flirted with a triple-double twice. He had nine points, eight rebounds and nine assists against Georgia (1/7/04) and 11 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists against Vanderbilt (1/14/04).
* All 12 Vols tied or set new career single-game scoring marks during the season.
* Tennessee converted 29-of-32 free throw attempts (90.6 percent) against Georgia State (1/20/03) to set a school record for best percentage with at least 30 attempts.
* UT's 108 points in its win over Texas A&M (12/2/03) were the most by the Vols in the Buzz Peterson era and the most since scoring 110 against Georgia (2/9/00).
* 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).
* The Vols roster did not list any seniors. In fact, the only scholarship player who has been a part of the program for more than one season was junior forward Brandon Crump.
* Tennessee just completed its 95th season of basketball with a 1,331-867-2 overall record.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Related Videos