University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee vs. Ole Miss -- Game Preview
February 17, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2005
| QUICK FACTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Volunteers vs. Ole Miss Rebels
RADIO
TV LIVE STATS RANKINGS: THE COACHES: Ole Miss Rebels
Coach Peterson | Peterson on McFadgon | Peterson on Crump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee Trends
- Tennessee is making its fifth Saturday appearance on Fox Sports Net in the last six weeks.
- 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 332 assists against 316 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.
- C.J. Watson has picked up much of the scoring load over UT's last seven games. He is averaging 15.0 points on 47.8 percent (33-of-69) shooting from the field and 47.1 percent (16-of-34) 3-point shooting over the last seven games. He has been the Vols' top scorer in three of their last five games.
- Brandon Crump returned to the Tennessee lineup against Alabama (2/9/05) after missing four games with a sprained ankle. In the two games since his return, he is averaging 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game. He led UT with 16 points off the bench against Florida (2/12/05).
- Against Florida (2/12/05) Crump became the 23rd UT player to record 600 career rebounds. In 108 career games he has 601 rebounds.
- Major Wingate has picked up his game since Crump's injury, averaging 9.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in UT's last seven games.
- 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.
- The Vols have used nine or fewer players in nine of their last 10 games.
- Shot selection and controlling the tempo have been a focus for Tennessee this season. The Vols are 5-2 when taking 50 or fewer shots this year.
- Tennessee is 8-1 when leading or tied at halftime.
- Four different players have led the Vols in scoring this season. C.J. Watson (7 times), Scooter McFadgon (6), Chris Lofton (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 420 career assists.
- UT's starters have accounted for 79.7 percent (1,328 of 1,666 points) of the Vols' scoring this season.
- Ten different Vols have made a 3-pointer 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 1,342-880-2 in its 96th season of basketball.
- Freshman Chris Lofton is the third Kentucky Mr. Basketball to sign with the Vols. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 26.7 points per game for Mason County HS. Allan Houston (1989) and Jermaine Brown (1991) also earned Mr. Basketball honors in the state of Kentucky.
- UT needs two home wins this season to reach the 200-win milestone in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols are 198-83 in 18 seasons of play in Thompson-Boling Arena. UT, which has averaged 12 home wins in Buzz Peterson's first three seasons in Knoxville, has 16 home games on the schedule this year.
| Team Statistical Comparisons | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Ole Miss |
| 69.4 | Points | 64.9 |
| 69.6 | Opponent Points | 64.2 |
| -0.2 | Scoring Margin | +0.8 |
| .460 | Field Goal % | .451 |
| .454 | Opponent Field Goal % | .465 |
| .381 | Three-Point % | .359 |
| .373 | Opponent Three-Point % | .379 |
| .688 | Free Throw % | .618 |
| 32.2 | Rebounds | 29.8 |
| 34.0 | Opponent Rebounds | 30.2 |
| -1.7 | Rebounding Margin | -0.4 |
| 13.8 | Assists | 15.0 |
| 13.2 | Turnovers | 14.2 |
| 3.5 | Blocks | 2.0 |
| 7.2 | Steals | 8.0 |
| 11-13 | Record | 12-13 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Ole Miss |
| McFadgon, 14.1 | Points | Nolen, 11.5 |
| Patterson, 6.1 | Rebounds | Nolen, 4.9 |
| Watson, 4.8 | Assists | Nunnery, 3.0 |
| Crump, .592 | Field Goal % | Eddie, .567 |
| Lofton, .492 | Three-Point % | Fox, .418 |
| Lofton, .862 | Free Throw % | Johnson, .778 |
Looking At Mississippi
Ole Miss is 12-13 on the season and 3-9 in Southeastern Conference action following a 53-90 loss at Florida Wednesday ... The loss was the Rebels' third in a row and seventh in their last eight games ... Their last win was a 70-55 win over Auburn in Oxford on Feb. 2 ... Junior guard/forward Londrick Nolen is leading UM with 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season ... The junior college transfer is shooting a solid 49.6 percent from the field ... Tommie Eddie, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, is the only other Rebel averaging in double figures with 11.0 points per game ... Cavadas Nunnery, a 5-foot-9 senior guard, ranks ninth in the SEC with 1.50 steals per game against league foes ... Mississippi's probable starters does not list any players over 6-foot-7 ... Only Auburn, whose starting lineup did not feature anyone over 6-foot-6, has had a smaller starting lineup among UT's opponents ... The tallest player on the Rebels roster are Jeremy Parnell and Dwayne Curtis who are both 6-foot-9 ... Mississippi has held second half leads in four of their nine SEC losses this season ... Ole Miss has built a reputation of being one of the SEC's best defensive teams and this year is no exception ... UM ranks fifth in the SEC by allowing its opponents just 64.2 points per game ... Two times this season they have held their opponents to fewer than 50 points ... Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC with 8.0 steals per game ... Ten times this season the Rebels have recorded 10 or more steals in a game, including a season-high 18 against Louisiana-Monroe ... Rod Barnes, a former All-America player for the Rebels, is 125-89 in his seventh season as the head coach at Mississippi.
The Mississippi Series
Tennessee and Mississippi have met 98 times with the Vols holding a 63-35 all-time advantage ... Tennessee won last year's meeting 83-66 in Knoxville ... 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 ... Buzz Peterson is 3-0 against Ole Miss while the head coach at Tennessee ... The Vols have won five of the last six meetings in Oxford ... Tennessee has won 12 of the last 15 meetings dating back to the 1991 season ... When the series is played in Knoxville, the Vols have a 35-10 advantage ... 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.
Mississippi Connections
Tennessee junior forward Stanley Asumnu and Mississippi's senior forward Chris Rhodes attended Westbury Christian Academy in Houston, Texas, together ... They combined to help lead Westbury Christian to state titles in 1999, 2000 and 2001 ... Tennessee senior guard Scooter McFadgon and Mississippi junior Londrick Nolen were teammates at Raleigh-Egypt High School in Memphis ... McFadgon was a senior and Nolen while Nolen was a sophomore the only season they played together ... UT freshman Chris Lofton led Mason County HS to the Sweet 16 title in the 2003 Kentucky state basketball tournament with a win over UM freshman Brian Smith's Lexington Catholic squad.
Last Meeting With Mississippi
Brandon Crump tied his career scoring mark in leading the Vols to an 83-66 win over Mississippi Feb. 18, 2004, at Thompson-Boling Arena ... Crump scored 25 points and gathered 11 rebounds in leading the Vols to the win ... Tennessee took a 17-15 lead on a Stanley Asumnu layup midway through the first half and held onto the lead going into the locker room at halftime, 37-32 ... The Vols hit 10 of their first 13 shots to start the second half, including all four of their 3-point attempts and their first nine free throws of the half ... After the hot stretch, the Vols held a 69-51 lead with just over seven minutes remaining ... Mississippi cut the lead to 12 (76-64) on a Bam Doyne layup with 2:16 left in the game but Crump hit a long 3-pointer on UT's next possession to seal the win ... Scooter McFadgon made all five of his field goals in the second half on his way to an 8-of-12 shooting performance that netted 21 points ... C.J. Watson added 13 points, four rebounds and seven assists against just one turnover ... Justin Reed, who entered the game as the SEC's leading scorer, led the Rebels with 19 points while Aaron Harper struggled on 6-of-16 shooting for 16 points ... The Vols shot 61.5 percent from the field in the second half and 55.8 percent for the game.
Last Game: Late Drought Dooms Vols Against Florida
Tennessee scored just two field goals in the last five minutes as Florida turned a two-point lead into an 84-73 win ... A Scooter McFadgon jumper with 5:05 left in the game cut the Gators' lead to 71-69 but the Vols managed just four points the rest of the way while Florida scored 13 points ... Florida held a 41-36 halftime lead but the Vols went on a 14-6 run to open the second half, taking a 50-47 lead on a Stanley Asumnu basket with 14:04 remaining ... A bucket by David Lee and a conventional three-point play by Matt Walsh gave the Gators a lead they wouldn't relinquish ... Brandon Crump, making his second appearance since missing four games with an ankle injury, scored 12 points in the first half and led the Vols with 16 and seven rebounds ... C.J. Watson added 15 while McFadgon had 10 ... Walsh led all scorers with 23 points while Lee had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds ... Tennessee shot 50 percent (28-of-56) from the field but was outrebounded 39-28.
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.
Mini Vols
Three times in early February the Vols went with a smaller lineup, regardless of the size of their opponents' starters ... UT had only one player taller than 6-foot-5 in the starting lineup against Vanderbilt (2/2/05), LSU (2/5/05) and Alabama (2/9/05) ... C.J. Watson (6-foot-2), Chris Lofton (6-2), Dane Bradshaw (6-4), Scooter McFadgon (6-5) and Stanley Asumnu (6-5) all started at least one of the Vols' three games ... The only starter taller than 6-5 in those games was 6-10 Major Wingate ... Going with the smaller lineup created some interesting matchups with 6-4 Dane Bradshaw guarding 6-8, 252-pound Brandon Bass of LSU and 6-10 Jermareo Davidson of Alabama ... Going small was nothing new for UT as Stanley Asumnu spent a good part of the Mississippi State game (1/12/05) guarding 6-9, 240-pound Lawrence Roberts in the post ...In the three games with the smaller lineup, Tennessee averaged just 9.0 turnovers, 8.7 steals, 4.0 blocked shots and forced 16.3 turnovers per game ... The Vols recorded 38 offensive rebounds (12.7 per game) during the three game stretch.
Shirts vs. Skins
On the Monday (1/10/05) following Tennessee's loss to Vanderbilt, head coach Buzz Peterson told the team that they would have to bring their own clothes to practice in, that they had to earn the right to wear their Tennessee gear again ... The result of the motivational tactic was a 64-63 upset of 11th-ranked Mississippi State on Wednesday, Jan. 12 ... When Peterson arrived at practice on Thursday, the team's captains told him that they wouldn't earn the right to wear their normal practice gear until they won a road game and the team continued to practice against each other as shirts against skins ... After earning an 83-76 overtime at Florida (1/19/05) the team voted to continue wearing their own clothes for practice.
Buzz's Bombers
Tennessee's starting backcourt of C.J. Watson, Scooter McFadgon have combined to make 143 3-pointers this season ... As a unit, they are shooting 39.9 percent (143-of-358) from beyond the 3-point arc ... Lofton, a freshman, is leading the Southeastern Conference with his 48.1 percent (64-of-133) 3-point shooting ... Watson is shooting 39.3 percent (42-of-107) from 3-point range while McFadgon is converting 31.4 percent (37-of-118) of his triples ... The trio has made 143 of Tennessee's 169 (84.6 percent) 3-pointers on the season and 67 of 72 (93.1 percent) in SEC games.
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 seventh in the Feb. 14 NCAA statistics with a 48.1 percent (64-of-133) success rate behind the arc ... He currently leads the Southeastern Conference with his 48.1 percent (64-of-133) 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 third in the SEC with 2.67 3-pointers per game.
- His 48.1 percent (64-of-133) 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.
- Two times this season he has made six 3-pointers in a game (against North Carolina and at Florida).
- Lofton's 64 3-pointers rank eighth on Tennessee's single-season lists and are the second-most ever by a Tennessee freshman ... Allan Houston holds UT's freshman record with 83 triples in 1989-90.
- 66.7 percent (64-of-96) of Lofton's field goals this season have come behind the 3-point line.
- His 11.7 points per game ranks third on the UT roster this season. In conference game he is averaging 11.4 points per game ... He has led Tennessee in scoring six times.
- He ranks second on the team with 33 steals ... He recorded a career-high four steals at Louisville (1/22/05).
- His 49.2 percent shooting from the field is fourth 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.
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 4.79 assists per game ... He currently ranks second on the team with 12.5 points per game.
- In conference games he leads the team with 13.3 points per game and is making 40.0 percent (20-of-50) of his 3-pointers.
- His 39.3 percent (42-of-107) 3-point shooting ranks second on the team ... He ranks eighth all-time at Tennessee with 110 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 420 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).
- Watson's 44 steals through 24 games lead the Vols ... His 1.83 steals per game rank sixth in the SEC ... Watson finished his sophomore season with 45 steals ... 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.
- In his last seven games he is averaging a team-high 15.0 points on 47.8 percent (33-of-69) shooting that includes 47.1 percent (16-of-34) shooting from 3-point range ... He is 23-of-28 (82.1 percent) from the free throw line in his last seven games.
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.
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 1,188 points in 108 career games ... He currently ranks fourth on the team with 11.4 points and is second with 5.3 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.
- He needs 12 points to become 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 30th all-time at Tennessee with 1,188 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 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in the two games since his return ... Against Florida (2/12/05) he led the Vols with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Patterson's Up To His Old Tricks
Andre Patterson's 6.1 rebounds per game leads Tennessee and his 58.1 percent shooting from the field is second 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) ... Four times this season he has recorded double figure rebounding marks, including three 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.
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 11 SEC games the sophomore guard is averaging 18.8 minutes per game ... In non-conference games he averaged 1.7 assists but has improved that to 2.5 in league games.
- When Tennessee has gone to a smaller lineup he has started three games and is averaging 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
- 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.
Wingate Moves Into Starting Lineup
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 third on the team with 9.3 points and second with 4.4 rebounds per game in the seven 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 198-84 (.702) in its 18th season in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 99-25 (.798) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- The Vols are 45-16 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.
