University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee vs. Kentucky - Game Preview
February 28, 2005 | Men's Basketball
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| Tennessee Volunteers vs. Kentucky Wildcats
RADIO
TV LIVE STATS RANKINGS: THE COACHES: Kentucky Wildcats
Coach Peterson | Peterson on close games
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Tennessee Trends
- If the season were to end today, Tennessee would have the SEC East's fifth seed and would play in the 7:30 (EST) game in the first round of the SEC Tournament. As the East's fifth seed, Tennessee would be matched up with the West's fourth seed. At this time, Arkansas is fourth in the West.
- Tennessee is 2-5 in SEC road games but has played its opponents exceptionally close on the road. UT's five conference road losses have come by a combined 15 points. The Vols' worst SEC road loss was a 62-67 decision at Vanderbilt (2/2/05). Two losses by been by two points and two have been 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 367 assists against 363 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 needs three 3-pointers to break Allan Houston's school record for 3-pointers by a freshman. Lofton has made 81 3-pointers in 27 games this season while Houston made 83 in 30 games during the 1989-90 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 three 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 nine games.
- Brandon Crump returned to the Tennessee lineup against Alabama (2/9/05) after missing four games with a sprained ankle. In the five games since his return, he is averaging 11.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game. He recorded his first double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds against South Carolina (2/23/05).
- Against Florida (2/12/05) Crump became the 23rd UT player to record 600 career rebounds. In 111 career games he has 620 rebounds. He ranks 23rd all-time at UT with 1,229 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 (9 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 436 career assists.
- UT's starters have accounted for 80.4 percent (1,505 of 1,872 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 1,343-882-2 in its 96th season of basketball.
- UT needs one more home win this season 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, 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 | Kentucky |
| 69.3 | Points | 75.2 |
| 69.3 | Opponent Points | 61.3 |
| Even | Scoring Margin | +13.8 |
| .457 | Field Goal % | .463 |
| .456 | Opponent Field Goal % | .404 |
| .380 | Three-Point % | .341 |
| .373 | Opponent Three-Point % | .318 |
| .690 | Free Throw % | .663 |
| 32.6 | Rebounds | 36.1 |
| 33.8 | Opponent Rebounds | 33.2 |
| -1.1 | Rebounding Margin | +2.8 |
| 13.6 | Assists | 15.6 |
| 13.4 | Turnovers | 12.7 |
| 3.3 | Blocks | 4.7 |
| 7.3 | Steals | 9.3 |
| 12-15 | Record | 22-3 |
| Individual Statistical Leaders | ||
| Tennessee | Stat Category | Kentucky |
| McFadgon, 14.1 | Points | Azubuike, 14.9 |
| Patterson, 6.4 | Rebounds | Hayes, 8.3 |
| Watson, 4.9 | Assists | Sparks, 3.8 |
| Crump, .591 | Field Goal % | Morris, .527 |
| Lofton, .482 | Three-Point % | Sparks, .371 |
| Lofton, .865 | Free Throw % | Sparks, .760 |
Looking At Kentucky
Kentucky wrapped up its 43rd Southeastern Conference championship with a 78-71 victory at Alabama Saturday, Feb. 26 ... The Wildcats are playing their final home game before finishing their regular season schedule at Florida Sunday, March 6 ... Kentucky is 80-4 on Senior Day since 1920 and has won 39 of its last 40 ... Tennessee is 1-10 all-time against the Wildcats on Senior Day with the Vols' lone win coming in 1927 ... This is UT's first trip to Lexington on Senior Day since the 1992 season ... UK's roster lists two seniors, Josh Carrier and Chuck Hayes ... The Wildcats are led by junior guard/forward Kelenna Azubuike's 14.9 points per game ... Azubuike had one of his best career games last week with a 30-point, 11-rebound outing against Auburn ... Patrick Sparks, who led the 'Cats with 26 points on 7-of-10 3-point shooting in the win over Alabama Saturday, is second on the team with 11.6 points per game ... Hayes, a senior forward from Modesto, Calif., leads UK with 8.3 rebounds per game ... UK has won 48 of its last 52 games against SEC opponents ... Kentucky can boast the SEC's best defense ... The Wildcats are leading the SEC in scoring defense (61.3 ppg), field goal percentage defense (40.4 percent) and steals (9.28 spg) ... Over the last two seasons, UK has held 55 of its 57 opponents below 50 percent shooting ... Rajon Rondo holds the UK record for freshman steals and is leading the SEC with 2.64 steals per game ... UK needs two wins to become the first school to reach the 1,900 all-time win mark ... Kentucky has an all-time record of 1,898-577-1 ... Tubby Smith is 213-55 in his eighth season at Kentucky and 337-117 in 14 years as a head coach.
The Kentucky Series
Kentucky leads the all-time series 135-62 ... This will be the 198th meeting all-time between the two schools ... Kentucky won the first meeting this season, an 82-64 decision in Knoxville Jan. 25 ... It was UK's sixth consecutive win in the series ...The Wildcats hold a 79-15 advantage when playing in Lexington ... Tennessee was the second team ever and the first SEC team to defeat Kentucky at Rupp Arena when the Vols took a 71-67 win on Jan. 12, 1977 ... Utah was the first opponent to win in Rupp when the Utes defeated the Wildcats 70-68 on Dec. 18, 1976 in the finals of the UK Invitation Tournament ... Kentucky leads the series 47-43 when played in Knoxville ... Tennessee's 62 wins against the Wildcats more than any other Kentucky opponent ... Vanderbilt has beaten UK 37 times to rank second ... Kentucky's 135 wins against Tennessee are the most of any Volunteer opponent ... Tennessee is 15-12 all-time against Kentucky when the Wildcats are not ranked ... The Kentucky series is Tennessee's oldest and most played among SEC opponents ... The Vols and Wildcats first met on Feb. 5, 1910 ... That was just the second season that the University of Tennessee fielded a basketball team.
Kentucky Connections
Freshman Chris Lofton is a native of Maysville, Ky. ... He is the third Kentucky Mr. Basketball to play for the Vols, joining Allan Houston (1989) and Jermaine Brown (1991) ... As a high school All-America Buzz Peterson was heavily recruited by Kentucky and even orally committed to the Wildcats before reversing his decision and signing with North Carolina ... Peterson and Kentucky's Tubby Smith both served as head coach at Tulsa University ... Peterson led the Golden Hurricane to a 2001 NIT championship in his lone season in the Sooner state while Smith was 79-43 and made two Sweet 16 appearances in four seasons at Tulsa (1991-95) ... Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart worked at Tennessee from 1986-98 ... Barnhart was UT's Senior Associate Athletic Director from 1996-98 ... UK's Smith and Tennessee track coach Bill Webb attended High Point University in North Carolina together in the 1970s ... Teammates on both the High Point basketball and track and field teams, they comprised half of the shuttle hurdle relay team that set a school record that still stands today ... Webb has led the Tennessee men's track and field team to 2001 outdoor and 2002 indoor national championships ... Smith led UK to the 1998 NCAA basketball championship ... UK assistant media relations director Mandy Polley attended the same high school (Mason County HS) as UT's Chris Lofton.
Last Meeting With Kentucky
Kentucky remained undefeated in Southeastern Conference action with an 84-62 win over Tennessee on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at Thompson-Boling Arena ... The seventh-ranked Wildcats improved to 6-0 in league play to remain the only undefeated team in SEC action ... Chris Lofton gave the Vols a 21-20 lead in the first half but UK hit three 3-pointers in a row to go on a 19-5 run late in the first half to take a 44-33 lead at halftime ... Tennessee cut Kentucky's lead to 49-43 on a 3-pointer by Scooter McFadgon but the Wildcats responded with a 15-3 run to regain control of the game ... The Vols were without second-leading scorer Brandon Crump, who suffered a sprained ankle three days earlier at Louisville ... Kentucky's second leading scorer and top rebounder Chuck Hayes suffered a broken nose late in the first half and was not able to return ... Lofton led UT with 17 points on 5-of-9 3-point shooting ... Major Wingate continued his improved play with a career-high 14 points to go with six rebounds.
Last Game: Lofton's Career-High Almost Brings UT A Win At Arkansas
Chris Lofton scored a career-high 30 points but the Vols couldn't overcome a talented young Arkansas team as Tennessee fell 68-70 Saturday, Feb. 26, in Fayetteville, Ark. ... The Vols had a chance to tie the game but were unable to get a clean look at the basket and C.J. Watson's shot bounced off the rim as time expired ... After trailing 32-37 at halftime, Tennessee stormed back to take a 46-45 lead on a Lofton 3-pointer with 13:49 left in the game ... The Vols eventually built a 61-56 lead on a Major Wingate jumper with 7:45 left ... Arkansas went on a 6-0 run to take a 62-61 lead but Lofton drilled another 3-pointer to give UT a 65-62 advantage with 6:13 remaining ... A pair of Olu Famutimi free throws and a 3-pointer by Eric Ferguson with 4:00 minutes left gave the Razorbacks the lead for good ... Brandon Crump cut the lead to one with a lay-in with 59 seconds left ... Dontell Jefferson ended the scoring by making one of two free throws with 23 seconds on the clock ... Lofton's game-high 30 points came on 7-of-14 3-point shooting ... Andre Patterson and Crump each added 11 points for the Vols ... Patterson led UT with eight rebounds ... The Vols were without leading scorer Scooter McFadgon, who was out with a leg injury for the third consecutive game ... Ronnie Brewer led the Hogs with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Bernard King One Of 16 Finalist For 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 4 at the NCAA men's Final Four in St. Louis.
Allan Houston A Finalist For Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award
Former Vol and current New York Knick Allan Houston is one of four finalists for the Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award that will be presented at the 9th annual Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast, on April 2 during the Final Four in St. Louis ... Other finalists include Grant Hill (Orlando Magic), Bobby Jones (5-time NBA All Star) and coach Lorenzo Romar (University of Washington) ... The award is presented to a past or present college or professional basketball player or coach, whom best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the court and in the community ... John Wooden was selected as the model for this award because his life, on and off the court, personifies the highest level of moral character, integrity, and faith ... Houston played for UT from 1990-93 and stands as the school's all-time leading scorer and 14th in NCAA history with 2,801 career points.
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 40.4 percent (161-of-399) from beyond the 3-point arc ... Lofton, a freshman, is leading the Southeastern Conference with his 48.2 percent (81-of-168) 3-point shooting ... Watson is shooting 38.1 percent (43-of-113) from 3-point range while McFadgon is converting 31.4 percent (37-of-118) of his triples ... The trio has made 161 of Tennessee's 190 (84.7 percent) 3-pointers on the season and 85 of 93 (91.2 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 sixth in the Feb. 21 NCAA statistics with a 47.5 percent (67-of-141) success rate behind the arc ... He currently leads the Southeastern Conference with his 48.2 percent (81-of-168) 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 3.00 3-pointers per game.
- His 48.2 percent (81-of-168) 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 81 3-pointers rank fifth 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.
- 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 3.00 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.
- 67.5 percent (81-of-120) of Lofton's field goals this season have come behind the 3-point line.
- His 13.1 points per game ranks second on the UT roster this season ... In conference game he is averaging 14.1 points per game ... He has led Tennessee in scoring nine times ... His 13.1 points per game on the season ranks third 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).
- He ranks second on the team with 37 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 4.85 assists per game ... He currently ranks third on the team with 12.2 points per game.
- In conference games he is third on the team with 12.5 points per game and is making 37.5 percent (21-of-56) of his 3-pointers.
- His 38.1 percent (43-of-113) 3-point shooting ranks second on the team ... He ranks eighth all-time at Tennessee with 111 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 436 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 4.57 assists per game in SEC contests rank second in the league.
- Watson's 51 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 74 points to reach the 1,000 career point milestone ... In 85 career games he has scored 926 points (10.9 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 two 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 1,229 points in 111 career games ... He currently ranks fourth on the team with 11.7 points and is second with 5.4 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 23rd all-time at Tennessee with 1,2298 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 11.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in the five 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 6.4 rebounds per game leads Tennessee and his 57.7 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) ... 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 6.4 rebounds per game ranks 10th in the SEC this season and his 6.9 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 14 SEC games the sophomore guard is averaging 20.9 minutes per game ... In non-conference games he averaged 1.7 assists but has improved that to 2.4 in league games.
- He has drawn six starting assignments in conference action, three of which came when the Vols went with a smaller starting lineup ... He is averaging 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 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.
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 4.1 points and fourth with 3.8 rebounds per game in the 10 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.
