Game 30

March 7, 2002

Tipoff: 3:15 p.m. (EST)

Television: JP Sports

Georgia Dome (24,535)

The Series

Arkansas leads 9-7

at Knoxville: UT leads 5-1

at Fayetteville: UA leads 4-1

Neutral Sites: UA leads 4-1

Last Meeting Tennessee 64, Arkansas 53 Feb. 13, 2002 at Knoxville

TV: JP Sports (Tom Hammon, Larry Conley)

SEC Tournament Bracket (pdf)

AP Poll (UT:nr/UA:nr)
Coaches Poll (UT:nr/UA:nr)

THE COACHES:
Tennessee Volunteers
Buzz Peterson (North Carolina 1986)
Overall Record: 6th year -- 119-65 (.647)
at Tennessee: 1st year -- 14-15
2001-02 Schedule/Results
2001-02 Statistics

Complete UT Release (pdf)
Download Free Acrobat Reader

• SEC Statistics

Arkansas Razorbacks
Mike Anderson (Tulsa 1982)
Overall Record: 1st year -- 1-0
at Arkansas: 1st year -- 1-0
2001-02 Schedule/Results
2001-02 Statistics

Probable Starters

Arkansas (14-14) vs. Tennessee (14-15)
Vols Meet Arkansas in First Round of SEC Tournament

Marcus Haislip was named as a second-team All-SEC selection by the league's coaches.

Tennessee will meet Arkansas in the first round of the 2002 Southeastern Conference Tournament at 3:15 p.m. (EST) Thursday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. The Vols earned the East's No . 4 seed for the second consecutive year with a 7-9 record and a 14-15 overall mark. Arkansas received the No . 5 seed in the West with a 6-10 league mark and a 14-14 overall record. The winner will advance to play the West's No . 1 seed and SEC overall champion Alabama in the second round at 3:15 p.m. Friday.

The Vols depart for Atlanta Tuesday night after practice at Thompson-Boling Arena. Head coach Buzz Peterson and two players will attend a press conference from 1:30-2 p.m. at the Georgia Dome (Gate E Area). UT will then have a practice session that is open to the media but closed to the public from 2-3 p.m. at the Georgia Dome. Arkansas will have its press conference at 12:30 and will then practice from 1-2 p.m.

Entering the 2002 SEC Tournament, Tennessee has won more tournament games than 10 of the 11 other members of the conference. Entering the tournament's 42nd year, the Vols have posted a 52-37 (.584) record and has won four SEC Tournament titles. Only Kentucky (99 wins) has won more SEC Tournament games.

Looking At Arkansas
Arkansas enters the SEC Tournament as the No . 5 seed in the West with a 6-10 record in conference action and a 14-14 overall record. The Razorbacks are coming off an impressive 81-67 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday in Fayetteville. Teddy Gipson led the Razorback with 19 points while Brandon Dean had six rebounds.

* Jannero Pargo leads the Hogs with 16.9 points on the season while Brandon Dean is contributing 12.1 points per game.
* Pargo, a third team All-SEC pick, leads the league with 3.36 three-pointers per game and he ranks second in the SEC by making 44.3 percent of his three-point attempts.
* Arkansas' 673 three-point attempts and 228 three-pointers made rank second the SEC only to Vanderbilt's 255 makes and 687 attempts. The Razorbacks are eighth in the SEC in three-point percentage at 33.9 percent.
* Arkansas leads the league in steals with 10.57 pilfers per game. The Razorbacks' +5.46 turnover margin is also the best in the league.
* Arkansas' schedule ranks as the second-most difficult in the nation according to the March 3 collegerpi.com listings.
* Mike Anderson took over as the interim head coach for the Vanderbilt game last weekend after Nolan Richardson was released from his contract on Friday, March 1. Richardson posted a 389-169 (.697) record in 17 seasons at Arkansas and a 508-206 (.711) mark in 22 seasons as a head coach. Anderson, who spent 17 seasons as an assistant to Richardson, is 1-0 as the interim head coach at Arkansas.

Peterson & Anderson Have Both Led Tulsa To NIT Titles
Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson and Arkansas coach Mike Anderson both have led the University of Tulsa to National Invitation Tournament titles. While Peterson directed the Golden Hurricane to a 26-11 record and a win over Alabama in last season's NIT championship, Anderson won his NIT title as a player. Playing for Nolan Richardson at Tulsa, Anderson was a starter on the 1981 squad that went 26-7 and won the NIT Championship.

The Arkansas Series
Arkansas leads the all-time series, 9-7.

* This is the second all-time meeting between the two schools in the SEC Tournament. Arkansas won the first meeting 102-96 in the second round of the 1998 SEC Tournament in Atlanta.
* Tennessee won the first meeting this season, a 64-53 win in Knoxville on Feb. 13.
* Tennessee leads the all-time series 5-1 when playing in Knoxville. The Vols have won four in a row in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee and Arkansas have met four times on neutral courts with the Razorbacks winning three of those meetings.
* The series is tied 6-6 since the Razorbacks joined the Southeastern Conference prior to the 1991-92 season.
* Tennessee is 3-4 against Arkansas when the Razorbacks are ranked among the Associated Press Top 25.
* The two teams have never met when both were ranked.
* Arkansas has won four straight over Tennessee in Fayetteville. UT's last win in Fayetteville was a 101-91 upset of the 13th-ranked Hogs on Feb. 16, 1993 in Barnhill Arena.
* The Vols are 0-4 in Bud Walton Arena.
* Arkansas is Tennessee's least familiar SEC opponent. The Vols have played fewer games against the Razorbacks than any other league opponent.

Last Meeting With Arkansas
Tennessee never trailed in its 64-53 win over Arkansas on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols took a 2-0 lead on a Brandon Crump lay-in and never looked back as they bounced back from a loss to South Carolina over the weekend. The win was UT's seventh in its last nine games. Tennessee opened a 17-5 lead and never let Arkansas get closer than four points the rest of the game. Tennessee took a 41-31 lead into the half and then withstood a Razorback rally that cut the lead to 57-51 with 4:25 left. A Derek Stribling lay-in ended the rally and Tennessee went on to the win.

* Marcus Haislip led the Vols with a game-high 20 points while Vincent Yarbrough had 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Thaydeus Holden drilled 3-of-4 three-pointers for 13 points.
* J.J. Sullinger led Arkansas with 13 points while Jannero Pargo came off the bench for 10 points.
* Tennessee had one of its best efforts at the free throw line, making 21 of 25 attempts. The Vols were 14-of-14 from the stripe in the first half.
* Tennessee guard Jenis Grindstaff missed the game with a viral infection. Grindstaff had been cleared to return to the lineup after suffering a knee injury against Kentucky a week earlier but was sidelined by the virus.
* Vincent Yarbrough recorded his 1,600th career point, 800th career rebound and 200th career steal in the game.

Tennessee in the SEC Tournament
The Vols are 52-37 all-time in the SEC Tournament. Their four SEC Tournament titles are the second-most of any league member. Only Kentucky (23) and Alabama (6) have won the tournament more times.

* Tennessee's 52 all-time wins in the tournament rank second only to Kentucky's 99 wins.
* Following is how Tennessee has fared in the SEC Tournament against each team:

SEC Tournament In Atlanta
Tennessee is 5-7 in seven previous SEC Tournaments played in the city of Atlanta. The Vols have lost three-straight SEC Tournament games when it is played in Atlanta.

Peterson In Conference Tournaments
Buzz Peterson, who is coaching his first SEC Tournament, is 10-4 all-time in conference tournaments. He was 8-3 in four Southern Conference Tournaments at Appalachian State, including a 2000 SoCon Tournament title. At Tulsa last season his Golden Hurricane were 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament before bowing out to Hawaii in the championship game.

Tennessee Against The Seeds
UT enters the 2002 SEC Tournament as the No . 4 seed in the East and will meet the West's No . 5 seed Arkansas in the first round. The Vols are 1-0 against the West's No . 5 seed since the SEC began seeding the teams in divisions in 1992.

UT As The SEC East's Fourth Seed
Tennessee is 1-1 all-time as the East's No . 4 seed. The Vols' only other appearance as the East's fourth seed came in the 2001 SEC Tournament.

Tennessee vs. SEC West in 2002
The Vols are 4-2 against teams from the SEC's Western Division this season. Tennessee has wins over Mississippi (82-76), Auburn (82-59), at LSU (61-58) and over Arkansas (64-53). UT's two losses to Western teams were at Mississippi State (91-92 in overtime) and at No . 7 Alabama (82-95).

Yarbrough Earns First Team All-SEC,
Haislip Named To Second Team
Vincent Yarbrough has been named a first team All-Southeastern Conference selection and Marcus Haislip was a second team pick in voting by the league's coaches that was announced on Monday, March 4.

Joining Yarbrough on the first team are Alabama's Erwin Dudley, Florida's Udonis Haslem, Georgia's Jarvis Hayes and Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince. On the second team are Florida's Matt Bonner and Brett Nelson, LSU's Ronald Dupree, Mississippi's Justin Reed and Mississippi State's Mario Austin in addition to Haislip.

* Yarbrough, who had been a second team All-SEC pick the last two seasons, becomes the first UT player to earn first team all-conference honors since Tony Harris was a first team pick in 2000.
* It is the first all-conference recognition for Haislip.

Tony White Named An SEC Legend
Tony White will be one of 12 greats from around the Southeastern Conference to be named a Legend of SEC Basketball. White will be honored at halftime of Tennessee's first round game at the SEC Tournament. Nicknamed "The Wizard" because of his explosive, crafty style of play, White was named the 1987 SEC Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring with 24.5 points per game.

He is the UT's single game scoring king with 51 points and is currently the third all-time leading scorer in school history with 2,219 points. He is the sixth leading scorer in SEC history and is one of only five UT players to score more than 2,000 career points.

Noting The 2002 Senior Class
Three Tennessee seniors are winding down their careers in Knoxville. Del Baker, Jenis Grindstaff and Vincent Yarbrough will be playing in their last SEC Tournament this week. The past four seasons have been some of the most successful in school history with these three players on the basketball court.

* Over the last four seasons the Vols have posted an 83-42 record.
* The 83 wins are tied with the 1985 class for the second-most in school history. Only the 2001 (89 wins) senior class won more games.
* Were 53-9 when playing in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Were 39-25 in SEC games.
* Won two SEC Eastern Division titles (1999 and 2000) and one overall SEC title (2000).
* Helped lead the Vols to a school record 26 wins in 1999-2000.

Yarbrough Among SEC Scoring Leaders
Vincent Yarbrough is attempting to become the first Vol to lead the SEC in scoring since Allan Houston led the league with 22.3 points per game in 1993.

Entering the SEC Tournament, Yarbrough is second the SEC with 17.8 points per game. Should he finish the season (postseason games count towards the final statistics) leading the SEC in scoring, it would mark the ninth time UT has had the individual scoring champion.

He would join Ron Widby (22.1 ppg in 1967), Bernard King (26.4 ppg in 1975 and 25.8 in 1977), Ernie Grunfeld (25.3 ppg in 1976), Tony White (22.2 in 1986 and 24.5 in 1987), Dyron Nix (22.2 in 1988) and Allan Houston (22.3 in 1993).

* In games against SEC opponents, Yarbrough finished the season second in the league with 18.6 points per game. Georgia's Jarvis Hayes led the league with 19.1 points per game.

Seniors Lead Vols To Upset Of No. 15 Georgia
Tennessee overcame an 18 point first half deficit to tie the game and then later in the second half overcame an eight point Georgia lead to take a 71-63 overtime victory over the 15th-ranked Bulldogs Saturday, March 2 in Knoxville.

Georgia led the entire game until Marcus Haislip tied it 40-40 on a jumper with 14:45 left. However, the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to take a 48-40 lead. Tennessee fought back to tie the score 54-54 on a free throw with 5:04 remaining. The Vols, who never led during regulation, tied the score 60-60 on a Brandon Crump lay-in with 30.4 seconds on the clock. A shot by Ezra Williams at the buzzer rimmed out and the game went to overtime. In the extra period, Tennessee went 3-of-5 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line while Georgia was just 1-of-9 from the field, as the Vols outscored the Bulldogs 11-3.

* Marcus Haislip recorded his second career double-double by leading Tennessee with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Vincent Yarbrough had 17 points while fellow senior Jenis Grindstaff had 12 points and six assists.
* Jarvis Hayes scored a game-high 28 points on 13-of-25 shooting. Chris Daniels added 12 points and 15 rebounds.
* Seniors Vincent Yarbrough, Del Baker and Jenis Grindstaff played their final game at home.
* The loss cost Georgia the SEC Eastern Division outright title. The Bulldogs ended the regular season sharing the SEC East championship with Florida and Kentucky.
* Tennessee won its fifth in a row on Senior Day.
* The Vols won their third game against a ranked opponent. UT is 3-4 against ranked teams.
* The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Vols and a three-game winning streak for UGA.

Possible 2nd Round Opponent: Alabama
Alabama received the No. 1 seed in the West and a first round bye by virtue of winning the SEC Western Division and the overall SEC championship with a 12-4 conference record and a 24-6 overall mark. The Tide dropped its final regular season game at Ole Miss, 56-84, on Saturday.
* Erwin Dudley leads Alabama with 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Rod Grizzard is second on the squad with 13.8 points per game.
* Alabama swept the SEC postseason honors voted on by the league's coaches with Mark Gottfried winning SEC Coach of the Year, Erwin Dudley winning SEC Player of the Year and Maurice Williams taking home the SEC Freshman of the Year.
* Erwin Dudley was the only player to be a unanimous first team All-SEC pick by the league's coaches. Rod Grizzard was a third team all-conference selection. Maurice Williams was on the All-Freshman team.
* Alabama is second in the SEC by allowing opponents to shoot just 40.2 percent from the field.

The Alabama Series
Alabama leads the all-time series, 65-61

* Tennessee and Alabama have met 11 times in the SEC Tournament with the Tide holding a 7-4 series lead. The two teams have not met in the tournament since 1996 when the Vols won 77-65 in the first round.
* Earlier this season the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide defeated the Vols 95-82 in Tuscaloosa.
* Alabama leads the series 39-15 when it is played in Tuscaloosa.
* UT has lost 15 of its last 16 games against the Crimson Tide when playing in Tuscaloosa.
* Tennessee has won five of the last seven meetings between the two schools.
* Tennessee holds a decisive 43-17 advantage when playing in Knoxville.
* UT leads the series 6-3 when playing in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* The Tennessee - Alabama rivalry is UT's third-oldest in the SEC. Tennessee won the first meeting, 49-13 between the two schools on Feb. 6, 1914. Only Tennessee's series with Kentucky (1910) and Georgia (1913) date back further.

Last Meeting With Alabama
Alabama used a 22-6 run midway through the second half and Tennessee could not recover in an 82-95 loss to the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide Saturday, Feb. 16, in Tuscaloosa. The Vols held the Tide scoreless in the second half until Demetrius Smith hit a three-pointer with 13:26 left. That started a run where Alabama hit eight of its next nine shots to give the Tide a 70-57 advantage with 9:30 remaining in the game. While Alabama was cold coming out of the locker room, missing its first 13 shots, Tennessee wasn't much better. The Vols managed to turn the Tide's 48-42 halftime lead into a 51-48 advantage. Following Bama's big run, UT could get no closer than nine points in the final 10 minutes.

* Marcus Haislip led the Vols with a career-high 30 points. He also had career marks with 12 field goals made, four three-pointers made and five three-pointers attempted. He is the first Vol to score 30 points since Isiah Victor had 34 at Auburn on Jan. 6, 2001.
* Vincent Yarbrough had 17 points and eight rebounds and Jon Higgins added 11 points.
* Erwin Dudley led Alabama with 25 points and seven rebounds. Earnest Shelton added 25 points while Demetrius Smith had 13, Maurice Williams had 11 and Antoine Pettway added 10 points.
* Jenis Grindstaff returned to the Tennessee lineup after missing the Vols' two previous games with a knee injury and a viral infection.
* Tennessee fell to 2-2 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 this season.
* Bama's bench outscored Tennessee's 44-12.
* Alabama shot 46.3 percent from the field while Tennessee shot 45.9 percent from the field.
* Alabama improved its homecourt winning streak to 17 games.

Yarbrough and Haislip Earn NABC All-District Honors
Vincent Yarbrough and Marcus Haislip were both named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)/Pontiac Division I All-District Teams on Tuesday afternoon. Yarbrough was a first team all-District 7 selection while Haislip was selected to the second team. The teams are selected by a panel of member coaches of the NABC. Yarbrough and Haislip, along with players from the other 15 districts, will now be eligible for the NABC/Pontiac Division I All-American Team that will be announced at the conclusion of the season. Joining Yarbrough on the first team are Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince, Memphis' Dajuan Wagner and Kelly Wise and Louisville's Reece Gaines. Haislip is joined by Western Kentucky's Chris Marcus, Tennessee Tech's Damien Kinloch, Austin Peay's Nick Stapleton and Morehead State's Ricky Minard on the second team.

Milestones
* Vincent Yarbrough needs six points for 1,700 in his career and two field goals for 600 in his career.
* Del Baker needs to play in two more games for 100 in his career.
* Brandon Crump needs five points to reach to 200 point mark this season.
* Marcus Haislip needs four field goal attempts for 500 in his career and one three-point attempt for 100 career attempts. He also needs six rebounds to reach the 300 career rebound mark.
* Jon Higgins needs two steals for 100 in his career. He is one point away from 650 in his career.
* Thaydeus Holden needs seven points for 200 on the season.

Yarbrough's Trifecta, Senior reaches 1,600 points / 800 Rebounds / 200 Steals
Vincent Yarbrough reached three milestones in one game when he recorded his 1,600th career point, 800th career rebound and 200th career steal against Arkansas on Feb. 13. He joins Bernard King, Dyron Nix, Carl Widseth and Reggie Johnson as the only players in school history with 1,600 career points and 800 career rebounds. Yarbrough holds the school record with 210 career steals and ranks eighth on UT's career scoring list with 1,694 points and is sixth with 836 career rebounds.

Four Of Tennessee's Last Five Games Against Ranked Teams
Tennessee had a difficult final stretch to the conference season. The Vols played three of their final five games this season on the road against teams ranked in the Top 25 of the Associated Press Poll. UT began the stretch with an 82-95 loss at No . 7 Alabama on Feb. 16 before traveling to Lexington, Ky., on Feb. 19 where the Vols fell to the No . 12 Wildcats, 61-64. Tennessee returned home on Feb. 23 where the Vols fell to in-state rival Vanderbilt 62-67. The Vols traveled to No . 8 Florida on Feb. 26 where they fell 62-68. Tennessee concluded the regular season with a 71-63 overtime win against No . 16 Georgia.

Starters Carrying The Load
Tennessee's starters are scoring better than 80 percent of the Vols' points in Southeastern Conference games this year. UT's bench has been outscored in all but two games (at Georgia on Jan. 12 and at Florida on Feb. 26) against conference opponents. In the last seven games, Tennessee's bench has been outscored 64-165, including 2-26 in the Vols' loss at Kentucky on Feb. 19.

Vols Against Ranked Teams
Tennessee is 3-4 against ranked teams this season, with all of those games coming against teams ranked in the Top 12 by the Associated Press. Following are UT's results against ranked teams this year:

Free Throws The Difference in SEC Play
In Tennessee's SEC wins this season, the Vols are shooting a combined 77.5 percent (117-of-151) from the free throw line. In UT's conference losses, the Vols are shooting just 63.8 percent (120-of-188) from the charity stripe.
* UT's 88.6 percent shooting against Ole Miss was its best effort at the free throw line since making 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) of its free throws against South Carolina on March 10, 2000.

Haislip Leading The Vols In Blocks, Second-Most In SEC
Marcus Haislip's 43 blocks this season are the second-highest number of blocked shots in the Southeastern Conference this year. Only Auburn's Kyle Davis (77) has more rejections this season. What's impressive with Haislip's numbers are that he has only played in 23 of UT's 29 games this year.

* Despite missing UT's first six games, Haislip ranks 10th on Tennessee's single-season charts with 43 blocks.
* He ranks ninth on Tennessee's career blocked shots list with 115 career rejections. He needs seven more blocks to pass Steve Hamer (122 from 1992-96) for eighth on the career list.
* Last year his 51 blocks led the team and ranked fifth on UT's single-season charts despite playing just 13.2 minutes per game.
* Had a career game Feb. 16 at Alabama when he led UT with a career-high 30 points.
* Scored his first career double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds in UT's overtime win against No . 7 Kentucky on Feb. 6.

Yarbrough Climbing Scoring List, Ranks Eighth with 1,694 Points
Vincent Yarbrough has led the Vols in scoring this season and continues his ascent up the Tennessee career scoring lists.

* He ranks eighth on UT's career scoring lists with 1,694 career points.
* He entered his senior season 28th on the school's scoring list with 1,177 points.
* He leads the Vols with 517 points this year.
* Became the first Tennessee player to score 500 points in a season since Steve Hamer scored 529 points in 1995-96.
* His 18.6 points per game in SEC games ranked second in the Southeastern Conference.

Yarbrough Breaks UT Steals Record: Tied For 11th on SEC Career List
Senior forward Vincent Yarbrough became Tennessee's all-time steals leader when he tied a season-high with five steals against West Virginia on Dec. 22. Yarbrough, who now has 210 career pilfers, passed Fred Jenkins (177 steals from 1983-87) for first on the list. Yarbrough leads the Vols this season with 57 steals.

Tennessee Individual Career Steals
1. 210 Vincent Yarbrough, 1999-present
2. 177 Fred Jenkins, 1983-87
3. 173 Tyrone Beaman, 1980-84
4. 154 Dale Ellis, 1979-83

Southeastern Conference Individual Career Steals
1. 310 Clarance Ceasar (LSU), 1992-95
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6. 224 T.J. Cleveland (Arkansas), 1999-present
7. 217 Ray White (Mississippi State), 1976-79
8. 216 Pat Hamilton (Georgia), 1985-89
9. 214 Frank Seckar (Vanderbilt), 1993-96
10. 211 Jason Smith (Ole Miss), 1996-99
11. 210 Vincent Yarbrough (Tennessee), 1999-present

Trio Logging Some Serious Minutes
With the rash of injuries this season three Vols have been relied upon heavily for their contributions. Vincent Yarbrough, Marcus Haislip and Jon Higgins are each averaging more than 30 minutes per game this year. Yarbrough leads UT with 35.2 minutes per game while Haislip (33.8 mpg) and Higgins (32.9 mpg) are also over the 30 minute mark.
* Over the last 10 games, Yarbrough (37.2 mpg), Haislip (37.0 mpg) and Higgins (34.4 mpg) are each averaging more than 34 minutes per game.

Vols Win 5 Straight On Senior Day
Tennessee has a five game winning streak on Senior Day after defeating Georgia 71-63 in overtime on March 2. The Vols have not lost their final home game since a 64-74 loss to third-ranked Kentucky on Feb. 25, 1997.

2002 Vols Have Most Close Calls Since 1983
Tennessee has had more than its share of games decided by one shot this year. The Vols have had 10 of their 28 games this season decided by three points or less. It is the most games decided by three or fewer points since the 1972, 1980 and 1983 teams had 11 games decided by three points or less. The school record for close calls is by the 1981-82 team that had 13 games decided by three points or less.

More Close Calls
With all of the close calls this season for the Vols, a good heart medication may be in order for head coach Buzz Peterson. Sixteen of UT's last 23 games have been decided by six points or less. Ten of those games were decided by three points or less.

Vols Have 13 Games Decided By Five Points Or Less
After losing their first seven games that were decided by four points or less, the Vols have put to use the lessons they learned from that experience. The Vols are 4-9 in games that are decided by five points or less on the year. UT went 0-7 in its first seven games decided by five or fewer points. Since then the Vols have won four of their last six by that margin.
* Tennessee fell at Louisville (72-73 on Dec. 20) and at Mississippi State (91-92 in overtime on
Jan. 16) by one point and has two -point losses at Memphis (69-71 on Dec. 15) and to West Virginia (72-74 on Dec. 22). UT fell at Wisconsin by three points (62-65 on Dec. 29) and at Georgia (73-70 on Jan. 12). The Vols lost to third-ranked Florida by four points (100-104 in overtime on Jan. 9) and to Vanderbilt by five points (62-67 on Feb. 23).
* Since losing their first seven games decided by five points or less, the Vols have won four of their last six games decided by that margin. UT has wins against No . 8 Syracuse (66-62 on Jan. 19), at LSU (61-58 on Jan. 30), at Vanderbilt (67-65 on Feb. 2) and vs. No . 7 Kentucky (76-74 in overtime on Feb. 6). UT fell at No . 12 Kentucky 61-64 on Feb. 19.

UT's Nine Losses By Five Points Or Less Are Most In The Nation
According to research by STATS, Inc., Tennessee's nine losses by five points or less are tied for the most in NCAA Division I this season.

Vols' Schedule 5th, SEC No . 1 In RPI
It hasn't been an easy road for the Volunteers and the computers are backing that up. According to collegerpi.com, Tennessee's schedule ranks as the fifth-most difficult in the nation this year. The Southeastern Conference is rated as the toughest conference by the website. Tennessee is ranked 64th in the March 3 RPI. Following is a listing of the top conferences according to the March 3 RPI:

Last Second Losses Sink Vols
For Tennessee this season, the difference between being 14-15 on the year and potentially 21-8 is a matter of 16 points and less than 10 seconds. Four times this season a Vol opponent has hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation that has helped decide the game while one time a UT three-point attempt at the buzzer that would have tied the game rimmed out. Eight of UT's 15 losses this year have been decided by a combined total of 19 points. Following are Tennessee's games that went down to the last possession.

* At Memphis, Thaydeus Holden made the first free throw of a two -shot foul to bring UT to 69-71 with 1.9 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second but Memphis was able to grab the rebound to seal the win.
* Louisville's Reece Gaines hit a three-pointer for the lead with 1.8 seconds left in the game to give the Cardinals a 73-72 win.
* West Virginia's Jonathan Hargett hit a three-pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining to give the Mountaineers a 74-72 victory.
* UT's Thaydeus Holden had a three-pointer that would have tied the game at the buzzer rim out against Wisconsin. The Badgers took a 65-62 win in Madison.
* Florida's Brett Nelson hit a 25-foot three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 94-94. The third-ranked Gators went on to a 104-100 overtime win.
* Georgia's Ezra Williams picked up a loose ball and fired up a three-pointer as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 73-70 win.
* Mississippi State's Timmy Bowers hit one of two free throws with nine seconds left in overtime to give the Bulldogs a 92-91 win. Marcus Haislip's shot at the end of regulation was off the mark and then Jon Higgins' three-pointer at the end of the overtime also missed.
* Vincent Yarbrough hit a driving shot with 4.3 seconds left to give Tennessee a 67-65 lead at Vanderbilt. Chuck Moore's three-pointer as time expired rimmed out to give the Vols the win.
* Kentucky's Gerald Fitch hit a three-pointer with 2.0 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 70-70 and send it into overtime. Tennessee won the game 76-74 in the extra period.

Slay Out For The Year With Knee Injury
Junior Ron Slay is out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in the first half of UT's win over eighth-ranked Syracuse Jan. 19. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Slay underwent successful surgery to repair his ACL on Thursday, Jan. 31, at the UT Medical Center. This year was an injury-plagued year for the Nashville native. He missed UT's first two games of the season and was limited through the Vols' first five games after suffering a stress fracture to the fibula in his right leg in October.

* Slay averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds before the injury.
* He needs just 47 points to reach the 1,000 career point mark. He has scored 953 points in 80 career games.
* He had led or tied for the team lead in rebounding in six of the eight games before the injury.
* At the time of the injury his 32 offensive rebounds ranked second on the team.

Holden Named SEC's "Best Junior College Import"
The Sporting News named Tennessee junior guard Thaydeus Holden the "Best Junior College Import" in the Southeastern Conference in its Jan. 7 issue. Holden, a transfer from Seward County (Kan.) Community College, is averaging 6.7 points for the Vols this season.

Higgins Named To SEC Good Works Team
Jon Higgins was featured as the SEC Good Works Team Player of the Week on Jefferson-Pilot's telecasts the week of Jan. 23-27. Higgins served as a tutor for the 21st Century Club that helps inner city youth in Cleveland, Ohio . He participates in April Play Day with the Knoxville Boys & Girls Club and regularly reads to children at local schools. It is the second time that Higgins has been named to the Good Works Team. He also received the honor last season.

Vols Sign Top 10 Recruiting Class
Buzz Peterson officially announced during the early signing period that five student-athletes have signed national letters of intent with Tennessee to join the Volunteer basketball team beginning with the 2002-03 season. Joining the Vols are Stanley Asumnu, C.J. Watson, John Winchester, Justin Albrecht and Justin "Boomer" Herndon.

* Asumnu, a 6-foot-4 wing from Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, is rated as one of the Top 10 fifth-year prep school players this season. Last year he averaged 23 points and five assists while playing for Westbury Christian School in Houston, Texas.
* Watson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev., who is a consensus Top 100 player, was the 2001 Nevada State Player of the Year after averaging 15 points, four assists and three steals per game.
* Winchester, a 6-foot-3 guard from Milford Academy in Milford, Conn., who is a consensus Top 75 player, Winchester averaged 20 points and six rebounds last season at Marist School in Bayonne, N.J.
* Albrecht, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, averaged 10 points, six rebounds and three assists as a freshman last season. A starter in every game last year, Albrecht led Iowa Western with 44 charges drawn.
* Herndon averaged 22.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 7.7 blocks at Donelson Christian Academy in Nashville, Tenn., last year. The 7-foot, 240-pound center increased his scoring average from 12.4 points to 22.8 points per game between his sophomore and junior season.
* Tennessee's recruiting class is ranked among the Top 10 recruiting classes in the nation by several recruiting services. The Bob Gibbons All Star Report lists Buzz Peterson's first class as the No . 9 recruiting class in the nation.
* The Vols' recruiting class not only represents some of the best players from the state of Tennessee, it also reaches to some of the best talent around the nation. In all, five states are represented in UT's recruiting class.

Homecourt Advantage
Thompson-Boling Arena has been one of the most difficult places for opponents to play over the last four seasons.

* Since the 1998 season, the Vols are 65-11 (.855) in Thompson-Boling Arena.
* Tennessee is 51-9 (.850) since the 1999 season at home. UT recorded a 14-1 record in 1999, a 15-1 mark in 2000 and 12-3 in 2001.
* The Vols are 31-10 against SEC teams at home over the last four seasons.
* UT's 38-game winning streak against non-conference games at home came to an end earlier this season with a 72-74 last second loss to West Virginia on Dec. 22.
* In 2001, Tennessee was 12-3 at home.

Versatile Vincent
In his fourth season at Tennessee, Vincent Yarbrough has proven that he can do most anything on the court for the Vols. Yarbrough has proven himself worthy of being a two -time Wooden Award candidate. Following are some of his accomplishments:

* Holds the UT record for career steals with 210.
* Has scored 1,694 career points to rank eighth all-time at Tennessee.
* Ranks seventh all-time with 129 career blocks.
* Ranks among the Top 10 at Tennessee in three-pointers made and attempted.
* Ranked among the Top 10 in 10 different statistical categories against SEC teams in 2001.
* Has led the Vols in scoring, rebounding and steals in each of the previous two seasons.
* Has 274 career offensive rebounds to his credit, an average of 2.2 per game.
* Scored in double figures 87 times and has 17 career double figure rebounding efforts.
* Led Tennessee in scoring 40 times and rebounding 50 times in his career.