North Carolina Visits Knoxville To Take On Tennessee

North Carolina will travel to Knoxville to take on Tennessee who is a member  of the South Eastern Conference Sunday.

Carolina is 9-1. This is the sixth time in the last 15 years the Tar Heels are 9-1 or 10-0 in the first 10 games. UNC was 10-0 in 2007-08 and 2008-09 and 9-1 in 2004-05, 2006-07, 2016-17 and 2017-18.
• UNC is seventh in both the AP and coaches polls. Tennessee is 20th in both polls. 
• This is the 12th time a  Roy Williams -UNC team has played an AP top 20, non-ACC opponent on the road. The Tar Heels are 4-7 in those games with wins at No. 19 Connecticut on 2/13/2005, No. 10 Kentucky on  12/3/2005, No. 17 Arizona on 1/27/2007 and No. 1 Michigan State on 12/4/2013.
• Carolina is sixth and Tennessee is seventh in the NCAA's RPI (as of 12/14).
• Carolina's first 10 opponents had an average RPI of 109, the 15th-highest in the country.
• The Tar Heels are playing for the first time in 11 days (last game Dec. 6th vs. Western Carolina). UNC had played seven times in 14 days prior to the break for final exams.
• The win over Western Carolina was the 1,100th as a college coach for Roy Williams  – 825 as a head coach (418 at Kansas, 407 at UNC) and 275 as an assistant for 10 years to Dean Smith at Carolina.
• Luke Maye  is averaging 14.4 points more per game than he did a year ago (increase from 5.5 to 19.9). No Tar Heel has ever increased his scoring average from one season to the next by that amount.
• The largest increase in scoring from one season to another by a Tar Heel is 12.1 points by Donald Williams from his freshman to sophomore season. Williams averaged 2.2 points in 1991-92 and 14.3 in 1992-93. The Garner, N.C., native scored 25 points in the 1993 national semifinal vs. Kansas and 25 more in the national championship vs. Michigan to earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.
• Two other Tar Heels – Larry Brown (4.5 in 1960-61 to 16.5 in 1961-62) and Reyshawn Terry (2.3 in 2004-05 to 14.3 in 2005-06) increased their averages by 12.0 per game. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


CAROLINA-TENNESSEE SERIES
• The Tar Heels are 9-1 against the Volunteers, although the schools from neighboring states have only played four times in the last 70 years (all in the last 19 seasons).
• Roy Williams  is 3-0 against Tennessee, all while head coach at UNC.
• Carolina did not play against Tennessee during Dean Smith's 36-year tenure as UNC's head coach.
• UNC has won the last four meetings – 3/24/2000 in Austin, Texas, in the NCAA South Regional Sweet 16; 11/23/2004 in Maui; 11/24/2006 in Madison Square Garden in the PreSeason NIT; and 12/11/16 in Chapel Hill.
• UNC is 1-1 in Knoxville (both in Alumni Gym), winning on 1/5/1929 and losing on 1/31/1949. 
• Roy Williams  and Rick Barnes are 6-6 in head-to-head coaching matchups. Williams was 4-1 from 1999-2003 when he was the head coach at Kansas and Barnes was at Texas; Texas won five of six games between the Longhorns and Tar Heels from 2004-15; and Williams led UNC to the win over the Vols last year. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


LAST YEAR: UNC 73, TENNESSEE 71
Dec. 11, 2016 in Chapel Hill
• Carolina rallied from a 15-point deficit in the first half (13-28 and 15-30) and an eight-point halftime deficit (36-44) to beat the Vols, 73-71. 
• The 15-point comeback was Carolina's largest since 2/17/14, when UNC rallied from a 21-6 deficit at Florida State to win, 81-75. The eight-point halftime deficit was the largest in a UNC win since 3/12/11 when UNC trailed Clemson, 38-28, but won 92-87 in overtime in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
• It was the largest deficit the eventual national champions overcame all season.
• Tennessee scored 44 points on 38 possessions in the first half and 27 points on 39 possessions in the second half. 
• Tennessee shot 65.4 percent from the floor in the first half. It tied the fourth highest percentage in a half by an opponent in Smith Center history.
• The Tar Heels had 22 offensive rebounds and scored 25 second-chance points. 
• Senior Nate Britt made a career-high five steals and tied his career high with seven assists. 
• Three Tar Heels scored in double figures – Kenny Williams  with 12, Nate Britt with 11 and Tony Bradley with 10.
• Joel Berry II did not play for the second consecutive game due to a sprained left ankle. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


GAME 10:
UNC 104, WESTERN CAROLINA 61
• Carolina won its 23rd home game in a row (tying the fifth-most in school history) and 22 in a row at home vs. non-ACC opponents with a 43-point win over Western Carolina.
• It was just the second game between the schools and the first since 1957.
• Carolina scored a season-high 104 points (second time this year with 100 or more points).
• The 43-point margin of victory was the largest this season.
• The Tar Heel shot a school-record 72.7 percent from three-point range, making 16 of 22 from behind the arc. That is a single-game record for at least 20 three-point attempts (previous 17 of 25, 68.0 percent, vs. Florida State on 1/25/1995).
• UNC made 16 threes, tying the most in the Roy Williams Era (vs. Maryland, 2/3/2009) and the second-most in any game in UNC history.
• Six different Tar Heels made multiple threes (4 by Jaylek Felton , 3 by Kenny Williams and Andrew Plateck , 2 by Joel Berry II, Luke Maye  and Brandon Robinson.) "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


Single-Game 3FG Percentage in UNC History  
(20 or more attempts)
.727 vs. Western Carolina, 12/6/2017 (16 of 22)
.680 vs. Florida State, 1/25/1995 (17 of 25) "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


Single-Game 3FG Percentage in UNC History
(10 or more made)
.733 vs. Wake Forest, 2/22/2014 (11 of 15)
.727 vs. Western Carolina, 12/6/2017 (16 of 22)
.706 vs. Hofstra, 11/18/2010 (12 of 17) "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


Single-Game 3FGs in UNC History
17 vs. Florida State, 1/25/1995
16 vs. Western Carolina, 12/6/2017
16 vs. Maryland, 2/3/2009
16 vs. North Carolina A&T, 12/27/2001 "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx

• It was the second game in a row UNC shot 50 percent or better in both halves (.643 in the first and .514 in the second).
• UNC has shot 50 percent or better in each of the last five halves.
• UNC sored 53 points in the first half, most in any first half this year.
• UNC scored 50 or more points in both halves for the first time this year (scored 50 or more in eight halves this year).
• UNC had a season-high 31 assists, the second-most in the Roy Williams  Era (first time with 30 or more since 12/16/15 vs. Tulane), and finished with 31 assists on 37 field goals.
• UNC turned the ball over a season-high 17 times (previous 16 in the loss to Michigan State)
• UNC went on a 20-0 run for the first time since it did that twice against NC State on 1/8/2017.
• Luke Maye  posted his sixth double-double this year (12/12) and tied his career high with five assists. It was the fourth game in a row Maye set or tied a career high (11 FGs vs. Michigan, 17 rebounds at Davidson, 4 blocks vs. Tulane, 5 assists vs. WCU).
• Maye has scored 199 points in the first 10 games; last year, he scored 194 in 35 games.
• Theo Pinson  tied his season-high with seven assists. It was the seventh time in 10 games this year and the 28th time in his career Pinson led the team in assists.
• Kenny Williams  was 3 for 4 from three-point range en route to 13 points. It was the fourth time this year he made at least three 3FGs.
• Andrew Platek  made a season-high three 3FGs and had a season-high three assists and finished with 11 points, his second game in double figures in scoring.
• Jalek Felton  scored a season-high 15 points (first time leading UNC in scoring) and was a season-best 4 for 4 from three-point range. Felton also had a season-high five assists.
• Brandon Robinson  made a career-high two three-pointers and scored a career-high 10 points. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


MAYE-HEM
• Junior forward Luke Maye  is a two-time ACC Player of the Week. He earned the award following the season opener vs. Northern Iowa and after wins over Michigan, Davidson and Tulane. 
• Maye leads Carolina in scoring (19.9), rebounding (10.5), field goals made and attempted (80 for 140), blocks (11) and minutes (31.3).
• Maye is second in the ACC in rebound, third in scoring and eighth in field goal percentage. 
• Maye has scored 197 points in UNC's first 10 games. Last year, as a sophomore, he scored 194 points in 35 games (missed five games due to an ankle injury early in the season).
• Maye is eighth in the country in double-doubles (six), 11th in field goals and 12th in rebounds per game.
• Maye is eighth in Ken Pomeroy's statistical rankings for national player of the year, an award Brice Johnson won in 2015-16.
• Maye has made 10 or more field goals in a game four times – 11 vs. UNI, Arkansas and Michigan and 10 at Davidson. Last year, the entire roster combined to make 10 or more field goals four times in 40 games – Justin Jackson twice and Joel Berry II and Kennedy Meeks one time each."according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


10 OR MORE FIELD GOALS IN A GAME, 2017-18
Luke Maye – 11 vs. UNI
Luke Maye – 11 vs. Arkansas
Luke Maye – 11 vs. Michigan
Luke Maye – 10 at Davidson "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


10 OR MORE FIELD GOALS IN A GAME, 2016-17
Joel Berry II– 12 at Clemson
Kennedy Meeks– 11 vs. Oregon
Justin Jackson– 10 vs. Kentucky
Justin Jackson– 10 vs. Virginia Tech "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx

• The Huntersville, N.C., native has scored 20 or more points in seven games and has 25 or more points three times.
• Maye scored in double figures six times in his first two years with a high of 17 against Kentucky in the 2017 NCAA regional final.
• Maye had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five assists against Arkansas on Nov. 24th. He was the first Tar Heel to reach 28/16/5 in a game since Mitch Kupchak vs. Mercer in 1976.
• Maye has 10 or more rebounds six times this year and eight times in his career. Three times he grabbed 15 or more – 17 at Davidson, 16 vs. Arkansas and 15 last year vs. Florida State.
• Maye was selected to the all-tournament team in the Victory bracket at the PK80 Invitational.
• Maye has set or tied a career high in each of the last four games – field goals vs. Michigan (tied with 11), rebounds at Davidson (17), blocks vs. Tulane (4) and assists vs. Western Carolina (tied with five). "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


FINAL FOUR MOP JOEL BERRY II
• Senior point guard Joel Berry II is second on the team in scoring with a career-high 16.0 points per game (previous high was 14.7 as a junior).
• Berry has scored in double figures in seven of the nine games in which he has played and has more assists than turnovers in seven (was even in assist/turnovers in his other two games). He has 33 assists and 12 turnovers, a career-best ratio of 2.75 to one. His previous best a/to ratio was 2.44 as a sophomore. It was 1.92 last year when he led UNC to the NCAA title.
• The Apopka, Fla., native is second on the team in three-pointers with 21 and is shooting a team-high 88.1 percent from the free throw line.
• Berry is eighth all-time at UNC in three-pointers (194), 17th in free throw percentage (.816), 21st in assists (368) and 41st in scoring (1,340).
• Marcus Paige (299) and Jeff Lebo (211) are the only Tar Heels who played most of their minutes at the point with more career threes than Berry. 
• Berry has scored 869 more points than any Tar Heel on the roster ( Theo Pinson  is second with 471). "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


MOST POINTS – UNC CAREER
39. Ty Lawson – 1,375, 2006-09
40. Danny Green – 1,368, 2005-09
41. Joel Berry II – 1,340, 2014-active
42. Rusty Clark – 1,339, 1966-69
43. Pete Brennan – 1,334, 1955-58 "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


MOST THREE-POINTERS  — UNC career
1. Marcus Paige – 299, 2012-16
2. Shammond Williams – 233, 1994-98
3. Wayne Ellington – 229, 2006-09
4. Rashad McCants – 221, 2002-05
4. Donald Williams – 221, 1991-95
6. Jeff Lebo – 211, 1985-89
7. Hubert Davis  – 197, 1988-92
8. Joel Berry  – 194, 2014-active
9. Dante Calabria – 193, 1992-96
10. Reggie Bullock – 188, 2010-13 "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


MOST ASSISTS – UNC CAREER
19. Larry Drew II – 378, 2008-11
20. John Kuester – 370, 1973-77
21. Joel Berry – 368, 2014-active
22. Mike O'Koren – 348, 1976-80 according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


• Berry is a preseason first-team All-America by ESPN.com, second-team All-America by USA Today and Sporting News' third team selection.
• Berry is on the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award, the Oscar Robertson Award (USBWA Player of the Year) and the Naismith Award (all for National Player of the Year) and the Bob Cousy Award (best point guard). 
• He also was a preseason first-team All-ACC selection and received the second-most votes for preseason player of the year (tied with Duke's Grayson Allen behind Notre Dame's Bonzie Colson).
• Berry was the Most Outstanding Player at the 2017 Final Four and the Most Valuable Player at the 2016 ACC Tournament. James Worthy and Berry are the only Tar Heels to win both of those awards.
• He is the only Tar Heel in history to earn All-Final Four honors twice (2016 and 2017).
• He became the seventh player and the first since UCLA's Bill Walton in 1972-73 to score at least 20 points in consecutive national championship games. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


HIGH MARKS FOR THEO
• Senior Theo Pinson leads the Tar Heels in assists (44). He is averaging career highs so far as a senior in scoring (9.4), rebounds (5.1) and a team-high 4.4 assists per game.
• Pinson has led UNC in assists in seven of the first 10 games and 28 times as a Tar Heel.
• Pinson led the 2017 national champions with 3.7 assists per game. He was the first non-point guard to lead UNC in assists per game since Steve Bucknall in 1988-89 (Marcus Paige played some at the point in 2015-16 and shared the team lead).
• Since 1975, the other non-point guards to lead the Tar Heels in assists were Mike O'Koren and Matt Doherty "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


TRENDING...
• Carolina has scored 85 or more points nine times (all wins), 90 or more points five times, 100 points twice and 45 points in its only loss.
• The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent from the floor six times. UNC is shooting 49.5 percent for the season. Take away the record-low 15 for 61 (.246) against Michigan State, and UNC is shooting 52.1 percent from the floor in the other nine games.
• KenPom's stats rank Carolina 10th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and 16th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• Carolina has finished in the top 15 nationally in points per 100 possessions 10 times in Roy Williams  first 14 seasons.
• Carolina has scored 25.5 percent of its points on three-point field goals. That's slightly above last year (25.3%) and the most since 2012-13 (29.3). It equals the third-highest percentage in Roy Williams ' 15 seasons as UNC's head coach. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


SCORING FROM THREE-POINT FGs (last 15 seasons)
29.3 percent – 2012-13
26.2 percent – 2005-06
25.5 percent – 2017-18
25.5 percent – 2004-05
25.3 percent – 2016-17 "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


• Last year, the Tar Heels led the nation in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game and rebound margin. Despite losing its top three rebounders and playing three true freshmen big men a combined 37 minutes per game, the Tar Heel are second in the nation in rebound margin (13.9 per game) and fifth in rebounding (44.8 per game). UNC is 52nd nationally in offensive boards (12.8 per game).
• Roy Williams  teams have finished in the top 10 nationally in rebound margin in 14 of his previous 29 seasons as a head coach, including ninth, ninth and first in the last three seasons.
• Ten Tar Heels are averaging 10 or more minutes per game, including four freshmen (forwards Garrison Brooks  and Sterling Manley  and guards Jayleck Felton  and Andrew Playteck ).
• Luke Maye , Theo Pinson  and Kenny Williams  are averaging a career high in minutes played.
• Theo Pinson  averaged 3.2 three-point attempts in the first six games and has attempted two in the last four games. He has 22 assists and eight turnovers in the last four.
• Freshman guard Jaylek Felton totaled 19 points in the first five games, did not score in the next three and scored nine and 15 points in the last two games against Tulane and Western Carolina, respectively. He also had 11 assists in the first eight games and eight in the last two.
• Garrison Brooks , Sterling Manley and Brandon Huffman are a combined 20 for 27 from the floor in the last two games.
• Kenny Williams made five field goals in a game one time in his first two seasons - he has made five or more six times in the last eight games. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


IN THE POLLS
• Carolina is No. 7 in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls released on Dec. 11th.
• Carolina is ranked in the AP poll for the 67th consecutive week (last four weeks in 2013-14, all 19 weeks in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 and the first six weeks this season).
• Carolina's current streak of 67 straight weeks in the AP poll is longer than the rest of the ACC teams combined (52).
• Carolina is ranked in the AP poll for the 883rd time, most in college basketball history. 
• This is UNC's 664th time in the AP top 10, second-most behind Kentucky.
• Carolina and Duke have combined for 244 weeks all-time as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. That's 244 of 300 weeks as No. 1 by every current ACC school.
• The 2017-18 season is the 55th (out of 70) in which the Tar Heels have been ranked in the top 10.
• Carolina was No. 9 in this season's preseason AP poll. It marked the 12th time in  Roy Williams 15 seasons as head coach the Tar Heels entered the year ranked in the top 10. UNC has finished the year in the AP top 10 nine times in Williams' first 14 seasons. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


CAMERON JOHNSON ON THE MEND
• Cameron Johnson  is out four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on Nov. 15 to repair a torn meniscus.
• Johnson suffered the injury in practice on Nov. 13. He did not play in the season opener against Northern Iowa after spraining his neck in practice on 11/7. 
• He led UNC with 18 points in 16 minutes in the "jamboree" vs. ECU, UNCG and UNCW on Nov. 5 and had 11 in the exhibition against Barton on Oct. 27. 
• Johnson averaged 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last year as a Pitt Panther. He shot 44.7 percent from three-point range.
• Johnson matched his career high with 24 points against the Tar Heels in the Smith Center on 1/31/17. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx


WOODS ALSO ON THE SHELF
• Sophomore guard  Seventh Woods has not played in the last three games and is out indefinitely due to a stress fracture in his right foot.
• Woods was averaging almost 11 minutes per game off the bench in the first seven games. He scored six points and had two key baskets in the second half in last year's win over Tennessee. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/14/mens-basketball-tar-heels-to-visit-vols-sunday.aspx

As for North Carolina's last game, they picked up their ninth win of the season as they defeated Western Carolina In Chapel Hill Wednesday..

North Carolina kept shoot, shoot, shooting from outside. The 11th-ranked Tar Heels didn't miss much, either. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

Luke Maye had 12 points and 12 rebounds while UNC hit a season-high 16 3-pointers to beat Western Carolina 104-61 on Wednesday night, turning in a strong offensive performance to head into an 11-day exam break. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

The Tar Heels (9-1) shot 57 percent and made 16 of 22 3-point attempts, coming one shy of matching the program record for made 3s in a game. It tied the record for made 3s under 15th-year coach Roy Williams, while the 72.7 percent conversion rate was a school record for a game in which the Tar Heels had at least 20 attempts. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

It allowed Williams to rely on a bit of analysis he's fond of throwing out on good shooting nights. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

"Everything looks great when the ball goes in the basket," Williams said, "and it went in the basket tonight." "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

The Tar Heels came into the game shooting about 36 percent from behind the arc, though it marked the third time in the past four games they had hit at least 42 percent on 3s. "according tohttp://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

The difference was volume; they hadn't made more than 11 3s in a game this season. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

"I think it's something teams have to worry about because we have so many shooters," said Kenny Williams, who scored 13 points and made 3 of 4 3-pointers. "We can throw in a lineup where you have all five guys that can shoot the ball. And then it's more dangerous because it spreads the floor."
Still, the Tar Heels put the game away quickly with more than just 3s. They ran off 20 straight points during a 33-3 first-half run, shooting 64 percent by the break. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

"They were draining just about everything they shot, both halves," Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter said, "They shoot like that, ... they're going to be a tough out for a lot of people." "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

Deriece Parks scored 13 points for the Catamounts (3-7), who made two quick shots for a 5-0 lead. But they missed 16 of 17 shots and had an 8-minute scoring drought as the Tar Heels took over. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx



BIG PICTURE
Western Carolina: The Catamounts had already lost twice to power-conference opponents, falling by 28 points at both Clemson and Minnesota. This time, the Southern Conference program found itself trailing by 27 at halftime on the way to falling to 3-33 all-time against current Atlantic Coast Conference members.
UNC: North Carolina has had a packed-full schedule in recent weeks with seven games in 14 days, including its only loss to Michigan State in the PK80 Invitational in Portland, Oregon, on Nov. 26. At least now the Tar Heels will have some time to get in more practice, regroup and recharge a bit during an 11-day exam break. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/6/mens-basketball-tar-heels-race-past-catamounts.aspx

As for Tennessee they have a record of 7-1 and are coming off a win over Lipscomb on December 9th.

Four scorers in double digits helped No. 24 Tennessee to an 81-71 win over Lipscomb on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball
 
Grants Williams led the way for UT, dropping 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go along with eight boards and three blocks in 27 minutes of action. Admiral Schofield pitched in an additional 13 points and six rebounds. James Daniel III and Chris Darrington  were the other Vols to score in double figures, tallying 12 and 11, respectively. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball
 
Darrington enjoyed his most productive game at Tennessee, as 11 points, five assists and three rebounds were all season-highs for the junior guard. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball
 
Garrison Mathews led the way for the Bisons, totaling a game-high 22 points and six rebounds. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball
 
Lipscomb never stopped fighting despite a double-digit deficit at intermission, pulling within three of UT in the second period, but Tennessee's 20-of-24 performance from the charity stripe in the half kept the Vols in the lead. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball
 
Williams scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half to fuel UT's offense, which shot 42 percent (25-59) from the field in the contest.
The Vols jumped out to a 17-7 lead early in the first half behind a pair of treys from Schofield, but a 12-5 run by the Bisons made it a 22-19 game with 6:24 left in the half. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball
 
Tennessee would pull away in the final minutes of the frame, using an 18-8 run and knocking down its last six shots to go into halftime up, 40-27. Schofield and Daniel paced the Vols with nine points each in the half. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball

TEAM EFFORT: The Vols have scored 20 or more bench points in each of their games this season, and scored 30 in the win against Lipscomb today. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball
 
HOT FIRST HALF: Tennessee has scored 30 or more points in the first half of all games this season and scored 40 in the first half today. "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball

DARRINGTON GETTING IT DONE: Junior guard Chris Darrington  recorded a season-high with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds in the win on Saturday.  "according to http://www.utsports.com/news/2017/12/9/mens-basketball-vols-defeat-lipscomb-at-home-81-71.aspx?path=mbball

Tip-off is set for 3:00pm. The game will be televised on ESPN. "according to http://www.utsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball