2008–09 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team
American college basketball season
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The 2008–09 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team[1] represented the University of Tennessee in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was the fourth season for Bruce Pearl as the Volunteers' head coach. The team, a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference, played its home games at Thompson-Boling Arena.
| 2008–09 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
SEC East Division champions | |
NCAA tournament, Round of 64 | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| East | |
| Record | 21–13 (10–6 SEC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Assistant coaches | |
| Home arena | Thompson-Boling Arena |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 21 | – | 10 | .677 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 21 | – | 13 | .618 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 9 | – | 7 | .563 | 25 | – | 11 | .694 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 19 | – | 12 | .613 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 22 | – | 14 | .611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 3 | – | 13 | .188 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 LSU | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 27 | – | 8 | .771 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 24 | – | 12 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State† | 9 | – | 7 | .563 | 23 | – | 13 | .639 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 16 | – | 15 | .516 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 2 | – | 14 | .125 | 14 | – | 16 | .467 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † SEC Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preseason
The 2007–08 Volunteers finished the season 31–5 overall with a 14–2 mark in conference play. They won their first outright SEC regular season men's basketball championship in 41 years.[2] In postseason play, the Volunteers earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. The team went on to lose in the Sweet Sixteen to the Louisville Cardinals and finished ranked at #7 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.[3]
The Vols lost three seniors from their team during the off-season: Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith, and Jordan Howell. Also, sophomore forward Duke Crews and sophomore point guard Ramar Smith were dismissed from the team for a combination of "violations of the University of Tennessee’s substance-abuse policy and academic shortcomings."[4]
On November 3, 2008, the SEC released the rosters for the preseason All-SEC first and second teams. Junior forward Tyler Smith was chosen for both SEC Player of the Year and first team All-SEC. Wayne Chism and J. P. Prince were selected for the second team All-SEC, thus tying Tennessee with LSU for the most All-SEC selections (3).[5]
Recruiting
Bruce Pearl was able to pull together a highly ranked recruiting class for the 2008–09 season. The class included: Emmanuel Negedu, rated 13th among power forwards in the Class of 2008 by Rivals.com; Renaldo Woolridge, the 11th ranked small forward; Bobby Maze, a junior college guard averaging 20.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game; and Scotty Hopson, a McDonald's All-American and ranked 5th overall by Rivals.com. The class also includes point guard Daniel West and center Philip Jurick. Rivals.com ranked the class as 7th best in the nation.[6][7]
2008–09 Roster
| Name | Number | Position | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Former School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renaldo Woolridge | 0 | G/F | 6–8 | 208 | Freshman | North Hollywood, California | Harvard-Westlake |
| Tyler Smith | 1 | F | 6–7 | 215 | Junior | Pulaski, Tennessee | Iowa |
| Bobby Maze | 3 | PG | 6–2 | 185 | Junior | Suitland, Maryland | Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C. |
| Wayne Chism | 4 | F/C | 6–9 | 242 | Junior | Jackson, Tennessee | Bolivar Central |
| Emmanuel Negedu | 5 | PF | 6–7 | 240 | Freshman | Kaduna, Nigeria | Brewster (N.H.) Academy |
| Quinn Cannington | 11 | SG | 6–4 | 165 | Junior | Knoxville, Tennessee | Fulton |
| Steven Pearl | 22 | SF | 6–5 | 228 | Sophomore | Knoxville, Tennessee | West |
| Cameron Tatum | 23 | G/F | 6–6 | 196 | Redshirt freshman | Lithonia, Georgia | The Patterson School |
| Tanner Wild | 24 | PG | 6–0 | 170 | Senior | Huntington, West Virginia | Huntington |
| Josh Tabb | 25 | PG | 6–4 | 196 | Junior | Carbondale, Illinois | Harmony Community Prep |
| J. P. Prince | 30 | SG | 6–7 | 205 | Junior | Memphis, Tennessee | Arizona |
| Scotty Hopson | 32 | SG | 6–7 | 185 | Freshman | Hopkinsville, Kentucky | University Heights |
| Brian Williams | 33 | C | 6–10 | 267 | Sophomore | Bronx, New York | Harmony Community Prep |
| Ryan Childress | 34 | PF | 6–9 | 235 | Senior | Cincinnati, Ohio | Moeller |
| Phillip Jurick | 44 | C | 6–10 | 250 | Freshman | Chattanooga, Tennessee | East Ridge |
Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3* 7:00 pm |
No. 14 | Indianapolis | W 87-73 | Thompson-Boling Arena (18,378) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| November 7* 7:30 pm |
No. 14 | Tusculum | W 82-51 | Thompson-Boling Arena (20,421) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 15* 7:00 pm, SportSouth |
No. 14 | Chattanooga | W 114-75 | 1–0 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (21,864) Knoxville, TN | ||||||
| November 18* 7:00 pm, SportSouth |
No. 14 | UT-Martin | W 91-64 | 2–0 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (19,761) Knoxville, TN | ||||||
| November 21* 8:30 pm, CSS |
No. 14 | at MTSU | W 76–66 | 3–0 |
Murphy Center (11,802) Murfreesboro, TN | ||||||
| November 27* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 |
No. 12 | vs. Siena Old Spice Classic |
W 78–64 | 4–0 |
The Milk House (3,357) Lake Buena Vista, FL | ||||||
| November 28* 1:00 pm, ESPN2 |
No. 12 | vs. No. 16 Georgetown Old Spice Classic |
W 90–78 | 5–0 |
The Milk House (3,926) Lake Buena Vista, FL | ||||||
| November 30* 7:30 pm, ESPN2 |
No. 12 | vs. No. 10 Gonzaga Old Spice Classic |
L 74–83 | 5–1 |
The Milk House (3,914) Lake Buena Vista, FL | ||||||
| December 3* 7:00 pm, SportSouth |
No. 10 | UNC-Asheville | W 87-69 | 6–1 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (19,391) Knoxville, TN | ||||||
| December 13* 12:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 8 | at Temple | L 72–88 | 6–2 |
Liacouras Center (8,068) Philadelphia, PA | ||||||
| December 16* 9:30 pm, ESPN |
No. 16 | vs. No. 23 Marquette | W 80-68 | 7–2 |
Sommet Center (9,498) Nashville, TN | ||||||
| December 20* 3:00 pm, SportSouth |
No. 16 | Belmont | W 79-77 | 8–2 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (21,314) Knoxville, TN | ||||||
| December 29* 7:30 pm |
No. 14 | Louisiana-Lafayette | W 89-62 | 9–2 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (21,863) Knoxville, TN | ||||||
| January 3* 2:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 14 | at Kansas | L 85–92 | 9–3 |
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS | ||||||
| January 7* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 |
No. 15 | Gonzaga | L 79–89 OT | 9–4 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (22,326) Knoxville, TN | ||||||
| January 10 12:00 pm, Raycom |
No. 15 | at Georgia | W 86–77 | 10–4 |
Stegeman Coliseum (8,769) Athens, GA | ||||||
| January 13 9:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 24 | Kentucky | L 72-90 | 10–5 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (20,474) Knoxville, TN | ||||||
| January 17 6:00 pm, FSN |
No. 24 | South Carolina | W 82–79 | 11–5 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (20,203) Knoxville, TN | ||||||
| January 20 9:00 pm, ESPN |
at Vanderbilt | W 76–63 | 12–5 |
Memorial Gymnasium (14,057) Nashville, TN | |||||||
| January 24* 3:30 pm, CBS |
Memphis | L 52-54 | 12–6 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (21,905) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| January 28 8:00 pm, Raycom |
LSU | L 73–79 | 12–7 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (18,526) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| January 31 9:00 pm, ESPN |
Florida ESPN College GameDay |
W 79-63 | 13–7 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (20,984) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| February 4 8:00 pm, Raycom |
at Arkansas | W 72–70 | 14–7 |
Bud Walton Arena (16,064) Fayetteville, AR | |||||||
| February 7 1:00 pm, Raycom |
at Auburn | L 77–78 | 14–8 |
Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum (6,321) Auburn, AL | |||||||
| February 11 8:00 pm, Raycom |
Georgia | W 79-48 | 15–8 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (18,623) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| February 14 3:00 pm, Raycom |
Vanderbilt | W 69–50 | 16–8 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (20,375) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| February 18 8:00 pm, Raycom |
at Mississippi | L 65–81 | 16–9 |
Tad Smith Coliseum (7,250) Oxford, MS | |||||||
| February 21 1:00 pm, CBS |
at Kentucky | L 58–77 | 16–10 |
Rupp Arena (24,394) Lexington, KY | |||||||
| February 25 9:00 pm, Raycom |
Mississippi State | W 81–76 | 17–10 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (19,137) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| March 1 2:00 pm, CBS |
at Florida | W 79–75 | 18–10 |
O'Connell Center (12,490) Gainesville, FL | |||||||
| March 5 7:00 pm, ESPN |
at South Carolina | W 87–70 | 19–10 |
Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC | |||||||
| March 8 12:00 pm, CBS |
Alabama | L 67–70 | 19–11 |
Thompson-Boling Arena (20,493) Knoxville, TN | |||||||
| SEC Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 13 7:30 pm, Raycom |
vs. Alabama SEC Quarterfinals |
W 86–62 | 20–11 |
St. Pete Times Forum (14,128) Tampa, FL | |||||||
| March 14 3:15 pm, Raycom |
vs. Auburn SEC Semifinals |
W 94–85 | 21–11 |
St. Pete Times Forum (10,387) Tampa, FL | |||||||
| March 15 1:00 pm, CBS |
vs. Mississippi State SEC Championship Game |
L 61–64 | 21–12 |
St. Pete Times Forum (10,093) Tampa, FL | |||||||
| NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 20 12:25 pm, CBS |
(9 E) | vs. (8 E) Oklahoma State 1st Round NCAA Tournament |
L 75–77 | 21–13 |
University of Dayton Arena (12,499) Dayton, OH | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time[9]. | |||||||||||