[UT Vols News]

PITTMAN CENTER - The NCAA men's basketball season is still six months away, but Vols coach Bruce Pearl already has his team loaded at every position.
With just one starter graduating, senior guard-forward hybrid Dane Bradshaw, Pearl was already in great shape heading into the 2008 season.

Now, with the additions to the team of Tennessee natives J.P. Prince from Arizona and Tyler Smith from Iowa, Pearl and the Vols could easily start the season as Southeastern Conference favorites.

"The expectations are there for us to go further, because our roster is much deeper and talented," Pearl said. "That's one piece of the puzzle, but chemistry, schedule and staying healthy are so important.

"There are a lot of different factors that have to play themselves out. There's no question that the program hasn't been in this good a shape in a long time."

The Mountain Press

[bigorange114]

We have a good chance to go to the final four in men's and women's.

[UT Vols News]

CINCINNATI -- The NCAA's decision to allow Tyler Smith to play immediately at Tennessee was a compassionate one since Smith's father is battling an advanced stage of lung cancer in nearby Pulaski, Tenn.

But the reality is that this move makes the Vols, a preseason top-10 team, even more of an SEC title favorite.

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl wasn't hiding from the obvious at the adidas It Takes 5ive Classic on the Cincinnati campus Saturday. He said he will start the former Iowa forward this fall. And he will highlight Smith's ability to score inside and out, saying that Smith will flourish in his ball-screen offense, using him off pick-and-pop plays and allowing the Smith to play small forward and power forward.

Pearl said he will likely have three Smiths in the starting lineup -- Tyler and guards JaJuan and Ramar Smith (unrelated) -- to go along with SEC Player of the Year favorite Chris Lofton at guard and forward Wayne Chism. The starting five will be quick but on the smaller side with the 6-foot-7 Tyler Smith and the 6- 9 Chism as the only players taller than 6-2.

That lack of size shouldn't matter. This will be a classic Pearl team -- scrappy, wiry and all over the court.

ESPN - Katz: Bruce Pearl elated to get Smith transfer - Men's College Basketball

[UT Vols News]

Inheriting a program coming off a 14-17 season, Bruce Pearl played the “no respect” card in 2005-06. Minus three starters from that season – including a four-year starter at point guard – he played the “no respect” card again in 2006-07.

This year, with eight of the top nine players back from a team that went 24-11 and came within a blocked shot of advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight, Tennessee is getting plenty of respect … and its head coach is singing a new tune.

“Well, you're going to look at different rosters and you're going to see rosters with depth or experience or talent,” he said on a Monday morning SEC teleconference. “For example, Florida last year was clearly a team that had all those things.”

The 2007-08 Vols may not be as blessed in those three areas as the 2006-07 Gators (who won the NCAA title) but Pearl’s team is pretty loaded in its own right. The head man conceded as much.

“I think if you look at our roster it’s as deep and it’s as talented and it’s as experienced as its been in the last several years,” he said. “So certainly, I think that we're going to be picked by a number of people to be competitive."

Scout.com: Hoop Vols getting respect

[UT Vols News]

Three months from the start of basketball practice, Tennessee already appears to be the consensus favorite to win the Southeastern Conference title, a fact of life that coach Bruce Pearl has accepted. On Monday, during a media teleconference with the league's coaches, Pearl said he expects as much.

"I think our team is going to play for it this year," he said. "We like to think we can do that every year, but some years it's more realistic than others. This year, people should expect us to compete for an SEC championship."

After suffering a second-half collapse against Ohio State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Vols should have depth, experience and talent, three ingredients that Pearl said helped launch Florida to consecutive national titles the past two seasons.

Memphis Commercial Appeal - Memphis' Source for News and Information: Basketball

[Lefty Noob]

So much hype for the Vols men's basketball team... can they possibly live up to the expectations?