Tennessee Volunteers: E-VOL-ution

A look at the box score of Saturday night's Tennessee-Memphis game will tell you everything you need to know about how Bruce Pearl has engineered the magnificent turnaround that led the Volunteers passed the Tigers, 66-62. 

Chris Lofton, the greatest 3-point shooter in SEC history and Tennessee's 13th all time leading scorer, attempted only four 3-point shots the entire game. 

He finished the game with a mere seven points, but the Vols still managed to knock off No. 1 Memphis.

In Lofton's first two years at Tennessee, the Volunteers were a very average 4-6 when he scored seven points or less, which included a loss at home to UT-Chattanooga. 

Two years ago when the Vols went to Memphis, Lofton put up 16 but the Vols couldn't beat a Tiger squad that didn't have current freshman star Derrick Rose. Last year Lofton lit up the nets with 34 points in a home romp over a still Rose-less Memphis. 

So this year, when Memphis has it's best team yet, Lofton scores just seven and Tennessee wins? 

How did this happen? 

This answer lies in the coaching, recruiting, and charisma of Bruce Pearl and how that has changed the supporting cast around Lofton.

The first player you have to mention when talking about Tennessee's improvement is Tyler Smith. 

The guy is like Dane Bradshaw, but with with the body of an NBA small forward.  He makes a living attacking the middle of opposing defenses and making it nearly impossible to guard all of the Tennessee shooters. 

He's got a turnaround jumper that is almost Karl Malone-esque and, most importantly, he is a threat to record a triple double every night with his rebounding and his ability to find open teammates.

One of Tyler Smith's favorite guys to find in the open court is J.P. Prince. 

Prince is the talk of the country after his dismantling of the Tigers' transition defense saturday night.  He is a remarkable athlete and a really fiery competitor. 

This wasn't the first time Prince has had an explosive half.  In December, Prince put up sixteen on Xavier in the first half, on his way to scoring twenty-three points in twenty minutes. 

His resemblance to cousin Tayshaun Prince is apparent but he doesn't just want to be known as Tayshaun's cousin.  He and Tyler Smith have clearly developed chemistry that makes the future look very promising for Tennessee.

Jajuan Smith came to Tennessee as an athletic walkon just looking for a chance. 

In his early years he was a great defender who could occasionally get hot from outside the arc. 

However he was also prone to make stupid plays. 

Under Pearl he has blossomed into an really steady all around player, who now has NBA scouts checking him out.  He's averaging 14.1 points a game, shooting 38 percent from three-point range, and 78 percent from the free throw line. 

He has become every bit as clutch as Chris Lofton, not something to sneeze at. 

He has shown he can score bunches of his own as well, outscoring Middle Tennessee State for more than three quarters of a game on his way to a career-high 32 points. 

He matched that high against Arkansas when Lofton was having an off night. 

On saturday night he scored nine points, but more importantly he pulled down 10 rebounds as the Vols dominated Memphis on the boards.

Those three are most certainly not the only catalysts for Tennessee's emergence.

Ramar Smith is steadily growing into a solid point guard and a serious NBA prospect.

Wayne Chism and Duke Crews have become legitimate threats inside who have held their own against the likes of Al Horford, Brandan Wright, and Greg Oden.

Bruce Pearl has brought in more talent and coached all of the talent he has to a level never seen before in Tennessee basketball. 

People may still doubt that the Vols have the down low presence to win in March. Tyler Smith, Chism, and Crews think otherwise.

They also say they aren't consistent enough in the halfcourt to win a national title. 

Tennessee has too many weapons not to score consistently.  When the pressure is up in March, they have two seniors in Lofton and Jajuan Smith who will make sure they can score the clutch baskets the team needs.

The box score says it all.