I wasn't going to bring up old business Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. When there's been a divorce, you don't talk about anniversaries.

Tennessee hoops fans know what I mean, the one-year-and-one-day anniversary of the Chattanooga debacle.

There's no sport in piling on. But since men's coach Bruce Pearl brought it up, it's fair game.

And Pearl wasn't piling on, either. He was merely identifying a valid reference point in his first Tennessee season.

It was 366 days ago that Chattanooga stole out of the arena with a 69-68 upset. Buzz Peterson's last UT squad failed to close out a virtual done deal and the got a Mocs shock.

Within the month, Nebraska would repeat the scenario. You know the rest of the story.

Tuesday night, one of Chattanooga's Southern Conference brethren, Appalachian State, dropped by the arena.

"A similar kind of game,'' noted Pearl, "a similar kind of team.

"Fortunately for us, different results.''

An 89-81 Tennessee victory.

The Vols are 5-0 as they wade out of the shallow water and head to the deep end of the pool. No. 2 Texas and Oklahoma State await on the road.

Frankly, I had my doubts a month ago that Pearl's first team would make it this far unscathed.

That first exhibition game against Division II Southern Indiana established that the Vols weren't going to out-talent even modest opposition.

Of the five wins, only ETSU and Eastern Kentucky were devoid of real tension.

Tennessee blew a 21-point lead against (still winless) Louisiana-Lafayette and scrambled to recover. It trailed Murray State by nine in the second half and Appy State by 12 in the first half.

And yet at the final horn, there have been no Chattanoogas. Not yet has the team or the crowd left the court with a sick feeling in its gut.

"We are a lot better (than last year) in just a sense of confidence,'' said junior Dane Bradshaw. "It's somewhat hard to explain, throughout the team and in the huddle.

"That's nothing against the last coaching staff But at no time are we ever panicking, thinking, 'We're going to lose this game.'

"If we're down eight or 10, we realize we're a couple of steals away. With the pressure we put on, we're going get on a run.''

Like, for example, the 19-5 run to finish the first half that obliterated Appy's surprising advantage.

Previous Tennessee regimes would have struggled to generate the firepower to overcome a 12-point deficit.

"It's this system, this style,'' said Pearl.

"I've always felt it lets you beat the teams you're supposed to beat and gives you a chance to beat a couple that you're not.''

Cutting to the chase, Tennessee has beaten five teams it was supposed to beat. What it means for the SEC wars ahead remains to be seen.

A look at SEC results to date indicates most everyone has won the games they were supposed to win.

Mississippi State is the exception, suffering home losses to Southeast Louisiana and Northwestern State. And Kentucky shouldn't have lost to baby-faced North Carolina in Rupp.

Still, that the Vols are keeping pace with the rest of the pack - with no stumbles - is progress over last year.

"We're 5-0,'' said Pearl. "These guys are finding ways to win.

"They're playing hard. They're enjoying playing together and the crowd is enjoying them.''

For now, that's a happy marriage.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.