Close shaves not what Vols need to stop bleeding

This season has been a different story: one heartburn after another.

With a sour season running out of road, the Vols are doomed by their inability to win close games.

Whether it dooms their coach as well remains to be seen. Athletic director Mike Hamilton said last week he is looking for something positive to happen to merit bringing back coach Buzz Peterson for a fifth year.

A 60-58 loss at Ole Miss on Saturday wasn't it.

The Vols (11-14, 4-8 SEC) get a home game Wednesday against South Carolina. After visits to Arkansas and Kentucky, UT closes at home against Georgia.

The Vols are 2-6 in games decided by five or fewer points. If they had reversed those numbers, they'd be 15-9 overall and at least .500 in league play.

In that scenario, Tennessee would still have a chance to play its way into the NCAA tournament and Peterson's job security probably would not be an issue.

Meanwhile, Peterson is digging deep into his personal reserves of positive thinking to try to keep his team's spirit from being crushed after seven losses in eight games.

"A lot of the same speeches to give,'' he said Saturday, "and telling them to keep their heads up.

"It just comes down to the end and believing and making some plays.''

Hamilton, in an interview last week, made the same point about believing. He pointed out that UT's football team, accustomed to success, was 6-1 last year in games decided by six or fewer points.

The basketball team, in contrast, has won only two close games: 71-69 over Xavier and 64-63 over Mississippi State.

At Florida, the Vols blew a 10-point lead in regulation, but won 83-76 in overtime.

The losses:

• Chattanooga, 69-68. Scooter McFadgon missed two shots in the final minute.

• Nebraska, 62-61. Bricks at the free-throw line fueled a stunning collapse.

• South Carolina, 66-63. Chris Lofton's trey at the buzzer bounced off. Vols led by six in the second half but the whistles went 11-1 for South Carolina down the stretch.

• Auburn, 62-59. Another second-half lead disappeared.

• Vanderbilt, 67-62. A rally fell short. A couple of tough late calls hurt.

• Ole Miss, 60-58. An eight-point halftime lead vanished. Dane Bradshaw (2-of-13 on the year) missed a 3-pointer at the end.

The plan in the latest chapter was for either C.J. Watson or Lofton to take the final shot, but the play broke down and Lofton passed to an open Bradshaw.

"If we had to run the same play, I'd run it again,'' Peterson said. "Lofton was having a great game. I'd want it in his hands.''

Scooter Update: An MRI on Scooter McFadgon's bruised knee was negative. McFadgon came out of the 84-73 loss to Florida on Feb. 12 with a bruise and swelling in the patella area of his right knee.

He stayed home from the Ole Miss trip to get treatment and hopes to play against South Carolina.

Five Seed: Each mounting loss seems more likely to place Tennessee as the East No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament. As such, the Vols would play at 7:30 p.m. on March 10, against the West No. 4. Arkansas likely is to be the opponent.