Strange: Lebo continues to haunt Peterson

First, he ends up with two of UT's recruits in November.

Saturday, he and his unlikely band of rag-tag Auburn Tigers sent Tennessee to, arguably, a new low point in a disappointing season.

With a 62-59 victory over the Vols, Auburn eliminated itself from contention to be the first winless SEC team since Georgia Tech flat-lined at 0-14 in 1954.

"You should have heard us in the locker room,'' said Auburn guard Nathan Watson.

You should have heard Tennessee in the locker room.

"It was rough,'' said senior Scooter McFadgon. "This is the first time I've seen the whole team go in there and everybody's talking and fussing at each other.

"That's because we know we're a better team than we're playing right now.''

Are they a better team, or is what you're seeing what you get?

The 13-minute mark of the second half at Louisville eight days ago is looking like the high-water mark of this mysterious season.

In the next game after springing an upset at Florida, the Vols hit a 3-point shot to lead the Cardinals 53-50. Then the bottom fell out.

It hasn't stopped falling yet.

What turned out to be a 23-point loss to Louisville was followed by a listless 22-point loss at home to Kentucky.

And now a loss to a team that essentially starts five guards, a team that has virtually no bench, a team that was 0-5 in SEC play, a team that plays in a neutral environment.

A team that is coached by Lebo. And, finally, a team that will be playing with a couple of UT's recruits next year.

Lebo doesn't pretend that his first SEC coaching victory is any turning point. There are more losses to come for the Tigers. Still, it's a welcome interlude.

"It'll be nice to go to practice,'' said Lebo. "It'll be nice to go recruiting.

"Everything's better after a 'W.' ''

Lebo and his UT counterpart Buzz Peterson agreed on one thing - it was an ugly brand of basketball. That, too, was an Auburn victory.

"We have our best shot that way,'' Lebo said, "to muck up the game as well as we can.''

Perhaps that helps explain some befuddling moments and statistics.

Major Wingate, who at 6-foot-10 towered over the Tigers, was 0-of-2 from the field. He attempted one shot in each half.

"Big guys like to have a slower guy to bang with,'' said Lebo. "They don't like to have a quick guy on them.''

Moments before the second half started, Brandon Crump, in street clothes and a walking boot on his left ankle, threw in a jump shot from in front of the UT bench. That gave him one more basket than Wingate and Andre Patterson combined in the first half.

Even Kyle Derozan, a walk-on from the Auburn football team playing his second game, was more productive, notching two buckets in four minutes.

Wingate, however, did have five assists, which was five more than point guard C.J. Watson had. Watson has played 78 games at UT and gone assist-less only twice.

No wonder Peterson, echoing his comments after the Kentucky game, said that Tennessee's offense has no rhyme or reason at the moment.

He might have been thinking of the end of the first half when the Vols twice milked the shot clock to get back-to-back air balls from Jemere Hendrix and Dane Bradshaw.

Sure, Tennessee misses Crump, who could be out a couple more weeks until his sprained ankle heals. But that doesn't totally explain away the Vols' latest collection of underachievement.

Peterson can't explain it, either. At least he knows where the buck stops.

"I told the guys, 'I never blame a loss on you,' '' he said. "It's my responsibility to get my staff and players to do what I want them to do.''

There are nine games left. The meter is running.

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