There will be nights this winter when somebody in Thompson-Boling Arena nudges the guy next to him and points out that the Vols could use Tyler Smith about now.

Friday night wasn't such a night. Tennessee wasn't the least bit undermanned in a 106-73 exhibition win over Carson-Newman.

And while, come January and February, UT is sure to feel the pinch of a light recruiting class, it appears to be a temporary affliction.

The next time Tennessee plays an exhibition game, the cavalry will have arrived.

The ink is barely dry on the letters-of-intent and already, long-suffering UT hoops fans are impatient to get a look at a signing class that signals to the rest of the SEC that Bruce Pearl is up and running.

The day's best news for the Vols wasn't having six guys in double figures against Carson-Newman. It wasn't having 32 assists and only eight turnovers.

The best news was the fax machine spitting out a signed letter-of-intent from Duke Crews.

"He has taken what was going to be a very good recruiting class and made it a great one,'' said Pearl.

Crews, a 6-foot-7 forward from Hampton, Va., gives the Vols not one but two consensus top-50 national signees.

That's only on paper. On the court, he joins Wayne Chism to give UT a formidable presence in the paint for the foreseeable future.

As for the perimeter, Marques Johnson of Indiana and Josh Tabb from Illinois are athletic combo guards with size.

Johnson is rated anywhere from top-50 at best to top-150 at worst. Tabb was a top-100 player in the Class of 2005 who opted for a fifth year of prep school.

Collectively, the body of work is being ranked among the top dozen in the nation.

"All these guys had a chance to go places where they could keep it going,'' said Pearl. "Instead, they chose a place where they can get it going.''

The impressive thing is they chose to do so on faith.

Tennessee hasn't been on the national radar since these guys were in the seventh grade. Pearl arrived only in March. He hadn't coached a game here when any of the four committed.

Given UT's (lack of a) track record, some would say it's a veritable bonanza. Let's stay rooted and call it a surprisingly strong first lick in the rebuilding process.

To which Pearl shrugs.

"It's what's required,'' he said. "Kentucky had a good class. Arkansas had a good class.

"This is what we had to do.''

Pearl loves Chism, a big body from West Tennessee. Rivals.com ranks Chism at No. 42 nationally. Pearl says that's too low.

Chism's high-school teammate, point guard Willie Kemp is headed to Memphis, thus the near-miss of this class.

Johnson has a slim portfolio as a point guard but is determined to be UT's point guard of the future. He chose the Vols, in essence, to realize that ambition.

"Marques is clearly better with the ball than without it,'' said Pearl. "Josh Tabb can play both (guard spots).''

Even if the class had stopped at three, Pearl and his recruiters, Tony Jones and Scott Edgar, had accomplished their mission.

The addition of Crews has not gone unnoticed nationally.

"When I left Nike camp (last July) in Indianapolis,'' Pearl said, "I told Tony, 'If there is a guy at this camp we need, of all the guys here, it's Duke Crews.

"Because he was the hardest-playing, physically toughest, most-athletic guy out there. He played with a chip on his shoulder.''

And in a mere 355 or so days, he'll play with a chip on his shoulder for Tennessee. Patience.

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