Tennessee's men's basketball game with Murray State could prove to be a bubble game, or the Vols' bubble could burst.

UT coach Bruce Pearl said tonight's 8 p.m. game against the Ohio Valley Conference's preseason favorite at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center is the Vols' (3-0) most challenging to date.

"They have five starters back and nine returning lettermen,'' Pearl said. "This is a team that was beating Cincinnati by five points on the road with less than a minute left before losing in overtime (79-75).''

Pearl said he scheduled the game with the Racers (1-1) in Nashville for a few reasons:

* To give the Vols' an opportunity to have a game in the Gaylord Entertainment Center before traveling there for the SEC tournament in March;

* To give fans and potential recruits in middle Tennessee a chance to see UT in action, and,

* To impress the NCAA tournament selection committee with a neutral-court win against a quality opponent should the Vols' be a bubble team for the tourney.

"This is a bubble game, and Louisiana-Lafayette was a bubble game, because both teams were picked to win their leagues,'' Pearl said. "These are the kind of games that give you a chance to separate yourself. There's a good chance Murray State will be in the NCAA tournament.''

There's also a chance Pearl's ambitions could lead to Tennessee's first loss of the season.

"Murray State is very deep and will play nine guys,'' Pearl said. "The depth issue is going to be a factor with us defending them as it relates to the second half. This is an opponent we won't be able to wear down because of their depth and experience.''

That could mean the Vols will tone down their "Controlled Chaos'' defensive tempo against the Racers, who, as their nickname implies, like running the court.

Pearl embraces the challenge.

"The beauty of the contest are the matchups and finding ways to win,'' he said. "It's not always the same way every night. I have some ideas of how to disrupt and defend them; you start the game and see how it goes and adjust accordingly.''

The Vols are particularly concerned with containing guard Trey Pearson, the OVC's Preseason Player of the Year, and Keith Jenifer, a senior guard who leads the Racers with 4.5 assists per contest.

Pearson played at Ole Miss before transferring to Murray State and Jenifer is a transfer from Virginia.

"Their strength is the backcourt; they shoot the 3-ball very well,'' Pearl said. "It's a key matchup for C.J. (Watson) and Chris (Lofton).

"But they also have depth on the front line where they can rotate four 6(-foot)-8 guys in there.''

Pearl said the focus for tonight's game is the same as it has been all season.

"We can't be affected by the winning and losing; we have to focus on getting better,'' Pearl said. "Playing this schedule and having this type of opportunity forces us to get better.''

Promo Pearl: Pearl was scheduled to appear on six Nashville-area radio shows and ride the Zamboni at the Nashville Predators' NHL game Tuesday night in an effort to promote the Vols' mid-state appearance.

"I like to play neutral-site games, but we have to draw,'' Pearl said. "We've been drawing well at home, so it costs us money to come up here. I hope the fans in the midstate area will be supportive. Murray will bring a big crowd; it's a lot closer to Nashville than Knoxville is.''

Major Deal: Pearl said associate head coach Tony Jones gets the credit for Major Wingate's career-high 18-point outing against Eastern Kentucky.

"One thing Major did against Eastern Kentucky was take the shots that were available to him,'' Pearl said. "The great scorers get their points at the foul line. It's not just the baskets they get.''