Tennessee's men's basketball team is finally worthy of a top-25 ranking, according to Vols' coach Bruce Pearl.

"Based on the competition, based on (wins over) Oklahoma State, Texas, Memphis and Western Kentucky,'' said Pearl, whose team has won six consecutive games since losing to Butler and North Carolina. "Based on those results, this team deserves it. We're in that company.''

Recent Associated Press and USAToday/ESPN coaches' polls has Tennessee (10-2) in the "others receiving votes" category, with the Vols receiving 45 votes in AP and one vote in the coaches' poll.

At halftime of the Vols' 111-105 overtime win over Texas in Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, many would have thought the same thing.

The game was going to go one of two ways, Pearl told his players at intermission.

"I told the team, 'We're either going to get blown out of here, or come back and represent,' " said Pearl, whose Vols trailed 50-35 at halftime. "At halftime, we should have been down more than 15. It looked like we were playing at 9 o'clock in the morning instead of noon.''

Freshman center Duke Crews played the first half like he was still dreaming about his 17-point, nine-rebound effort in Monday's win over previously unbeaten Oklahoma State.

Crews' line through the first 20 minutes: 13 minutes played, 0-for-4 shooting, zero points, one rebound, two turnovers.

But before Pearl could collar Crews in the locker room, the freshman approached him.

"He came to me and said, 'Coach, I've got your back,' " Pearl said. "He got himself ready, and he got himself going.''

Crews' line in the second half and overtime: 22 minutes played, 4-for-9 shooting, 16 points, seven rebounds, one turnover.

"I didn't come with enough energy at first,'' said Crews, who was honored Sunday as SEC Freshman of the Week. "I don't like losing, and I felt I had to put a lot of the game on my shoulders.''

Crews made what perhaps was the pivotal play of the game, blocking the shot of Texas' Kevin Durant when the 6-foot-9 NBA lottery pick prospect was driving to the basket with the Longhorns leading 87-82 and 1:18 left to play.

"I called out the switch (on Durant) and I wanted him on that play because I knew they were going to put the ball in his hands for a key possession to seal the game for them,'' Crews said. "I sat on him on defense, he made his drive to the bucket, and I knew that he was going to put up the shot, so my thing was to challenge him.''

Chris Lofton, who scored a career-high 35 points, then hit the first of back-to-back 3-pointers that swung the momentum and gave the Vols their first lead since midway through the first half.

Crews said Durant, who scored 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds, shouldn't have been surprised by Lofton's offensive outburst.

"I knew Chris was going to shoot, and I nudged Kevin (Durant) at the free-throw line and was like, 'Kevin, Chris is about to do it,' and Kevin was like, 'All right,' '' Crews said, referring to an exchange that took place with 1:57 left and Texas up 86-80. "We were lined up for the free throw I said, 'Chris, are you ready?' And Chris looked at me and said, 'Duke, yeah.' '"

Both times, Durant was matched up with Lofton - who also was honored as SEC Player of the Week - only to have the Vols' sharpshooter bury shots over his outstretched arm and hand.

For the second consecutive game, Crews was only half the big story at center, as fellow freshman Wayne Chism scored a career-high 18 points, pulled down eight rebounds and drew a fourth foul on Durant that sent the Texas star to the bench for nearly six minutes down the stretch.

"Every time he (Durant) was close on us, he did the jab step, and that time I didn't move so he got a foul,'' Chism said. "We were half asleep when we came out, but we kept telling each other and Coach (Pearl) every time we'd come out of the game that we were going to do it.

"We just knew we had to keep getting Chris the ball.''

Pearl helped his young centers with some halftime adjustments.

"We talked about the two or three things Durant was doing to get an open look,'' Pearl said. "Once he lost his dribble, he was using an up-and-under (move) to create an angle. We had to stay down and stay between him and the basket, which we did.''

Pearl's View: Pearl smiled widely when asked about the 30-foot 3-pointer Lofton hit to give the Vols their first lead since the first half.

"If he comes across, and he can see it, he can make it; It's that simple,'' Pearl said. "He was so close to half court that at my angle I could see (commentator) Jay Bilas from ESPN. His mouth dropped. But it doesn't surprise you he took it and made it. He's an amazing weapon.''

Super Subs: With point guard Jordan Howell sidelined by a broken bone in his hand, Pearl shrunk the Vols' rotation to eight players. Sophomore Ryan Childress was the benefactor from the standpoint of playing time.

Childress scored just two points in his 16 minutes, but Childress pulled down six rebounds and bodied up against the larger, more athletic Texas front line.

Minute Men: Four Vols played a career-high number of minutes: Lofton (38), Ramar Smith (38), Crews (35) and Chism (22). JaJuan Smith matched his career high with 34 minutes.

History: The Vols' 111-105 victory represents the most points scored by both teams in a Tennessee home game since LSU beat UT 119-113 on Feb. 10, 1990. That game featured sharpshooters Chris Jackson of LSU and Allan Houston of Tennessee. Prior to Saturday, the most recent time two teams combined more than 100 in a Tennessee game was on Jan. 9, 2002, when Florida beat the Vols 104-100 in overtime.