Tennessee's "Bench Mob'' has its own highlight maker in senior forward Stanley Asumnu.

Asumnu, replaced in the starting lineup by senior Andre Patterson four games ago, has made the most of his role as a reserve, joining the Vols' self-anointed "Bench Mob'' band of reserves.

The high-flying Asumnu said the key has been accepting the move as a positive. The numbers show what a good attitude can do.

In the four SEC games Asumnu has played since being moved to the bench, he's averaging 10.7 points on .606 shooting. Asumnu has averaged 17.25 minutes as a reserve and has eight assists and one turnover.

In the previous four SEC games, Asumnu averaged 6.2 points on .416 shooting. He was playing 18.25 minutes per game and had 10 turnovers and two assists.

"As soon as the move was made, Stan came to us and said he was part of us now,'' said reserve guard JaJuan Smith, the leader of the "Bench Mob" since Patterson was promoted to the starting lineup. "The move was made to give us more firepower, and it has.''

Asumnu said it's all great fun.

"It's really cool and I enjoy it,'' Asumnu said. "They've adopted me. I've really embraced it and it's been good for me ever since.''

And Asumnu has been good to the Vols, as his numbers have come at key times. Asumnu's highlight dunks also serve to inspire his teammates and the crowd.

"I like to give people a little something to think about," he said.

Coach Bruce Pearl said Asumnu's success off the bench makes perfect sense.

"He comes in after guys are a little fatigued and he's fresh, so his athleticism really stands out,'' Pearl said. "He's played a little bit less, but he's playing so much better.''

Lofton Slump? Since opening the SEC season by going 6-of-7 from beyond the arc at South Carolina, UT shooting guard Chris Lofton is 19-of-61 (31.1 percent) the past seven games.

"I think he's just saving it,'' Pearl said, when asked about Lofton's recent outside shooting.

Pearl was referring to Lofton's knack for coming up big in the crucial games this season.

Lofton scored 23 points in the rematch with South Carolina Jan. 28 and had 29 points in a win over then-No. 2 Florida Jan. 21.