Never mind that he didn't recruit either one of them, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith loves Tennessee's guards.

"I think it's as good a backcourt as any in the country, I really do,'' Smith said Monday on the eve of UT's visit to Rupp Arena.

C.J. Watson and Chris Lofton are tied for fourth in SEC, each scoring 15.7 points a game.

Watson is second in steals, Lofton third.

Watson hits 86.2 percent of his free throws, Lofton 91.2 percent.

Smith said Watson, a senior from Las Vegas, "has been one of my favorite players since he's been in the league.

"He has the ability to play under control, he's long and he defends you. His assist-to-turnover ratio is one of the best in the conference (it's No. 2 behind teammate Dane Bradshaw), his demeanor on the court -- he never gets rattled -- and he's got the (second-)most steals in the SEC.''

Lofton, the sophomore from Maysville, Ky., was snubbed by the Wildcats, despite being a prep legend in the state.

"Chris has developed the complete game,'' Smith said. "He's not just shooting the ball, but defending as well.''

Since there's nothing Smith admires more than hard work, needless to say he is impressed with how first-year coach Bruce Pearl has transformed UT.

"They're able to sustain their intensity level for a long period time,'' Smith said. "You've got to be in great shape and the kids have got to be committed to doing it.

"And when you have the type leadership he's getting from veteran players, that makes a big difference. They've got a veteran ball club that's been through the wars in the SEC and a lot of talented players.''

Get To The Line: Watson ranks third in the SEC in free-throw attempts per game at 5.73. Only Ronnie Brewer of Arkansas (6.09) and Florida's Taurean Green (5.90) are getting fouled more often.

Looking Ahead: The Vols will find a well-rested Georgia (14-8, 3-5 SEC) waiting on Saturday in Athens. The Bulldogs are idle this week.

Back-to-back wins over Alabama and Vanderbilt (in Nashville) have revived the Bulldogs. Coach Dennis Felton called it a "tremendous week" and points to the development of point guard Sundiata Gaines.

"He's gotten better at distributing the ball and running the team and getting guys shots,'' Felton said. "His leadership was as good in those two games as he's ever been in his career at Georgia.

"We're shooting the ball better lately and the biggest reason is we're passing the ball better.''

Road Trip: Pearl is urging UT fans to travel to Georgia to help neutralize the home-court advantage.

Stegeman Coliseum is one of the league's smaller venues at 10,523. Attendance for Georgia's most-recent home game, a win over Alabama, was 5,574.

However, the Bulldogs have listed attendance at 9,200 or more for Georgia Tech, Clemson and Florida. The biggest crowd was 10,027 for Kentucky.

Looking Way Ahead: Coach Kevin Stallings of Vanderbilt can see the Vols making some noise in the NCAA tournament.

"They're a tough out just by the very nature of their confidence and how well they play together,'' Stallings said. "I think their style will be peculiar for people to play against.

"In terms of how far they go, so much of that has to do with match-ups and the luck of the draw, so I don't want to make any type of predictions.''

Gordon Honored: Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon is the SEC freshman of the week. Jonathan Modica of Arkansas is the player of the week for his 37 points against South Carolina.

Injury Update: Florida hopes Maryville's Lee Humphrey will be healthier Wednesday against South Carolina. The Gators didn't need much (11 minutes) from Humphrey, who has a separated shoulder, in their 95-80 win over Kentucky on Saturday.

"He was pretty much an ineffective player,'' said coach Billy Donovan. "I don't know the last time I ever saw Lee Humphrey shoot an air ball, but he was able to give some spot minutes and give some guys a breather.''

The Gamecocks, one of only two teams to beat Florida, should get more out of forward Renaldo Balkman (sprained knee). Balkman played six minutes in a 73-59 loss at Arkansas.