Bruce Pearl was chatting on the phone the other day with the moms of two of his signees.

Yep, the season's going great. Yep, that was a terrific win over Kentucky. Yep, your son seems to be having a fine senior year.

Yep, I'm still going to be his coach next year.

Coaching is a fluid business, to say the least.

"When you're winning, they're worried you're going to leave,'' Pearl said Thursday, "and when you're losing, they're packing your bag.''

Since the Pearl whirlwind arrived at Tennessee, the Vols are winning so much that their long-suffering fans are becoming afraid it's too good to be true.

Something has to go wrong. Like Indiana or Cincinnati or Iowa (or fill in the blank) swooping in with a suitcase full of money and snatching Pearl away after one year.

"I've had to answer that question from two recruits already,'' Pearl confessed. "From Duke Crews' mom and Wayne (Chism's) mom.''

What did he tell them?

"Not to worry. We're doing great and we're committed.

"My family has made a commitment. Tennessee has made a commitment.''

Athletic director Mike Hamilton said the two sides are talking informally, although don't expect an announcement on a new contract until the season is over.

"We don't want it to be a distraction from what's going on,'' Hamilton said. "He knows he's going to get a raise and an extension.''

Like Pearl needs another distraction.

The win at Kentucky has generated yet another wave of national publicity. Pearl has been all over the tube. Word has it Martha Stewart wants him to make brownies.

ESPN arrived in town Thursday to start filming a weeklong project, a behind-the-scenes episode of a show called "The Season" that will air some time after the Auburn game.

"For the first time all year, I don't remember the last few days,'' Pearl said. "I can't even remember traveling to Lexington. I can't remember traveling home.

"I remember the game.''

After watching the tapes, boy, does he remember the game.

"That is the best we've played,'' he said. "Because even when we didn't make a play, it wasn't a mental breakdown. Our kids made very good decisions and look what it takes.

"To do all that and still have it be such a close game, there's no margin of error for this team. None.''

The Vols moved up one notch to No. 3 in the NCAA's RPI rankings released Thursday. And that's not even calculating the win at Kentucky.

"I promise you I'll cherish that win for the rest of my life,'' said Pearl, "but not right now.

"It's just, 'What's next?' ''

Thursday night, it was a plane trip to Jackson, Tenn., to recruit. Today is travel day to Georgia to prep for Saturday's 4 p.m. tipoff with the Bulldogs.

The Vols won't be alone on this road trip. Two busloads from the Big Orange Tipoff Club are sold out and a number of other folks from the Atlanta area are expected to show up in orange.

On Thursday's SEC teleconference, Pearl was asked if he had said been saying that Georgia fans don't support their team, thus tickets would be available.

"That would have been inappropriate and inaccurate,'' Pearl said.

"We've talked about trying to get our fans to travel some. We've done the same thing in Tuscaloosa (Feb. 18). We may not have done as much in Lexington because there just aren't as many tickets to snap up.''

Pearl's day-glow orange blazer, meanwhile, is off to the cleaners to get ready for the March 1 home game against Kentucky.

No TV: Neither the Georgia game nor Wednesday's visit from Auburn will be televised.

Then the Vols catch four consecutive Jefferson Pilot telecasts before going dark again at Vanderbilt.

Felton's Take: Just as the Vols benefited from a lineup change (Andre Patterson for Stanley Asumu) Georgia coach Dennis Felton likes what he's gotten moving Mike Mercer into a starting role ahead of Channing Toney.

"The biggest reason,'' said Felton, "was to get more aggressive defensively.

"We were getting off to soft starts defensively. Mike was continuing to improve and making some things happen. We've gotten better and Channing has actually played better basketball too coming off the bench.''

Check That Score: Alabama coach Mark Gottfried was so excited by Alonzo Gee's buzzer-beating dunk against Vanderbilt on Wednesday night, he forgot the score.

Gee's basket tied it 68-68 in regulation, but Gottfried walked to Vandy coach Kevin Stallings and shook hand, thinking Alabama had won.

"I was acting like a complete idiot,'' said Gottfried. "I was out of it.''

Said Stallings, "I saw (Gottfried) react and thought maybe I forgot the score.''

Alabama won in overtime. That time, Gottfried got it right.