When Tennessee raced to a 20-5 lead against Auburn on Wednesday, it indicated the Vols' offense was sharp.

But the bonus, as far as coach Bruce Pearl was concerned, was that five different players scored in the spurt.

And none of them was named Chris Lofton.

By the time the final box score was printed, Lofton had scored 25 points, but five of his teammates joined him in double figures.

That's a welcome development for the eighth-ranked Vols (19-3, 10-1 SEC) heading into today's 4 p.m. game at Alabama (14-9, 7-4).

"Six guys in double figures,'' said Pearl, "that's a good sign for balance.

"To get more than just Chris shooting the 3-ball well is really important.''

Lofton carried the UT offense in road wins at Kentucky and Georgia, scoring a combined 64 points on laser-like 3-point shooting.

It wasn't that he cooled off in the romp against Auburn, but his teammates stepped up to share the load.

"It's important for everybody to get off to a good start,'' said senior guard C.J. Watson, "not just Chris coming out and scoring, but everybody contributing.''

After the close call at Georgia, Pearl sent his perimeter players to the gym Monday night for extra shooting.

"I think it paid off,'' Pearl said.

Watson (18 points) was 2-of-4 from 3-point range against Auburn. Dane Bradshaw hit his first two treys in a couple of weeks against the Tigers. JaJuan Smith was a Loftonesque 5-of-8 behind the arc.

Andre Patterson, Major Wingate and Stanley Asumnu also scored in double figures.

"Balance is important,'' said Pearl, "knowing we're going to get some zone against Alabama.

"Alabama is huge and really long at every position so our inside offense is going to be challenged. We're going to try to go in there, but it's no secret we've got to knock down shots.''

The key word is we -- not just Lofton.

Not Even Close: Alabama has not only won the past six meetings with UT, it's done so by an average of 17 points.

"Our guys don't even remember having a chance to beat Alabama,'' Pearl said.

Since no Vol on the roster has beaten the Tide, they understandably have a healthy respect for today's adversary.

"This is our first game coming in being a target,'' said Patterson. "They've been a target for three or four years.

"They'll be ready for everything we give them.''

Thin Red Line: Alabama uses only seven players since losing All-SEC forward Chuck Davis to a season-ending knee injury.

Sophomore point guard Ronald Steele has played every minute of every SEC game, Pearl said.

"Everybody has stepped up a little bit in every area,'' said coach Mark Gottfried, "whether it's defense, rebounding or scoring.

"Everybody takes a little more responsibility and plays a little bit harder and does a little bit more every night.''

The Vols hope to force a fast tempo that will test Alabama's lack of depth.

However, Pearl expects a sold-out crowd at Coleman Coliseum will buffer the Tide's stamina.

"They'd be more vulnerable in Knoxville, less vulnerable in Tuscaloosa,'' Pearl said. "And Steele is in phenomenal condition.

"It might be a little harder to play against us but I don't think the tempo is such that it's going to be impossible.''

Good Scout: Alabama got a first-hand look at Pearl's system in an 83-73 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the NCAA tournament last March.

"Alabama has a terrific blueprint,'' said Pearl. "That (his system) doesn't play any better than it played against Alabama. In every facet of the game we were at our best.

"I'm going to have to study that to see what adjustments I anticipate them making.''

Notebook: The UT women's basketball team will be in the stands today. They're in Tuscaloosa to play on Sunday. ... Pearl isn't the only UT coach to notch a postseason win over Alabama on his way to the UT job. Buzz Peterson's Tulsa team eliminated the Tide from the NIT in 2001. On the UT bench, Peterson never beat Alabama. ... Lofton is shooting 69.7 percent from 3-point range (23-of-33) in his past three games. ... Today is UT's third consecutive sell-out crowd on the road. Florida will be the fourth Wednesday.