TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- If someone had told you in November that Tennessee would lose by 13 points at Alabama, you would have shrugged.

Beating UT by 13 points at Coleman Coliseum has become routine for the Tide. It won by 13 in both 2002 and 2004.

But that was different. That was before Bruce Pearl became UT's head coach, before UT went from basketball's wasteland to the nation's top 10.

Now, you don't expect anyone to beat the Vols by 13 points. Never mind how formidable the opponent might look or how poorly UT might play early.

You expect the Vols to make a run.

The run never came against Alabama on Saturday. Alabama made 19 of 25 first-half baskets and never led by fewer than 11 points in the second half en route to a 92-79 victory.

"It's hard to get momentum when you can't make a stop on defense," UT forward Dane Bradshaw said. "I just kept taking the ball out of the net."

This isn't the first time UT's half-court defense has been exploited. Nor is it the first time a bigger opponent has bettered the Vols on the boards. But in the past, UT has found ways to overcome its deficiencies.

Based on the Vols' track record, you can't make too much of Saturday's failure. Finally losing an SEC game after eight consecutive conference victories is no big deal. How UT responds to the loss is a big deal.

The Vols have just entered the most difficult part of their schedule. Up next is Florida on Wednesday in Gainesville, then come home games against Arkansas and Kentucky before the regular-season finale against Vanderbilt in Nashville. If the Vols finish strong against that schedule, they will enter tournament play on a roll and the Alabama loss will be easily forgotten.

But if the team struggles down the stretch, you will look back on the Alabama loss as a sign of the problems to come.

After the way the Tide manhandled the Vols at times, you might wonder about the team's confidence. You also might wonder if a team that has played so hard for so long could be running out of steam.

"The level of competition won't allow us to draw that conclusion," Pearl said. "These teams (UT plays down the stretch) are good enough that we could have a full tank of gas and have what happened (against Alabama).

"We weren't any more fatigued than Alabama. In the second half, we shoot 42 percent and 46 percent from (3-point range). Fatigue wasn't a factor for us."

Confidence won't be a problem, either, according to UT center Major Wingate, who owned up to his shortcomings against the Tide.

"We rely on certain people," said Wingate, who had five turnovers and made only two of six field-goal tries. "I didn't step up today. I take full responsibility."

As difficult as the remaining schedule might look, Wingate believes his team -- not the opponent -- will control the outcome.

"Florida, Vanderbilt, all of them will be tough games," he said. "We've just got to come ready to play. If we come ready to play, nobody is going to beat us."

Bradshaw sees an advantage to the challenging schedule ahead.

"You want a tough schedule heading into the tournament," he said. "It might not look good on paper, but it will get you ready for the tournament.

"We just have to stay hungry. Not that any loss is good for you, but hopefully we can learn from it. Maybe it's what we needed to finish good down the stretch."

And make the Alabama loss easy to forget.