Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl said Memphis will be the best team the Vols have played to date and FedEx Forum will be the most hostile environment encountered.

So how does Pearl put a positive spin on playing the nation's No. 4-ranked team on the road in the midst of the SEC season?

"One thing, after playing LSU and Memphis,'' he said, "what talent can Florida show us (Saturday) that we won't have already seen?''

Good point.

The only points UT fans have on their mind are those the Vols will try to score against the high-flying Tigers in tonight's 8 o'clock battle.

According to the Las Vegas oddsmakers, Tennessee won't score nearly enough. Memphis is an 11A 1/2-point favorite.

UT and Memphis are renewing an in-state rivalry that hasn't been played since Dec. 15, 2001, when Memphis won 71-69 to end a five-game Tennessee win streak in the series.

The Vols bring an 11-2 mark into the game against the 15-2 Tigers.

"We've talked about this being opportunity week,'' Pearl said. "It's a chance to do something special and significant and meaningful.

"Playing Memphis and Florida, there will be at least a half-dozen or more of these players that will be playing in the NBA.''

Pearl puts the Tigers' top three scorers -- Rodney Carney, Shawne Williams and Darius Washington Jr. -- on that list.

Pearl said games like this are fun for the fans and good for the state of Tennessee. Additionally, he said, it helps the Vols' already strong RPI rating (No. 8) while adding an attractive high-profile opponent to the schedule.

But before anyone puts too much stock into the game, Pearl wants to make his priorities clear.

"It's not more important than any game we play in the SEC, not a single one of them,'' he said. "I don't care how it sounds, that's just the truth.

"As far as recruiting, and rivalries, it's not.''

At least, not yet.

UT junior Dane Bradshaw and senior Andre Patterson said it's just a matter of time before the tone of the game changes.

"The teams haven't played in a while and there's no bad blood,'' said Bradshaw, who attended White Station High School in Memphis. "But with the upcoming program like coach Pearl has, this starts up the in-state rivalry again.

"Being from Memphis, I've been seeing this one on the calendar for a while.''

Patterson said his fellow UT students have, too.

"People around have been talking about this for a long time,'' Patterson said. "In two or three years, when coach Pearl gets his players in here, it will be a real big game.

"Being a senior, I want to start this (series) off right. We want to be a stepping stone for the future.''

TV Info: Tonight's game is televised by College Sports TV, which has a contract with Conference USA.

However, UT director of broadcasting Bob Kesling said in the Knoxville market it will be available only to DirectTV viewers with the premium sports tier; Dish Network viewers with the sports package and Knology subscribers.

Ready to Run: Both Tennessee and Memphis lead their respective leagues in scoring.

The Vols average 83.8 points a game, tops in the SEC and fourth in the nation. The Tigers are scoring 82.3 points a game, best in Conference USA and seventh in the NCAA.