If you see Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl in public, chances are he's talking on a cell phone. He never quits working, and he'll have to work even harder in the upcoming season to top his first year with the Vols in 2005-06. Pearl won Sporting News national coach of the year honors and SEC coach of the year honors when he guided Tennessee to a 22-8 record, the SEC Eastern Division title and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, the school's highest seed in history. The Vols also won their first NCAA tournament game since 2000. Even before the SEC tournament started, Pearl was given a two-year contraction extension through 2011-2012, with an annual salary of $1.3 million over the life of the contract. He's already looking forward to year two.

Q: Since last year's banner year with an SEC East Division championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament, how have you been accepted in recruiting and in the public?

A: It's a lot different. The fans have great expectations. We're trying to schedule nationally. We've got Ohio State, Memphis, Texas and Oklahoma State. Whether or not we're up to playing that type of schedule, I don't know. But that's the direction we're trying to take Tennessee's program, because that's the direction of all Tennessee athletic programs.

I only have a couple of scholarships available. We signed five players last year and had a top-five recruiting class before we even played a game.

Q: Can you measure the exposure impact of having an ESPN crew following you and your team around everywhere during the NCAA tournament?

A: Look at the RPI leaders going into the NCAA Tournament. In order, they were Duke, Villanova, Connecticut, Memphis, Ohio State, Tennessee, Iowa, Texas ... what doesn't belong? Where's Waldo? Waldo is Tennessee ranked No. 6. That just doesn't add up in men's basketball. I must have read a women's basketball RPI.

And so I think that we were able to join the nation's best teams last year. I think because we finished fifth in the nation in attendance, I think because our fans traveled and I think because ESPN did the all-access on us, we have a huge opportunity to grow the program even more in the upcoming season.

Q: Will depth be a problem this season like it was a year ago?

A: We got tired, we faded at the end. Now that doesn't take away from accomplishing from what we accomplished, including winning the Eastern Division in the best conference in college basketball last year. We know this year will be different. We won't sneak up on anybody. People will have scouted us. The advantage we had in a different style of play than anybody else is gone, yet our talent level is up a bit. We have more traditional size.

But you can't underestimate the experience we got last year. Some of the experience was losing, but it was experience we used all season and it turned out well.

Q: How is Dane Bradshaw's rehabilitation progressing after wrist surgery following the end of this past season?

A: The tough thing about Dane is he didn't get his cast off until just before June 1. He couldn't start rehab until then. After six weeks of that, then he can start to do basketball stuff. He has missed the entire off-season. It's so unfortunate. How much improvement could Dane have made in April, May and now June and later in July, knowing how hard he works? Wow!

Q: Are you happy that Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt got a contract more lucrative than yours?

A: What I did at Tennessee, I did in one year. What she's done, she's done it in 31 years. I think it's appropriate. I'm happy for her. I'm happy for both of us.

Q: How do you feel about expanding the NCAA tournament field?

A: In 1985, there were 282 Division I teams when the field was expanded to 64 teams. Now, there are 334 Division I teams now, so it's time to expand. I'm a guy that wants to expand to 70 or 72. We still have a couple of teams every year who belong in the NCAA tournament, but they don't get chosen. I think 70 or 72 could be a number we could live with. You can get to 70 if you have four play-in games, meaning you add six teams. The last teams chosen for the tournament would be in those play-in games. We absolutely must expand.

Q: Would you like the college game to add that small arc that the NBA has on the court just in front of the basket to determined charge/block calls?

A: I'm for anything that will make the game better, to make the job of the refs easier. Stu Jackson (the NBA's director officials) has commented that the college game might be getting more physical than the pro game, and there would need to be some hard and fast rules that cover more than advantage/disadvantage. There needs to be more study on handchecking, rough low post play ... stronger definitions of the rules.