The players sprung off couches in the Ray Mears room at Thompson-Boling Arena in unison, as though leaping for a jump ball, upon seeing Tennessee land its highest NCAA men's basketball tournament seed in school history Sunday.

The Vols (21-7) are a No. 2 seed in the Washington, D.C., Region and play Big South tournament champion Winthrop (23-7) Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

The highest UT had been seeded prior to Sunday was No. 4, in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons. The last time the Vols went to the NCAA tournament in 2001 they were a No. 8 seed and lost in the first round to Charlotte, 70-63.

Should UT win its first-round game, it would advance to play the winner of No. 7 seed Wichita State (24-8) and No. 10 seed Seton Hall (18-11) on Saturday in Greensboro.

The Vols have lost four of their last six games and most experts projected UT to be seeded somewhere between third and fifth for the tournament.

"Nobody in the world was ready for a No. 2 seed,'' said first-year UT coach Bruce Pearl, whose mouth was agape upon seeing his team's high seed. "This shows respect for the body of work of the season.

"But we've still got to go out and take them one at a time. Winthrop is going to be a tough team.''

UT's director of public releations Tiffany Carpenter said there are no tickets available to the public. UT's allotment was claimed by preferred donors.

Connecticut is the region's No. 1 seed, while North Carolina is the No. 3 seed and Illinois is the No. 4 seed.

The electricity emanating from the Vols' selection show gathering, which included UT administrators and an ESPN camera crew, was undeniable.

"How do you like that!" said UT athletic director Mike Hamilton, beaming with pride.

Pearl said the respect his team obviously earned is what the Vols needed after a disappointing loss in the second round of the SEC tournament to South Carolina after receiving a first-round bye for winning the SEC East.

"You saw it,'' said Pearl, who one day earlier suggested he needed to find a way to get his team to feel good about itself once again. "I thought a lot of energy jumped off that couch.''

UT junior forward Dane Bradshaw was among those grinning from ear to ear.

"This is the happiest I've seen this team since the game at Florida,'' Bradshaw said. "I'm elated. Our strength of schedule and RPI came through for us.''

UT's schedule ranked No. 3 nationally leading to a No. 6 RPI rating. The Vols were No. 14 in last week's poll by The Associated Press.

Still, most were surprised to see the Vols land such a high seed after their late season struggles.

Joe Lunardi, of ESPN.com's bracketology, had projected the Vols as a No. 5 seed.

"I think that's a very high seed for Tennessee,'' CBS analyst Billy Packer said.

CBS analyst Clark Kellogg went so far as to pick Winthrop as a "sleeper'' team, and ESPN's Digger Phelps suggested the Vols have folded.

Pearl, however, addressed his team with confidence prior to the selection show.

"Gentlemen, you are prepared,'' he said. "It doesn't matter who our first-round opponent is or our second-round opponent. This team is capable of beating anyone.''

UT center Major Wingate is already penciling UT in for the Sweet 16.

"We have a lot of confidence; it feels like a new season,'' Wingate said. "I think this (seeding) does charge us up.

"We have some pretty rough teams after we get to the Sweet 16.''

But the Vols also learned they have something they fought hard for all year.

"It shows we gained a lot of respect,'' UT senior Stanley Asumnu said, "even though we didn't play our best down the stretch.''

Edgar Rumor: UT assistant Scott Edgar has been rumored to be a candidate for the vacant head coaching position at Southeast Missouri State.

"My name has come up when there are OVC (Ohio Valley Conference) openings,'' said Edgar, who served as Murray State's coach from 1991-95, leading the Racers to a 79-40 record that included two NCAA tournament appearances and an NIT bid. "It's a very good job but we've only been here a year and we really like it a lot here for a number of reasons.''

Edgar said he hasn't been contacted, but as a matter of course he would listen if approached.

"Maybe after the season I would,'' he said. "My complete focus is on our basketball team.''

Practice: The Vols had a tough practice Sunday morning, according to Wingate.

"It was pretty rough getting our wind and timing back after playing just one game in the last week,'' Wingate said. "There was a lot of conditioning.''

Wingate was excited to see UT headed to Greensboro, as it offers the best chance for his mother, who lives in Florence, S.C., to attend a game.