GREENSBORO, N.C. -- This year's Tennessee men's basketball team didn't make it to the Sweet 16. But the team that was picked in the preseason to struggle this year put the Vols back on the map.

Senior Andre Patterson said that's the one thing that enables him to leave Knoxville feeling good about transferring from UCLA to UT three years ago.

"We want to be remembered as the team that started the process for great men's basketball in Knoxville,'' Patterson said. "It's been a great ride.''

Bruce Pearl wants the good times to continue, but he'll face many of the same challenges as UT's second-year head coach as he did this year. The Vols have three seniors to replace, including four-year starter C.J. Watson at point guard.

"Our defense and rebounding will be improved,'' Pearl said. "But without C.J. we may not be as good a ball-handling team after leading the SEC in assist/turnover ratio and assists, and we lose a great 3-point shooter in C.J. and the experience and leadership of Andre and Stanley (Asumnu).''

Pearl said there's obviously a lot left to be determined about where the pieces might fit in next year's puzzle, but a good guess at the starting lineup might be: Major Wingate at center, Wayne Chism at power forward, Duke Crews at small forward, Chris Lofton at shooting guard and Marques Johnson at the point.

The problem with that projection is not that it includes three true freshmen, so much as the omission of senior-to-be Dane Bradshaw, who Pearl continually referred to as the glue that held this year's 22-8 team together.

"I think Dane will once again play a major role,'' Pearl said. "I couldn't tell you where it's going to be, but he'll fit into whatever piece of the puzzle is remaining.''

And what about guards JaJuan Smith, Jordan Howell and incoming freshman Josh Tabb?

Smith was arguably the best sixth-man in the conference and Howell proved capable of running the point in the clutch when Watson ran into foul trouble in both NCAA tourney games. Tabb's gritty style gives him a chance to win the job at the point, too.

Ryan Childress will be one year stronger and wiser in the paint, and Damion Harris has gone from being a project to at the very least a contributor in the middle. There's still a chance Tony Passley will be around, too, depending on how his pending court case plays out.

"The depth will help us tremendously, and I think our athleticism will be improved,'' Pearl said. "We should be better at every position except the point.''

Good thing: The Vols' schedule will be just as daunting and the SEC East figures to be even better than this year, Pearl said.

"As strong as the East was this year, almost everybody is back,'' Pearl said. "We probably lose as much as anybody.

"This recruiting class was essential. The thing that's great about them is their versatility.

Chism, a 6-foot-8, 240pounder, could see some time at center, and Crews, a 6-7 scoring machine, could step up to the power forward position when the Vols go small.

Johnson, the favorite to win the point guard position, also can play shooting guard and small forward, as can Smith.

Pearl said he'll go to work with his team when the Vols return from spring break in a week, putting them through conditioning, weightlifting and individual workouts.

"We'll plug in the same formula and play a great schedule,'' said Pearl, whose team has games with Texas, Oklahoma State, Xavier, Memphis, Murray State and yet-to-be-determined opponents in the preseason NIT. "We'll worry we overscheduled, but it will get us ready for the SEC and get our RPI up high come tournament selection time.''

Pearl said next year's team will be challenged to match the accomplishments of this year's special group.

"We won the SEC East, so there's nowhere to go but down there,'' he said. "We went .500 against the West, and I think we can improve on that, and I think we can improve on winning one game in the (NCAA) tournament.''

More On Bradshaw, Lofton: Pearl said he places absolutely no blame on Lofton or Bradshaw, despite their relatively poor shooting performances in the Vols' 80-73 loss to Wichita State on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

"We put a lot of pressure on Chris, because not only did he make six 3s, but he also did a great job on (Wichita State's) best shooter, holding him to five shots,'' Pearl said. "That said, he can improve on his ball-handling, ability to drive and draw fouls and his quickness.''

Pearl said he was not among those critical of Bradshaw for lofting up a 3-pointer with under two minutes left.

"Dane's play was affected down the stretch by his wrist, he was not as effective defensively,'' Pearl said. "But his shooting percentages stayed the same, and I'm glad he had the confidence to take some of those shots.

"Just think of all the big shots he made against Florida, South Carolina and Memphis. There was nothing out of line with Dane taking that shot.''

Final Loss: Pearl encapsulated the loss to the Shockers by saying there was some uncharacteristic ball movement and difficulty stopping Wichita State's ability to get open looks off screens.

It's all history now, and Pearl is ready to author the next chapter in Tennessee basketball.

"Tennessee basketball is here,'' he said. "We'll go to the NCAA tournament many more times.''

Visitor: Ramar Smith, a talented point guard from Detroit's Martin Luther King High School, is expected to make his official visit to UT April 8-9 and attend the Vols' Orange and White football game. Smith, a five-star recruit ranked 30th in the nation by Rivals.com, was originally a Connecticut commitment. He has reportedly narrowed his choices to Arkansas and Tennessee and already has visited the Razorbacks.