Not satisfied. Not Pleased. But not surprised.

So says Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl as the Vols (52) ready for tonight's 7 p.m. tip off against Murray State (2-5) at Thompson-Boling Arena.

"We're not where we need to be,'' Pearl said. "But it's not the kids' fault.''

Fortunately for UT, the Racers are hardly where they want to be, either.

Murray State returns only four lettermen from last year's 24-7 team and have started 10 different players this season.

The Vols, meanwhile are expected to stick with their only lineup change of the season, which occurred Monday when junior Jordan Howell started in place of freshman Ramar Smith at point guard.

Pearl said the Vols improved using the new lineup in a 77-67 win at Louisiana-Lafayette, and he wants to see another positive step taken tonight.

"I'm raising the bar on them,'' Pearl said. "I'm pushing them a little bit harder because I know what we're going to encounter.''

Freshman center Duke Crews said he feels the difference.

"For a while coach was watching us and wanting us to get used to the flow of the game,'' Crews said. "He was waiting to see what everyone could do. Now, he's able to put the team together.''

Junior guard Chris Lofton agreed.

"Coach is defining roles now,'' Lofton said. "And now everyone needs to start executing their roles for us to win.

"In practices he's more intense, watching film he's more intense.''

And Lofton, soft-spoken by nature, said he himself is becoming more intense.

"Coach said it's time for me to step up and be a leader, and be more verbal,'' Lofton said. "Coach said with so many new guys, that has got to be my role.

"Whatever it takes to win, that's what I will do.''

Lofton erupted for 31 points in the Vols' win at Lafayette, and part of that was a result of him taking on more responsibility as a leader.

Another part of it, Pearl said, was Howell's play at point guard.

"Jordan advancing the ball was a big part of what happened for Chris,'' Pearl said. "We'll stick with that plan and see what happens.''

Pearl said he wants the end result to be Tennessee winning the big games as well as the ones it's expected to.

"We've played two teams that are locks to go to the NCAA Tournament (Butler and North Carolina), and we weren't good enough to beat either one,'' Pearl said. "But first, we need to take care of the games we're supposed to win.''

Tonight is one of those games, as the Vols are favored by 16 points, but Lofton said last year's battle with Murray State is still fresh in his mind.

"It was a tough situation and I was worried because we were down 12 in the first half,'' Lofton said. "Murray State was a mustwin for us, and we know they're always a great team.''

Lofton saved the day against the Racers last season, scoring 12 consecutive points after the Racers had taken a 47-46 lead with 7:35 remaining at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

"It's been great to see Chris hunting his shot in practice this week like he did in Louisiana,'' Pearl said. "He needs to keep doing that for us to win.''

Passley Punishment: Pearl said he might consider not playing sophomore Tony Passley for some or all of tonight's game as a result of Passley's technical foul at Lafayette.

He didn't play the second half against Lafayette for disciplinary reasons,'' Pearl said, alluding to the technical that occurred at the end of the first half. "I haven't decided what or if I'll do anything this game, but we have to control our emotions and body language.''

Ramar's Deal: Pearl said he hasn't given up on Ramar Smith -- far from it.

"Ramar is a terrific player, but we're trying to turn a high school combo-guard into an SEC point guard,'' Pearl said. "The pace we play at is different than high school, and on top of that, we play at a faster pace than most all college teams.

"There's no substitute for the confidence you gain from experience, and Ramar is handling this really well.''