Crews out indefinitely with heart condition

Tennessee sophomore center Duke Crews is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a heart condition.

UT coach Bruce Pearl made the announcement Friday while in Nashville preparing for tonight’s 9:30 tip-off (TV: ESPNU) against Western Kentucky at the Sommet Center.

“The hardest part for us is just the psychological impact about how we all feel about Duke and the concern we have for his health,’’ Pearl said. “It’s going to be tough not having him out there. He has that toughness, and he brings us a level of confidence.’’

Crews’ condition was discovered via standard echocardiogram screening, which the UT medical staff provides all student-athletes.

“Further testing confirmed the result … He (Crews) will continue to undergo treatment, monitoring and further testing,’’ team physician Dr. Chris Klenck said in a UT release. “He will return to competition as soon as his condition allows.’’

It’s not the first setback this season for Crews, who is averaging 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Crews was suspended for 30 days on Sept. 26 for violations of team rules after a “minor” amount of marijuana was found during a search of his campus apartment. He was limited in early November by an ankle injury.

With Crews out, freshman Brian Williams will be asked to step up at center for the 12th-ranked Vols (8-1) against the Hilltopppers (7-2).

Crews started the past two games at center where he split time with fellow sophomore Wayne Chism, who is expected to regain starting duties.

“We’re not starting over, but we’re definitely a work in progress,’’ Pearl said. “We’ll just have to adjust on the fly.’’

Another big adjustment comes at small forward, where 6-foot-8 sophomore transfer J.P. Prince is expected to garner about 20 minutes of playing time.

JaJuan Smith likely will start at small forward, but once the substitutions begin, JaJuan Smith will play shooting guard as well as the wing.

Pearl said sophomore Josh Tabb, who has been battling a sprained ankle, has lost his place in the nine-man rotation.

“We’re a team that’s trying to find its chemistry, and yet we lead the NCAA in assists and are in the top 10 in steals and forcing turnovers,’’ Pearl said. “But against Western Kentucky, we have a great challenge. Our team understands that, and it understands the elevated intensity we’re going to play against.’’

The Hilltoppers have won at least 22 games each of the past three seasons and are favored to win the Sun Belt Conference this year.

“They have a first-round NBA draft pick in Courtney Lee,’’ Pearl said, referring to Western Kentucky’s 6-5 senior, who’s averaging 21.3 points per game. “We played one of our better games against them last year, shooting 57 percent, and it was still a very challenging contest.’’

The Vols prevailed, 93-79, but the game was much closer than the final score indicates as UT didn’t pull away until the latter stages.

The Hilltoppers return four of five starters from a unit that outrebounded the Vols 38-27 last season, and they have victories against Michigan and Nebraska this season while also taking Gonzaga down to the wire.

Pearl notes there’s a big difference between playing Western Kentucky in Nashville, as opposed to last year’s game in Knoxville.

“They’ve sold 4,000 tickets, and this is part of a doubleheader in Nashville,’’ Pearl said, noting the Memphis-Middle Tennessee State game kicks off tonight’s action. “We’ve played Murray State in this type of situation, along with Louisiana-Lafayette and Chattanooga. Just look what kind of games they were, and you know what to expect.

“Then, keep in mind this Western Kentucky team is better than any of those three teams were at the time we played them.’’

The Hilltoppers have 10 players averaging at least 14 minutes per game and have forced 20 or more turnovers in five of their nine games.

Big Orange Bus: The Big Orange Tipoff Club is sponsoring bus trips to away games beginning with next Saturday’s sold-out game in Cincinnati against Xavier at $125 per person. Limited space remains, but the club has future overnight trips planned for the men’s and women’s games at Columbia S.C. (Jan. 12-13) and the men’s game at Memphis (Feb. 23) that includes lodging. There is also a same-day bus trip to Athens, Ga., on Feb. 16. For more information, go to www.utfan.com/tipoff.