How do Vols offset Zags?

Tennessee’s men’s basketball team arrived two days early for today’s so-called “Battle in Seattle’’ against Gonzaga.

Even with the extra drill work, Vols’ coach Bruce Pearl isn’t sure if No. 11-ranked UT has the firepower to combat the Zags at Key Arena. (TV: ESPN2, 4 p.m.)

“So far, I think this is the best team we’ll have played,’’ said Pearl, whose Vols (11-1) have won six consecutive games entering a game being played on the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics’ home court. “Texas wasn’t this deep; Gonzaga has four or five guys the NBA is looking at, and this will be the most physical team we play.

“This is high-quality, smash-mouth basketball here.’’

And, Pearl added rather glumly, “They’ve got (Josh) Heytvelt back.’’

Gonzaga (9-3) is coming off a 72-68 loss to Oklahoma on Dec. 20 in Oklahoma City.

Heytvelt, a 6-foot-11, 240-pound Naismith Award candidate, scored only five points in 15 minutes in his first game back from a fractured right ankle suffered last fall.

Pearl said he expects Heytvelt, who averaged 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds last season, to be healthier and ready to start.

“That will be our match-up concern,’’ said Pearl, whose team has been out-rebounded in each of its past four games by an average of 7.5. “Heytvelt is a top-10 lottery pick type of guy. He takes them from being a Top-25 team to a Final Four kind of team.

“But Gonzaga is not the type of team where you can just focus on one guy.’’

So what are the Vols to do?

Run — as in turn up the tempo — and work their pressure as best as possible in a hostile road setting.

“I don’t think we can afford to sit in our half-court offense and slug it out with them,’’ Pearl said. “We hope to turn them over some.’’

That’s where the inspired play of sophomore guard Ramar Smith could come into play.

Smith, who lost his starting job to senior Jordan Howell after three games this season, enjoyed his strongest outing in the Vols’ hard-fought 82-75 win at Xavier last Saturday.

“We needed the ball, and we needed buckets,’’ Smith said, explaining his inspired play in the closing minutes of the win over the Musketeers. “I did not want to lose that game; we just feel like nobody is giving us our respect. I’m glad I’m out of the doghouse — not with the coaches, but with myself, as a player.’’

Pearl said he’s not surprised by Ramar Smith’s approach.

“He certainly wasn’t in my doghouse, but it’s nice to hear that he’s taking accountability,’’ Pearl said. “Could he have been playing better, and with more focus? Absolutely.

“But with Ramar, I think it’s all about the competition. He’s my best competitor, and he rises to the level of play.’’

Indeed, Smith was UT’s go-to guy in the final moments of many games last season because of his ability to drive and draw fouls.

This season, with the emergence of Tyler Smith and J.P. Prince, Ramar Smith’s role has been in transition.

Today, however, Pearl will be counting on Ramar Smith, among others in the backcourt, to produce some big defensive stops.

“Gonzaga goes 6-4, 6-5, 6-8 at guard, so they will look to post-up our guards,’’ Pearl said. “They have as many offensive sets and continuities as anyone we’ve seen. Mark Few is just a fabulous coach, and that’s why he and Roy Williams are the winningest coaches in the country.’’

Pearl ranks third in that category, but he isn’t looking at this game as any showdown of any sort.

“You look at our SEC schedule, and our next game after this one is against Ole Miss, a team with a big, strong and physical front line,’’ Pearl said. “The level of physicality will take a step up for us in this game, so this is a great opportunity for us to get some exposure in this area.’’

Prince, a sophomore transfer, is coming off a 23-point performance against Xavier that saw him get some exposure as the SEC’s Player of the Week.

Pearl said Prince’s role won’t change, as he’ll continue to rotate with Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith at the shooting guard and wing positions.

“One advantage J.P. had last week was there wasn’t much of a scouting report on him,’’ Pearl said. “The big thing for him in this game will be his conditioning and the physicality. As J.P. gets stronger, he’ll play more minutes.’’

Rough Stretch: Beginning with the UNC-Asheville game on Dec. 19, the Vols started a stretch against teams with a combined record of 36-7. UNCA was off to its best start in 24 years at 8-2, while Xavier (8-2), Gonzaga (9-3) and Ole Miss (11-0) also are hot.

Gonzaga Defense: The Zags, who have won seven consecutive West Coast Conference regular-season titles, lead the WCC in scoring defense (61.6 points per game), field-goal percentage defense (.382), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.289), rebounding margin (plus-5.4) and assist/turnover ratio (1.03).

UT Offense: As of the Dec. 17 NCAA statistics, the Vols lead the nation with 21.3 assists per game and ranked second in steals (12.8 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.59). The Vols’ 88.6 points per game ranked fourth nationally and their 10.2 3-pointers per game were ninth in the nation.

Worth Noting: The teams’ have one common opponent in Western Kentucky. The Vols beat the Hilltoppers 88-82 on Dec. 15 in Nashville while the Zags scored a 74-71 win over Western Kentucky on Nov. 22 in Anchorage, Alaska.