Pearl isn't worried about Bradshaw

"And I thought he played a great game,'' South Carolina coach Dave Odom said Thursday.

When Tennessee beat Kentucky on Tuesday, Bradshaw didn't make a basket all night.

"All he did against Kentucky was lead us with nine assists and make plays,'' said UT coach Bruce Pearl. "Nine assists and the two steals that win the game.''

Don't get Pearl wrong, he would love to see Bradshaw make a few buckets Saturday when the Vols (18-8, 6-5 SEC) visit South Carolina (12-12, 2-9). Tip-off is 3:30 p.m. (TV: WATE).

But even if he doesn't, that's OK, too.

Bradshaw, UT's only senior, has never been a scoring machine. But lately, there's been a lid on the basket whether he's pumping up a 3-pointer or driving for a layup.

In the Vols' three-game home winning streak, Bradshaw was a combined 1-of-16 from the field. Going back through that 64-61 win over the Gamecocks, Bradshaw is 5-of-42.

"I don't know what's going on with his scoring,'' Pearl said. "It's obviously more mental than it is physical but he still is winning basketball games for us.

"I haven't said a word to him because he's been a huge part of our success.''

The scoring woes have not carried over to Bradshaw's floor game -- fortunately for UT. He has 128 assists and only 47 turnovers this year. He's had at least seven assists in nine different games this year.

"Remember when we lost Chris Lofton in the game against South Carolina?" said Pearl. "Watch the tape.

"All I do in the second half is get Dane Bradshaw the ball so he can make plays. And all he did was make plays and win us that basketball game.''

Thus, Odom's memory was accurate. Bradshaw had seven assists, zero turnovers and two steals against the Gamecocks.

"He has value beyond the stat sheet,'' said Odom, long a Bradshaw admirer.

"He's tremendous leader. He's an excellent defender. He's a tough match-up.''

Pearl compares the 6-foot-4 Bradshaw to, of all people, Florida's 6-10 center Joakim Noah.

"What Noah does for Florida, Dane Bradshaw does for us,'' said Pearl. "They're glue guys, and energy guys and high assist/turnover-ratio guys. Guys that just make winning plays.

"If he keeps playing the way he's playing and doesn't score another basket for us the rest of the season we can still win with him doing all those little things.''

Lofton Update: Lofton said he still isn't 100 percent recovered from the ankle sprain he suffered Jan. 20 against South Carolina and that he has good days and bad.

"Today (Thursday) was awful,'' Lofton said, "but I practiced.

"After the Kentucky game I asked the doctor if this pain is ever going to go away. He said if the season was over and I got to rest, but since I'm playing on it constantly, it'll take some time.''

Notebook: Saturday will be UT's first SEC game on ABC since 1993. Its only other appearance on the network since then was the 2004 game against Georgia Tech. ... Over the past five games, Jordan Howell has made 57.1 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaged 7.8 points. ... Lofton and JaJuan Smith are the highest-scoring duo in the SEC at 35.9 points per game (20.2 for Lofton, 15.7 for Smith).