Vols will scramble for points with Lofton injured

The injury, suffered in Saturday's South Carolina game, hurts both Lofton and the team.

That said, Pearl and the Vols (14-5 overall, 2-2 SEC) are eager to begin the healing process when they play at Ole Miss (12-7, 1-4) at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Pearl said Lofton is expected to be out one to three weeks after Monday'sX-rays were negative, but the extent of ligament damage has yet to be determined because of the amount of swelling. Pearl said he does not believe it's a high ankle sprain.

"There hasn't been five minutes where it hasn't been iced, elevated, stemmed, anti-inflammatoried, whatever you want to say,'' Pearl said. "I'm not going to rush him back. I let the experts do their job. It's not my call.''

The bigger challenge for Pearl is adjusting his team's lineup to minimize the loss of Lofton's 23 points per game.

"It changes roles a little bit,'' Pearl said. "Everybody has got to be a little more aggressive looking for their shots and where they can score because we're losing 23 points.

"You scratch where it itches, and you make adjustments based on your personnel.''

Pearl set the wheels in motion in Monday's contact practice, playing freshman Duke Crews and Wayne Chism at the same time at center and power forward with Dane Bradshaw at small forward, JaJuan Smith at shooting guard and Ramar Smith remaining at the point.

The Vols will likely start out that way in Wednesday's game, but Pearl substitutes early and often with most players playing two, and sometimes three, positions.

Pearl was vague concerning where the points will come from.

"I'm thinking a little more Ramar (Smith), a little more Dane (Bradshaw) a little bit more JaJuan (Smith), a little bit more inside, but not specifically one thought,'' Pearl said. "It's got to be shared.''

Pearl said freshman Josh Tabb will get more minutes at small forward when Bradshaw shifts to power forward and/or point guard.

"Now we have to see Josh Tabb show signs of more than being just a good defender,'' Pearl said. "I'd like to see Josh break it down without charging I'm surprised Josh hasn't broken it down more and scored some tough twos in traffic. I think that's there in him.''

Tabb, a 6-foot-4 swing man averaging three points in 17 minutes per game, said he'll do whatever Pearl asks.

"I'm here to win, and I'll do what coach tells me to do,'' Tabb said. "I'll try to penetrate more, draw (defenders) and dish. With Chris gone, there's a lot of scoring to hold up.

"I'll do my part playing 'D,' and take what comes to me on offense.''

Jordan Howell, playing his second game since returning from a broken bone in his hand that sidelined him since Dec. 21, said the Vols' have a tall task.

"Everyone is saying to each other we have to pull together to make up for Chris' loss,'' Howell said. "None of us are the caliber Chris is, but collectively if we all pull together, we can play well.''

Poll Drop: The Vols dropped out of the top 25 of both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

UT received the 26th-most amounted of points in the Associated Press poll, 31 points behind No. 25 Southern Cal (15-5), and the 28th-most amount of points in the ESPN/USA Today poll, 29 points behind No. 25 Kentucky (15-4) and trailing Southern Cal and Villanova.

Lofton Travel: Pearl said he's uncertain if Lofton will make the trip to Oxford, Miss., because of the complications air travel brings to injuries.

"They (sprains) don't respond well to 30,000 feet; they swell up,'' Pearl said. "Do you leave Chris home and let him get treatment here versus getting to spend another day with Chad (Newman), his trainer.''

Tough Slate: The Vols' schedule ranked as the ninth toughest in the country through Sunday's games, according to CollegeRPI.com. UT has played six teams that are ranked in the Associated Press top 25, and six games are remaining against top 25 teams.

The Vols are No. 18 in the RPI ratings which is based on a formula that includes won-loss record, schedule strength, conference strength and whether the wins and losses were at home, on the road or at a neutral site.