SAN ANTONIO -- In some quarters, Tennessee is viewed as an "upset special" pick tonight against Ohio State. If so, it won't be as big of an upset as it would have been in January.

The Buckeyes were a 10-point favorite on Jan. 13 when they made a late basket to hold off the Vols 68-66 in Columbus.

Tonight, Ohio State is favored by 4A 1/2 points in the NCAA South Regional semifinal.

The Buckeyes appear vulnerable on two counts: One, their escape against Xavier in overtime in the second round last Saturday.

The other, facing a team on a neutral court they barely beat with all the advantages of a home court and crowd.

"Any team in the nation can get beaten on any given day,'' said UT senior Dane Bradshaw.

"This time of the season it's all about that one day. If we had been blown out by 20 (in Columbus) we'd still come in with the same mindset that we can put it together on one day and beat them.''

Home Crowd: Texas A&M should be the crowd favorite, based on the fans attending all the open practice sessions Wednesday.

"It may help you get over a couple of tough spots in the games,'' said Aggies coach Billy Gillespie, "but it wont be the ultimate determining factor.''

The Alamodome is configured for a crowd of about 30,000.

UT and Texas A&M sold out their respective ticket allotments. Associate athletic director John Currie said UT tried to screen calls to ensure Tennessee fans were buying the allotment.

Original Volunteer: A few Vols had quizzical looks when asked Wednesday if they were familiar with the legend of the Alamo and the Tennesseans who died there in 1836. Not Tennessee native Wayne Chism.

"I know who Davy Crockett is,'' said Chism.

Tough Resume: None of Ohio State's three losses this year were cheap. All were on the road, two to No. 1 seeds (North Carolina, Florida) and the other to a No. 2 seed (Wisconsin).

Second Time: Pearl thinks Ohio State benefits more than UT from the January game because the Buckeyes got to experience the Vols' press.

"We played our cards,'' Pearl said. "We showed our hand.

"We're a tough match-up the first time. ... They'll handle it better this time.''

Butler Did It: UT's Chris Lofton conceded Ohio State defensive ace Jamar Butler had something to do with Lofton's 3-of-11 3-point shooting in Columbus.

"He forced me into some tough shots and some questionable shots,'' Lofton said. "He had me a little frustrated because I couldn't really shoot like I wanted to.''

Quotable: UT coach Bruce Pearl told Dane Bradshaw that CBS analyst Billy Packer wanted to know why he was missing so many shots.

Bradshaw, on his way over to speak with Packer said to the CBS analyst, "For four years, I've been building up a false scouting report for moments like this.''

Rim Shot: Thompson-Boling Arena manager Tim Reese brought his apparatus to measure the tightness of the rims in the Alamodome, just as he did to the first-round games in Columbus, Ohio last weekend.

"We think they're a little tighter than they should be,'' said Reese. "We've asked that they test them again, and see if they'll loosen them up.''

Thompson-Boling Arena's rims are significantly softer than those in the Alamodome.

New Shoes: adidas sent the Vols another batch of new shoes, this time the T-Mac model. Director of basketball operations Ken Johnson said most of the players will likely stick with the "NCAA Bounce'' style UT wore in Columbus. Lofton said he wasn't sure which shoe he would pick, but he said the T-Macs had more grip.