Tennessee junior Chris Lofton led the Vols into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament this season and now he's heading up the second-team All-American list as determined by the Associated Press.

Lofton, a 6-foot-2 guard, was the Associated Press SEC player of the year after leading the league in scoring (20.8) and 3-pointers per game (3.42) this season. His 313 career 3-pointers rank third in SEC history and second in the UT record books behind Allan Houston (346).

"What Chris brings is a calming influence on the team,'' Vols' associate head coach Tony Jones said. "When he's out there, he instills confidence to the rest of our players. He has developed into the type of all-around player that enabled him to be a second-team All-American.

"His work ethic, his determination and focus to get better has put him in this position.''

Lofton is the first UT player to earn first- or second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press since Dale Ellis was a first-team selection in 1983. Last year Lofton was an honorable mention selection by AP.

Lofton scored 30 or more points in six games this season, including a 34-point effort in a win over Memphis and 35 points in an overtime win over Texas in a game that saw the Vols rally from a 17-point second half deficit.

Lofton's value to the team was fully realized when UT went 1-3 without him in the lineup after he suffered a sprained ankle early in the conference portion of the schedule.

"Chris, over the last two years has been our leading scorer, and he and his teammates, along with Coach (Bruce) Pearl, have resurrected the University of Tennessee program and made it a part of the national landscape,'' Jones said. "Lofton has supreme upside, and if he continues to improve other aspects of his game, such as ball-handling and defense, no question he will be a first-team All-American selection next year.''

Lofton also was selected a second-team All-American by the Sporting News, SI.com and was a third-team All-American as voted on by the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches).

Lofton has been voted the SEC player of the week six times in his career, which is tied with former Alabama player Kennedy Winston for most in SEC history.

Two freshmen were on the AP All-America first team: Texas' Kevin Durant and Ohio State's Greg Oden.

They were joined by seniors Alando Tucker of Wisconsin and Acie Law IV of Texas A&M and junior Arron Afflalo of UCLA. Voting was conducted before the NCAA tournament.