MTSU a 'step-up' foe

Step up, or sit down.

That's pretty much the choice Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl is giving his players heading into tonight's 7:30 tipoff with Middle Tennessee State at Thompson-Boling Arena.

"This is a step-up opponent,'' Pearl said. "They played us well last year. A win over Tennessee would make their season, and we know they're a capable opponent.''

The seventh-ranked Vols (3-0) scored an 83-52 victory over the Blue Raiders (1-2) last year, but that was back when UT had a smaller, more cohesive rotation.

This year's Vols, while averaging 90 points per contest, have appeared disjointed at times while Pearl searches for the right combinations to put on the floor.

"I think our defense has improved because we spent a lot of time on it,'' Pearl said. "As a result, our offense has yet to really click.''

Pearl said he will continue to experiment with different lineups and rotations until he sees what he likes from the Vols.

"Because it's early in the season, the starting lineup will change some,'' Pearl said. "We're close at a number of positions and roles have not been defined. They will be defined over a period of time, and I hope we're good enough to win while we're defining them.

"The players need to determine the roles - I'm not going to define them.''

And, Pearl said, he's not going to carry on about his team's early-season free-throw woes.

"I'm not going to harp on the free throws,'' said Pearl, whose team is shooting a collective 54-percent from the foul line. "I think that has been a distraction more than anything else. I'm not going to talk about it. I'm going to drill it and practice it.''

UT point guard Ramar Smith, who was 0-for-12 at the foul line in an 89-75 win over Prairie View A&M Friday night, has gone back to work on his free throws.

"I don't think I'd ever missed more than three or four in a row - in my life,'' Ramar Smith said. "I just got to work on it. I'll go back to dribbling the ball twice and spinning it before I shoot. I had tried to change some things up.''

Pearl said he doesn't want Ramar Smith to change up anything when it comes to penetrating the lane.

"Point guards are going to get fouled, and Ramar will get fouled a lot and that's a good thing,'' Pearl said. "He's a physical guard and I want him to continue to take the ball to the basket. The worst thing in the world would be for him to shy away from contact.''

One of the better things, Pearl said, would be for Ramar Smith to adjust to Dane Bradshaw's absence.

"As a point guard, he has to be conscious of his assist-turnover ratio,'' Pearl said. "He has a great opportunity in this system. Ultimately, for his own growth, he's responsible to get the ball to others. He doesn't have Dane in the backcourt with him.

"He's our No. 1 playmaker; last year he and Dane were sharing point guard duties.''

Senior JaJuan Smith said he's just ready to get on with the season.

"That last game is over,'' JaJuan Smith said. "We're taking it one game at a time, and we're looking forward to the next opponent.''