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ATLANTA - Fatigue makes cowards of us all.

I first heard that quote from Nolan Richardson, the old Arkansas basketball coach who used to press opponents into rubber-legged submission.

Then I heard it attributed to Vince Lombardi and then to George Patton. Wherever it originated, it's a good line. It's good because it rings true.

And it captures the essence of the SEC tournament.

The team that collects the trophy on Sunday afternoon will be the team that refused to buckle under to fatigue.

Tennessee comes to the Georgia Dome today with the mission of winning three games in three days. This, if you're up on your UT basketball history, is no modest proposal.

Not often are teams required to play three games in three days. Conference tournaments, holiday tournaments, that's about it. You get a day to recover between games in the NCAA tournament.

The last time a Tennessee team won three games in three days was in the Rainbow Classic in December 2000.

Before that, you'd have to go back another decade to the 1991 SEC tournament when the upstart Vols made a stunning run to the championship game. The fourth game in four days caught up with them and they flamed out in the second half.

In all the years since, Tennessee's ability to overcome fatigue hasn't been tested in an SEC tournament. They haven't even played three games, much less won three.

This season already has been so different in so many ways. Now, the Vols say, they're prepared to push the envelope again.

"A lot of people think we're going to go home on the first day because that's the way it's been,'' forward Tyler Smith said Thursday. "But we're ready to prove to our fans, as well as ourselves, that we'll be here the whole time.''

If they are here the whole time it will be a function of talent, maturity, conditioning and depth.

The "D'' word is big this week.

Tennessee has 10 players who average at least 10 minutes a game.

"Our depth is a luxury,'' said UT coach Bruce Pearl, "but it's also a luxury we've worked to develop.''

Some coaches tend to shorten their rotation at tournament time when the stakes are highest. Not Pearl.

"Everybody's got guys sitting on their bench,'' he said, "and some of them were pretty highly recruited kids.''

So Brian Williams, Duke Crews and Jordan Howell will get their minutes. J.P. Prince, the SEC's top sixth man, will be a weapon most teams don't have on their bench.

And here's another stat that should matter this week: The Vols are the only team in the field with no one averaging 30 minutes a game.

"That's Coach's plan,'' said Prince, "to keep people fresh.''

Whatever South Carolina will be today, it won't be fresh. The Gamecocks played every starter at least 33 minutes Thursday in a 77-74 win over LSU. All-SEC guard Devan Downey went all 40 minutes.

"I'll go back to the hotel, ice down and play 40 minutes again if the team needs me to,'' said Downey.

Gamecocks coach Dave Odom said his team won't be tired today because he'll tell them they're not tired.

"In the summer time they play three or four games a day,'' Odom said. "And it's a lot hotter in the summer.''

Vanderbilt rode its lead horse, Shan Foster, for 34 minutes Wednesday against Auburn in order to survive and advance against Arkansas today.

"There won't be any self-preservation going on,'' said Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings, "because you can't win four if you can't win one.''

Tennessee has to win only three. But first it has to win one.

"We won't be holding anything back,'' Pearl said.

"And our depth is not going to be a factor (today). But it could be real big on Saturday and it will be on Sunday if we get that far.''

Through the years, Tennessee has been one well rested - and absent - team by Sunday. This team has a different mission in mind for this particular Sunday.

To have to stare fatigue in the eye and see who blinks.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.