Tennessee gets its wish: Georgetown

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Tennessee has wanted to play Georgetown in a home-and-home series since coach Bruce Pearl's arrival in Knoxville four years ago.

The Hoyas have rejected at least two invitations from associate head coach Tony Jones, who handles UT's scheduling, instead choosing Memphis.

So where better than on Disney property - "Where Dreams Come True" - for the Vols to get their wish?

The 12th-ranked Vols (4-0) play 21st-ranked Georgetown at 1 p.m. today (TV: ESPN) in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic at The Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

No UT player is more excited about the game than Bobby Maze, who grew up in the D.C. area idolizing NBA star Allen Iverson, a former Hoyas' great.

"It's very big for me, and it's a chance to play a lot of guys I went up against growing up," Maze said. "I play in their gym a lot when I go home for the summer, and we talked about this possibility when we saw the match-ups.

"Siena was a good team, but Georgetown, traditionally, is a premier Big East team, and they're a big step up talent-wise."

The Hoyas feature Greg Monroe, a 6-foot-11 freshman who's projected to be a mid-first round NBA draft pick.

UT's Wayne Chism has historically fared well against big-name centers.

"This will be more of a challenge, but you know I like to play the big guys,'' said Chism, who built his recruiting resume with his play against eventual No. 1 NBA pick Greg Oden. "Georgetown always has good big men, so we'll have to play good defense and rebound.''

UT freshman Renaldo Woolridge nearly chose to attend Georgetown.

"They were in my final two schools with Tennessee,'' Woolridge said. "They are a great team and we'll respect them, but we want to take it to them.''

UT's Tyler Smith said there's a difference between respect and fear.

"We don't think anybody is intimidating,'' Smith said. "They're a great team with great tradition, but we hoped they'd win so we could get a game with them.''

Jones explained why Georgetown is appealing as a series opponent.

"We want to bring a national flavor to Thompson-Boling Arena," Jones said, "teams like Georgetown, North Carolina and Duke, because of their stature and tradition.''

Georgetown coach John Thompson III said he doesn't handle the Hoyas' scheduling but has the final say.

"If you're asking me if that (playing UT) is something I want to do, we'll decide that on a year-to-year basis," Thompson said. "That's not something I would categorically object to."

Thompson is more concerned with getting his team's half-court offense settled after surviving a 58-50 scare from Wichita State on Thursday.

"As long as we're on the same page, the outcome will be OK,'' he said. "We have to focus on us.''

Pearl's Focus: Pearl thanked the 1,500 or so Vols' fans who showed up on Thanksgiving.

"A couple of years ago we went to the (preseason) NIT and Butler had 10 times more fans than we did,'' Pearl said of the New York City trip. "We didn't look like we belonged on the floor. You had North Carolina and Gonzaga and all those basketball schools, and here we are an SEC team ... and Tennessee doesn't bring their band or any fans.

"Today, you have to be proud of our fans.''

The Vols didn't bring a pep band to Orlando, either.

Expectations: Pearl has won an early-season tournament at the Milk House before. Southern Indiana won the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic in 1997 - with Pearl as coach - winning all three games it played.

Pearl is hoping the Vols can win, too, but it is a guarded optimism.

"Understand,'' he said, ''it will be very difficult to win another game because the field is so strong.''

The Vols could play Michigan State, Gonzaga, Maryland or Oklahoma State on Sunday.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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