Koshwal tall wall for Vols

ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands - The top NBA prospect on the floor might not being wearing orange today.

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl makes no secret of it: The Vols wanted DePaul's 6-foot-10 center, Mac Koshwal, and they wanted him bad.

"We had him on campus for a visit two years ago, and Mac is a great rebounder who scores well and is playing very well right now,'' Pearl said. "We'll be challenged.''

Tennessee (3-0) tips off against the Blue Demons (2-0) at 6 tonight (TV: FSS) in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam tournament.

Koshwal is averaging 15.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per game this season.

With a win over DePaul, the Vols would play the winner between Saint Joseph's and Purdue for the tournament championship on Monday (TV: FSS, 8:30 p.m.) With a loss, UT faces the loser of the other semifinal on Monday (TV: FSS, 6).

DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright clearly knows what to expect from the Vols.

"Playing fast is one thing, but they get going supersonic,'' said Wainwright, whose team rallied from 10 down to defeat Northern Iowa 60-52 on Friday. "You've got to make instinctive plays against Tennessee; there's not much time to think.''

The Vols enter today's game having put together the highest points toals for consecutive games (229) in school history, eclipsing the previous record of 214 set in 1974-75 when UT beat Missouri 99-77 and Vermont 115-66.

As for Koshwal, Wainwright said his center has played much better than DePaul's record has reflected.

"He's just about averaged a double-double his whole career,'' he said, "and he's done that in the Big East against some of the best teams in the country.''

UT has a budding star of its own in shooting guard Scotty Hopson, who has made national headlines by opening the season hitting 14 of 18 from beyond the 3-point arc.

"Yes, we saw some of DePaul's game, and it is a very good team with a great big guy,'' Hopson said. "But we've got a few big guys, too.''

Pearl said another of his big concerns is the Blue Demons' doggedness.

"Not only do they have one of the best rebounders in the country, this is a team that knows how to keep games close,'' Pearl said. "They have an advantage there, because we haven't had a tough game yet.

"They'll be a hard team to speed up, and they'll play smart. This will be the most aggressive defense we've seen.''

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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