There were times the Tennessee men's basketball practice sounded like anything but a holiday gathering Thursday morning.
UT coach Bruce Pearl said that's because there's work to do with the No. 9 Vols.
The Vols (4-1) play host to the College of Charleston (1-2) tonight (TV: CSS, 7 p.m.) at Thompson-Boling Arena
"We're getting great leadership, and our veterans have bought into what we're doing,'' Pearl said. "They understand it's not personal, it's business. We're practicing much more physically.''
Senior captain Tyler Smith said the Vols are all on the same page and need Pearl's intensity.
"We're coming back together here to get better,'' Smith said. "We felt like we beat ourselves (73-72 against Purdue), but we know we're right there.
"We've got to take care of business; we know Charleston has great guards, and Tony White (Jr.) is going to want to have a good game back home.''
White, the son of former UT standout Tony White Sr. (1984-87), is a Bearden High School graduate and the Cougars' starting point guard.
"(Charleston coach) Bobby Cremins is known for doing great things with his guards, and they have three very talented ones who were all point guards,'' Pearl said. "They do great with their ball-screen offense, and this is a team that beat South Carolina last season.''
The Cougars are coming off a 77-71 loss at East Tennessee State Wednesday night, though they were the preseason pick to win the Southern Conference.
That's why Pearl was both meticulous and intense in Thursday's 2 1/2-hour "walk-through" practice.
"I hated having to bring the kids in here on Thanksgiving, but we at least got our workout in early so they could enjoy the holiday,'' he said. "I asked them to appreciate how blessed they are on this day.''
Cam Connection: UT sophomore Cameron Tatum was a high school teammate of Charleston's Jeremy Simmons and trains in the offseason under the direction of Andrew Goudelock's uncle.
"I played with (Simmons) three years,'' said Tatum, the all-time leading scorer at Tucker High School in Lithonia, Ga.
"He stayed right down the street from me, and we would ride together to practice.''
Tatum said he and Simmons talked about this game during the summer, and he communicated with Goudelock last week.
Series History: The Cougars beat the Vols in the teams' only meeting in the first round of the 1996 NIT by a 55-49 count.
"I remember I hit four 3-pointers in that game,'' said UT video coordinator Aaron Green, who played on that Vols team under former coach Kevin O'Neill, "and they still kicked our butts.''
SEC Leaders: The Vols lead the SEC in free throw shooting, hitting at a .742 clip.
UT is also the top 3-point shooting team at .455, led by Scotty Hopson (.584), who is second the SEC to Arkansas' Rotnei Clarke (.622).
Smith leads the SEC with a 3.4 assist/turnover ratio, and the Vols lead the SEC with 19.8 assists per game, scoring margin (29.2), and turnover margin (7.4).
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
National Signing Day 2010
Signing day celebration at Neyland…
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Comments » 21
vol_chaz writes:
Gotta rebound from that Purdue loss. This could be just what the doctor ordered. The friendly confines of TBA should do the trick. Welcome back home boys.
murrayvol writes:
I'll settle for that.
Happy Thanksgiving Cat!
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
Tony White can do whatever he wants. He lit up UT-Chattanooga last season in the SoCon championship game. Problem was, the rest of his team did nothing to help out and UTC cruised to like a 25 point victory (GO MOCS!). So, with that said, we simply outsize, outhustle, and outplay Cremins & Co. Good coach, but his time's up.
EB4Heisman writes:
Don't forget he redshirted his freshman year, this truly is his 3rd year on campus
Vol_N_Texas writes:
Get a life...
bmcreynolds#558786 writes:
He signed with the Vols out of High School. Then, had to go to prep school. Then redshirted, and is now playing in his 2nd year. So, he's been attached to the program for 4+ years and will be, oh, about 23 years old now. Older than everyone else on the team!
beachvol1 writes:
Oh no, I see flashbacks of Jody Meeks with Tony White...please say no and put somebody in his face...and how about showing up Mr Smith...
dwa7#337691 writes:
UT 84
cofc 70
Skullz_VOL writes:
I seem to remember the Vols having a top 10 strength of schedule every year under Pearl. Splain that...
tennrich1 writes:
I simply must say again, why waste your precious time responding to a post that is meant to garner responses...WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?
Now, does anyone know how injuried Woolridge is? Because if its not bad,,,,man he is really struggling to find his place on the floor....
AugVol writes:
Tucker High School is in Tucker, Ga... not Lithonia.
rudy123 writes:
Kentucky is ranked higher because it is a traditional program and because of their coach.
Do you recall several years ago, when Alabama's
football team was horrible but they were always
in the top 25 to start the season and even after losses, they stayed in the top 25. Eventually, in week 8 or 9, they had to drop them all the way out. They weren't that good but it was a traditional team.
Remember USC, earlier this season had lost and
lost, yet they were still in the top 10 and people couldn't understand it? Now, with 3 losses, they are still in the top 25 but not the top 10. They are in the polls based on their
past. The same is true with Ky.
roobomb writes:
I know, right!!! Kentucky is AWESOME this year!!! They STOMPED Miami Ohio and Stanford! I'll bet they win the National Championship twice this year 'cuz they're soooo good! Man, I love Kentucky and a lot of their super smart, fact-based fans!
carlsusanellis#574472 writes:
Take a look at UT's RPI over the last three years.
I agree this year's schedule is top heavy with softies, but over all Pearl has played a tough non conference schedule.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
UT 110
CC 59
It maybe closer but I think the Vols want to prove themselves for now.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
Nothing wrong with our schedule btw. A few easy wins won't hurt anybody...well except the losers.
VolJunkie writes:
Just curious because I don't have any background: if Tony White is a great point guard, played down the road at Bearden, how did UT let him get away?
Go Vols!
mocsandvolsfan writes:
I don't think Tony White's better than any of our guards. Wait and see.
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
Typically all major programs play at least 3 to 4 of the smaller IN STATE colleges to allow the smaller school to earn revenue and promote their programs..Any basketball fan knows these things!!!Memphis; Kansas ; Purdue; USC; Depaul are far from cake walks.. Come back to this site when you learn something about major college basketball IDIOT!!!
licknpromise777#651578 writes:
Also wondering about Woolridge; He's gotten some playing time and his shots barely even hit the goal if at all.He's not even close to where he was this time last year..Look out for Tatum though; He's developing into the complete package; By January he will be a difference maker
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
Tony White is not that good. Only avgs. 7.7 ppg, which is not so good for a senior guard.
By the way, UT plays Kansas, Memphis, Purdue. Not bad out of conference games.
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