Alyssia Brewer mixes NCAA madness, homework

Alyssia Brewer got an early taste of March Madness courtesy of the Tennessee men's basketball team.

The Lady Vols forward tuned in for the tense finish of the Vols' 62-59 first-round victory over San Diego State on Thursday night. She hadn't forgotten the rest of the game. Instead, she was occupied with other matters.

"I was doing homework,'' Brewer said.

She was struck with how Wayne Chism's rebound of a missed free throw led to a decisive 3-pointer by Melvin Goins.

"That was a big factor in why they won,'' she said. "They got the offensive rebound."

Teammate Alicia Manning watched several games and was struck by all the upsets.

"It's March, anything can happen,'' she said. "Anyone can have the game of their life, individually and as a team."

Manning said that she's been impressed with the Vols' season, especially given the loss of star player Tyler Smith and the other player suspensions.

"Dealing with all the stuff that's been going on, they've really handled the adversity and really done a good job,'' she said.

Turnstile Count: As of Friday morning, 8,811 advance tickets have been sold for the tournament.

Tennessee drew a crowd of 10,534 for its last NCAA first-round game at the arena, a 94-43 victory over Western Carolina in 2005. Although that game had a 9:30 p.m. tipoff, the victory enabled UT coach Pat Summitt to tie former North Carolina coach Dean Smith for the lead in career victories among Division I coaches with 879. Plus Western Carolina was coached by former Lady Vol Kellie Harper.

Prior History: Austin Peay forward Jasmine Rayner and Tennessee guard Kamiko Williams have met before during the state high school girls' tournament. In 2007, Rayner's Memphis Northside team beat Williams and Clarksville Northeast in the Class AAA semifinals, 65-52.

Rayner had 23 points and 13 rebounds while Williams scored a team-high 19 points.

"She was a person we couldn't stop,'' Williams said of Rayner. "We had no solution for her."

Who's Hot: Brewer was the most valuable player at the SEC tournament, averaging 14.7 points per game and shooting 70.4 percent from the field.

Manning had her second career double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds against Ole Miss on March 5 and has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in four of her last five games.

Who's Not: Guard Angie Bjorklund is shooting 32.5 percent (14 for 43) from the floor in her last four games, including 27.5 percent (8 for 29) on 3 pointers.

Glory Johnson hasn't scored in double figures or made more than two field goals in any of her last four games.

Not Enough Seats: Because of NCAA restrictions on the number of team bench seats, Amber Gray will be sitting in the stands today.

Gray is out for the season after undergoing brain surgery this summer to address an aneurysm.

Fellow Lady Vols Vicki Baugh and Faith Dupree also are out this season because of knee and back issues respectively but both players are taking part in team practices. Baugh has been back on the court the past two days, including Friday's open workout at the arena.

Get It Right: Summitt's brothers Tommy and Kenneth both are Austin Peay graduates. By they are advised to be Tennessee fans today.

"They better be,'' Summitt said, "or they won't get a ticket when they get here."