Even by Pearl's standards, this was a pretty good win

Even by Pearl's standards, this was a pretty good win
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100111/COLUMNIST0202/1110322/2072/SPORTS
KNOXVILLE — Maybe we should've seen it coming.





Upon further review, this was right up Bruce Pearl's comfort zone. He specializes in lost causes. In five seasons, he has resurrected Tennessee basketball by sheer will and by getting his team to overachieve.

But even by Pearl's against-all-odds standards, this was a doozy. From a sheer goose-bump factor, UT's 76-68 conquest of Kansas on Sunday was in a league of its own.

Think about it: On one side you had undefeated Kansas, the nation's No. 1-ranked team. On the other was a Tennessee team that appeared in utter disarray.
Related



The Vols might have arrived at tipoff ranked No. 16, but the roster looked more like a middle-of-the-pack SEC team. The Vols were down to six scholarship players and three walk-ons.

Tyler Smith is no longer on the team. Three other players who were arrested along with Smith on New Year's Day remain under indefinite suspension.

In one telling sequence, freshman walk-on Skylar McBee was observed attempting to guard Kansas All-American guard Sherron Collins.

"The stars have to align a little bit to beat the No. 1 team with a short-handed lineup," Pearl said. "… That's the beautiful thing about sports."

The degree of difficulty was extreme to begin with. Then it went off the charts when key players Wayne Chism and J.P. Prince were limited to 19 minutes and 14 minutes, respectively, because of foul trouble.

There were times when UT had three walk-ons on the court. Those three — Steven Pearl, Josh Bone and McBee — combined to play 45 minutes.

"When you go out there, you can't be worried about whether you're on scholarship or not," McBee said. "You just have to play."

That's exactly what Tennessee did. Rather than dwell on what has gone so wrong since the New Year's Day arrest of four players, the Vols focused on the task at hand.

"It's so unbelievable," said Vols point guard Bobby Maze, who played the best game of his career. "It won't dawn on me until I turn on the TV and watch SportsCenter and see that Tennessee beat the No. 1 team."

Maybe it was addition by subtraction. Yes, the Vols will miss Smith's all-around game over the long haul. And there is no word on if or when any of the other three AWOL Vols — Brian Williams, Cameron Tatum and Melvin Goins — will return to the team.

But in the short term, these Vols found better basketball through chemistry.

"When you talk about all the stuff they have been through, I do not think Tennessee was a team until this past week," Kansas Coach Bill Self said. "… You do not want to say we played so poorly it takes away from them outplaying us. They outplayed us. We got what we deserved."

After falling behind 14-6 just six minutes into the game, UT righted itself and twice led by nine points in the second half.

But the college basketball world seemed to tilt back on its proper axis when Jayhawks guard Tyshawn Taylor hit two free throws to tie the score at 64 with 4:21 left.

There was a sense that the Vols had hit the wall. Surely this foolishness was over. It is in situations like this that Kansas' pedigree normally kicks in. You don't get to No. 1 and start the season 14-0 by fading down the stretch.

Likewise, how could a short-handed, tiring Tennessee keep up this charade?

Then Maze hit a jumper over 6-foot-11 Cole Aldrich. And Prince stole the ball and threw ahead to Scotty Hopson who dunked.

And when McBee hit the most improbable of shots — a 3-point heave from the deep left side as the shot clock hit zero with 34.3 seconds remaining to extend UT's lead to 74-68 — Thompson-Boling Arena hit an unprecedented decibel level.

"I think the crowd called for the shot," Pearl said. "It wasn't until the crowd started counting it down that he shot the ball."

And don't underestimate Maze's impact. His stat line spoke volumes — 16 points, seven rebounds, eight assists. Kansas' Collins scored more points — 22 — but Maze won the duel.

"Sherron Collins is a great, great player," Pearl said. "But Bobby was the best point guard on the floor."

What's next? The Vols enter SEC play with a home game against Auburn on Thursday night. It remains unclear if any of the suspended players will be back.

"You just beat the No. 1 team in the nation but you don't get too cocky. You don't get too excited," Maze said. "We have the opportunity of a lifetime."

That's how the Vols will play this out — one magic act at a time.