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KNOXVILLE — Bruce Pearl's time-tested formula for winning conference championships is relatively simple, but it's logical and still as applicable as ever.

“You've got to win them all at home,” Pearl said, “and get some on the road.”

The numbers don't add up well for the Tennessee men's basketball team right now. Not after an 85-76 loss to No. 21 Vanderbilt on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena, the second consecutive loss for the 14th-ranked Volunteers.

So much for the team that was ranked in the top 10 and undefeated in Southeastern Conference play just five days ago.

Combined with a damaging defeat Saturday at Georgia, which gave the Bulldogs their first SEC win, the Vols now have lost back-to-back games that don't exactly fit into Pearl's philosophy.

Tennessee can afford an occasional loss on the road, but not against a team that's hardly contending for the SEC East title. And the Vols certainly can't absorb a loss at home against one of the other teams at the top of the division standings.

The Commodores succeeded in exposing many of UT's problems. The Vols got into foul trouble, settled into a second-half scoring drought and failed to knock down timely shots when Vanderbilt made its decisive run.
And they once again forgot how to play defense, allowing Vanderbilt to shoot 50.9 percent.

“We can live with scoring 76 points. ... But we cannot live with and we cannot win when we give up 51-percent shooting,” Pearl said. “It's the common denominator in all of our losses.”

It's true. Georgia shot 56.3 percent Saturday in a 78-63 blowout of the Vols. Before that, UT had held six consecutive opponents under 40 percent.

But this wasn't just about Tennessee's problems.

The Commodores are legitimate contenders in an SEC East race that most consider Kentucky's to lose. With wins in their first five SEC games, they're the conference's only team that remains undefeated in league play. This was perhaps their most impressive victory to date.

Vanderbilt point guard Jermaine Beal was the best player on the court for most of the game. He scored a game-high 25 points, including a run of eight consecutive points in 44 seconds that pushed the Commodores' lead to 74-60 with 4:56 left.

They also shot better than 50 percent from the field for the 11th time this season and the eighth time in the last 10 games.

“Vanderbilt's experience obviously took over in crucial situations in that game,” said Pearl.

It didn't help that UT was forced to play most of the second half with Scotty Hopson and Kenny Hall on the bench because of foul trouble. Each picked up his fourth foul less than three minutes into the half.

Hopson played only 22 minutes and fouled out with 1:51 remaining, but he still finished with 14 points. Hall, who made his second consecutive start, had eight points in just 19 minutes.

Senior center Wayne Chism also was affected by the knee injury he suffered Saturday. He still managed eight points, 16 rebounds and five blocks, but Pearl admitted the knee “affected his offense.” He was only 2-for-9 from the floor, 0-for-3 on 3-point shots and 4-of-8 on free throws.

Where does UT go from here? Well, the conference race is hardly decided, but the Vols no longer can be considered top contenders.

Sunday's home game against Florida now is a must-win just to stay in contention.

“Our character is going to be tested as individuals to see how we can overcome this,” said point guard Bobby Maze, who had 12 points and seven assists and was the only player to meet with media following the game.
“All eyes is on us. Either we go down from here or step up.”

The race isn't over yet, but the Vols no longer are at the front of the pack.

Ryan Callahan covers University of Tennessee men's basketball. Write to him at The Daily Times, P.O. Box 9740, Maryville, TN 37802, e-mail him at ryan.callahan@thedailytimes.com or follow him on Twitter.com @DTsportsRyan.