thedailytimes.com : Your 24/7 news source

KNOXVILLE — Bruce Pearl approached the Tennessee men's basketball team's bench during a late timeout Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena and gave Scotty Hopson the order he must have been dying to hear for the past two years.

“Coach came to the bench and said, ‘Scotty, win this for us,'” Hopson said, “and I just looked at him and smiled and said, ‘I got you, Coach.'”

With 24.2 seconds remaining and the Volunteers trailing by one, Hopson returned to the court knowing that, for once, he wouldn't be forced to watch a last-minute shot reserved for Tyler Smith or Wayne Chism.

This one was all his.

The sophomore guard responded by knocking down a jumper just inside the 3-point line with 16.6 seconds left that lifted 14th-ranked Tennessee to a pivotal 61-60 victory over Florida.

“Big players make big plays,” Hopson said, “and that's what I did in that situation.”

They don't get much bigger. A shot that goes down as easily the biggest of Hopson's career allowed UT to rebound from back-to-back losses and avoid falling two games back in the tightly contested Southeastern Conference race.

Perhaps more importantly, the former McDonald's All-American took a big step toward becoming the go-to player almost everyone expected him to be out of University Heights Academy in Hopkinsville, Ky.

“It's a big shot,” said Pearl, who improved to 8-1 with the Vols against Florida. “But he's going to have a lot more big shots.”

Both teams came through in the clutch.

Wayne Chism stepped to the foul line — where he had made only five of his last 10 shots, including a 4-of-8 outing in UT's 85-76 loss to No. 21 Vanderbilt on Wednesday — and knocked down a pair of free throws for a 59-57 lead with 41.7 seconds left.

Chandler Parsons, who has hit two game-winning shots for the Gators this season, answered with what could have been another, a 3-pointer that put Florida ahead with 34 seconds left.

Then, of course, Hopson provided the last of seven second-half lead changes with what Gators coach Billy Donovan called “a big-time shot.”

Here's how close the game was: Florida almost won without Pearl realizing it.

Amid the frenzy of the final seconds, Pearl was convinced Hopson's shot was a 3-pointer. Not even Hopson realized his right foot was on the line when he released the shot over Parsons' outstretched arm. It didn't help that public-address announcer Jeff Jarnigan, shouting over a crowd of 21,208, called it a 3.

So when Gators forward Alex Tyus, who finished with a game-high 18 points, attempted a close-range jumper with 3 seconds left, Pearl didn't fear that Tennessee could lose.

Luckily for the Vols, the shot rolled off the side of the rim. Hopson grabbed the rebound and allowed time to expire.

“When Tyus got the last look, if it goes, I promise you I would have thought it was (going to) overtime,” Pearl said. “It happened so quickly. ... And then, I would have looked at the score, and we would have lost the game.”

Hopson's shot was one of several reasons didn't Tennessee lose.

After watching Florida shoot 57.7 percent in the first half, the Vols clamped down on defense. The Gators hit only 36.4 percent of their shots, including one of 10 3-pointers, in the second half.

“I think we're fortunate that their guards missed some open shots,” Pearl said.

Maybe so. But there wasn't much luck involved in Tennessee's 27-12 rebounding edge in the second half, including the 13 offensive rebounds that led to eight second-chance points that might have been the difference in the game. Senior forward J.P. Prince had six of those points.

“Early in the first half, it was just me and, probably, Renaldo (Woolridge) trying to get the rebounds, and it was very tough,” said Chism, who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

“(Florida) had sent, like, five, and we was fighting five-on-two. ... But you knew it was going to be a battle in the second half, so we really fought for them.”

There were also Cameron Tatum's eight first-half points off the bench, including a pair of 3s, that Pearl said “kept us in the game” while Tennessee's offense struggled to find its footing.

“I don't think either team played particularly well,” Pearl said. “Both teams played hard. It was going to come down to a last possession.”

Hopson, to his credit, took advantage.

If Pearl and the Vols have their way, it won't be the last time.

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 at Twitter.com/DTsportsRyan.