Audio of UT guard Cameron Tatum and forward Tyler Smith discussing the Vols win over Florida.
By Wes Rucker
KNOXVILLE -- Bruce Pearl was asked how he liked coaching in a T-shirt, and he promptly ripped of his sports coat to provide visual evidence for his appreciation.
"Don't be disappointed. This is as far as it's going to go," he said while removing the coat. "Nothing else is coming off."
After praising the University of Tennessee's new "OUTLIVE" cancer research fundraising drive on his shirt, Pearl added that he wished coaches always wore "sneakers, slacks and a (polo) shirt.
"Of course, I know what would hurt my Dillard's contract -- that's Dillard's, D-I-L-L-A-R-D-S," he said. "Actually I don't have a contract with Dillard's, and I'm sure our marketing guy's going, 'That's not our deal.'"
Pearl's players were slightly more subdued, cheap_Louis Vuitton Wallets_shop_usa_uk_17 as usual, but there was a sense of relief in the Vols locker room Saturday night after a 79-63 victory over Florida that put UT back in the Southeastern Conference championship race.
The Volunteers (13-7, 4-2 SEC) are tied atop the Eastern Division standings in the loss column with Kentucky, Florida and surprising South Carolina.
It's essentially a fresh start with five weeks left in the regular season.
"That's going to feel good, watching the Super Bowl," UT junior forward Tyler Smith said. "If we would have lost, we probably would have been back here practicing."
Added freshman guard Cameron Tatum: "Oh, I'm definitely going to enjoy the Super Bowl now. That's what I'm talking about."
Cheery postgame conversations were the norm during UT's 37-game winning streak at Thompson-Boling Arena. Gonzaga's Jan. 7 victory in Knoxville sent the Vols spiraling into four home losses in five games.
The skid included some notable lowlights: A double-digit lead blown in the overtime loss to Gonzaga; Fifty-four points surrendered to Kentucky's Jodie Meeks; and futile offensive finishes in last-minute losses to Memphis and LSU in a five-day span.
LSU overcame the Vols' 13-0, second-half spurt to re-take a late lead on Wednesday night.
replica Vacheron Constantin "We moved on from all of that," UT junior forward Wayne Chism said. "A lot of teams would have been like, 'Man, we just lost these games. What are we going to do about it?' We threw that in the garbage can and got ready for a whole new trash bag, and we filled that one up playing the way we did (against Florida)."
The Vols started hot from the 3-point line Saturday night, finishing 12-for-28 from behind the arc. Smith, a capable but often hesitant perimeter shooter, started 3-for-4.
Inconsistent freshman guard Scotty Hopson erupted for a career-high 20 points, going 4-for-6 from long range.
"Half of their shots almost were from the 3-point line," Florida coach Billy Donovan said of the Vols. "When you talk about percentages and how you want to play against them, you want them to try to take jump shots. But you have to give the credit, because they stepped up and made jump shots."
Moving forward, there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic and pessimistic.
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