Based on what we could gather from the audio only - because none of us wanted to pay eight dollars for the opening round of the Paradise Jam Tournament, Fox Broadband - the Vols kept right on rolling in their third game of the season, beating Conference USA's East Carolina 105-66.

The Vols were sloppy in the first eight minutes, watching ECU jump out to a 19-13 lead.  But from there, the Vols went on a 22-3 run and never looked back.  It was a big day for Tennessee's guards:  Cameron Tatum stayed hot from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points, Bobby Maze had a big day and got 15.  And the news continues to be great about Scotty Hopson's maturation process, which looks more and more like the real deal every game:  Hopson puts in 25 points before coming out with eight minutes left in the game, shooting 10-of-15 and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.  Hopson has been the best player on the floor in all three games thus far.

When you combine the great offensive guard play with a swarming defense that forced 35 turnovers and a balanced attack that got 48 points in the paint and 48 points off turnovers, it's all good news for the Vols.  Tyler Smith is still around with 13 points, and the Vols utilized an 11 man rotation, including Renaldo Woolridge who had 8 points, to wear ECU out.  The Vols shot 13-of-26 from three as a team, and even better, 12-of-14 at the free throw line.  All good.

The Vols will now face DePaul in the tournament semifinals Sunday night at 6:00 PM EST (a game we believe will be seen on Fox Sports South or SportSouth).  The Blue Demons upset defending Missouri Valley tournament champions Northern Iowa 60-52, a big win for a team that went 0-18 in the Big East last year.  The Vols will play Monday evening at some point, depending on the outcome of Sunday's game, with #7 Purdue as well as Boston College, St. Joseph's and South Dakota State lurking in the other half of the bracket.

No pretties this afternoon. Just what I'm hoping are helpful links. If you're able, first count yourself lucky and then leave your comments below.

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More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

2 months ago: Tennessee Quintin Hancock (87) out runs UCLA's Akeem Ayers (10) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 in Knoxville, Tenn. UCLA won 19-15. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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Hancock is a senior that feels like a sophomore, because he's only seen real action in two seasons.  In 2007, Hancock had 16 catches and 3 TDs, including this beauty in the fourth overtime of the Kentucky game with the Vols 40 yards away:

He then became one of the poster children for the futility of the Clawfense, catching zero passes in 2008.  Though he's been injured off and on this season, Hancock has shown the most reliable hands on the team and grabbed 24 receptions in 7 games, including two touchdowns.  He is the lone target that will not return in the Vols' passing game next season, but his perseverance is to be commended now in his final appearance at Neyland Stadium.

In what could be considered the biggest recruiting pickup in the history of Tennessee Basketball, 6'8" power forward Tobias Harris - Rivals' #1 power forward and #5 overall player in the 2010 class - has signed with Bruce Pearl and the Vols.  Harris revealed his choice tonight on ESPNU.

Harris, a native of Glen Head, New York, was also considering Syracuse, Maryland, Louisville and our friends at Kentucky, among others.  This is a huge get for Pearl and the Vols, and Tennessee's ability to go up to New York and get the fifth best player in the country is the most recent example of the difference Pearl has made in changing the basketball culture in Knoxville.

Harris joins 2010 signees Trae Golden (Rivals overall #55) and Jordan McRae (Rivals overall #42), both guards from Georgia.  Fellow big man Jayvaughn Pinkston has elected to wait until the spring to sign, though the Vols were thought to be among the leaders.  And the saga of Josh Selby also continues, as the former Vol commit continues to test the waters.  But regardless of Pinkston's or Selby's decision, the presence of Harris ensures a great recruiting class for the Vols in a year where Rivals already had Tennessee ranked 18th on just Golden and McRae alone.BruceBall may lose four senior starters this year, but Pearl is working hard to ensure that the Vols will no longer be rebuilding, but reloading.  Harris looks to be the biggest piece of the 2010 puzzle, and continued evidence that Bruce Pearl is getting it done.

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

2 days ago: Tennessee's Scotty Hopson shoots for three points during the first half of a NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina-Asheville Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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In what may as well have been an exhibition game, the Tennessee Volunteers jumped out to a quick 20-0 lead and never flinched, cruising to a spectacular victory.  The game was a complete mismatch, and the Volunteer defense absolutely suffocated the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs, who only made 2 field goals in the entire first half - and the first one after 17 minutes of basketball.

The Vols played fast and furious for the entire game, constantly passing on offense to open opportunities and flat out running up and down the court in transition.  In any questions had existed about early season conditioning (which they didn't), those questions were laid to rest.  The team never shown any signs of fatigue, and the aggressive man defense kept Asheville at bay until the scout team players were finally entered into the game.

Scotty Hopson continued his early hot streak, leading all Vols with 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Six Vols ended in double figures:  Scotty Hopson, Bobby Maze, Cameron Tatum, Wayne Chism, Melvin Goins, and even Renaldo Woolridge, who was not a part of Pearl's "ten".  Tennessee was actually outrebounded 42-41, though most of Asheville's rebounds came well after the game was decided.  Tennessee lead in assists (34 to 7), steals (13 to 9), blocks (5 to 3), and had fewer turnovers (12 to 29).  The Vols also shot 60% from the floor, 55% from three, and 76% from the free throw line.  It was a complete game by a team that played harder and faster than at any point last year.  With two solid performances in their belt, the Volunteers appear to have the potential for a very bright season and should be strong competitors in the SEC.

	November 17, 2009 7:00 EST TV: FSN Internet: ESPN360 Live Stats: UTSports
0-1 (0-0) NR (AP) NR (USA Today)		1-0 (0-0) 10th (AP) 11th (USA Today)
	November 17, 2009 7:00 EST TV: ESPNU Live Audio: CBSSports Live Stats: UTLadyVols
1-0 (0-0) 8th (AP) 9th (USA Today)		1-0 (0-0) RV (?) (AP) NR (USA Today)

Jackson the Mule says . . .

. . . Simultaneous double-header? Cool.

And your starting lineups for the men:

Leave your pre-, in-, and post-game thoughts below.

Go Vols! Hulk smash Governors!

(Bonus Lady Vols previewage after the jump, because Hooper's much more on the ball than I am.)

	Position	Name	Experience	Height	PPG	RPG	APG
	G	Angie Bjorklund	Jr	6-0	13.0	1.0	2.0
	G	Taber Spani	Fr	6-1	2.0	4.0	1.0
	F	Glory Johnson	So	6-3	9.0	7.0	0.0
	G-F	Shekinna Stricklen	So	6-2	25.0	14.0	5.0
	C	Kelley Cain	So	6-6	15.0	7.0	1.0
	G	Jordan Murphree	Sr	6-0	10.0	3.0	4.0
	G	Monique Smalls	Fr	5-6	6.0	1.0	4.0
	G	Chynna Brown	Fr	5-8	6.0	3.0	3.0
	F	Ashlee Roberson	Sr	5-11	14.0	11.0	0.0
	F-C	Kierra Mallard	So	6-3	15.0	9.0	0.0

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More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

If Bruce Pearl wasn't busy tonight, he'd be in the live game thread too. Also, is that tie reversable?!

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Bruce Pearl goes for his 100th win as Tennessee's head coach tonight against the Bulldogs of UNC-Asheville (7:00 PM EST, Fox Sports South).  It's game two for the Vols this season, and the final tuneup before heading to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam Tournament this weekend.  The Vols opened the season with an 83-54 win over Austin Peay, and look to improve to 7-0 all time against UNC-Asheville.

The Bulldogs are 0-1 on the year after losing 86-70 at future Tennessee opponent "don't call us UNC-"Charlotte.  The Bulldogs got 22 points from guard Chris Stephenson and 15 from Rocky Top League vet J.P. Primm, but were outrebounded by 17 and hacked their way to defeat:  Charlotte shot 40 free throws, UNC-Asheville shot 10.  For a Tennessee team that continued their yearly struggles at the charity stripe in the season opener (5 for 11), I don't know if that's good or bad.

What I do know is that last year when these two teams met, Tyler Smith recorded the only triple-double in the history of Tennessee Basketball.  The Vols got what they expected from Tyler and Wayne Chism in the opener, with each contributing a double-double.  You don't want to formulate too many storylines after just one game, but here's what we'll be watching for tonight:

• Consistency from Scotty Hopson.  We won't truly be able to buy into Hopson's maturation process until we see him play well against good teams, but if you want to believe, the season opener was a good start:  Hopson led the Vols in scoring with 16 points and was 4 of 6 from beyond the arc against Austin Peay - will he play that well again, and can we expect that sort of performance from him all season?
• Who gets more minutes:  J.P. Prince or Cameron Tatum?  Prince is the starter and the seasoned, multitasking veteran, but Tatum was right behind Hopson on Friday night against Austin Peay with 15 points on 3 of 6 beyond the arc, and got 22 minutes to Prince's 17.  As rotations continue to be established, this will be an interesting battle to watch.
• Will we get to use "Skylar McBee....FOR THREE!"  The Vols' walk-on shooting specialist went 0-4 in his opener, though he showed up well in all other aspects.  Everyone in the arena wants to see him get hot, a factor that's increased by the memories of Chris Lofton plus the anemic three point shooting the Vols put up last year (31.5%).  He needs to knock one down to breathe a sigh of relief...and then let's see what he can do.

We'll be here with the live game thread for tipoff at 7:00...see you then.

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Confidence: a shooter's best friend.

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As season openers go, this was about what you'd expect (unless you're #19 Mississippi State, who got routed at home by Rider 88-74).  The Vols relied on a couple of patented BruceBall spurts, including a 13-0 run, to build a comfortable lead on the Governors of Austin Peay in the early going, but suffered a late lapse at the end of the first half that closed the margin to just five points at the break, 31-26.

Tyler Smith ensured there would be no lapse to start the second half:  the Vol senior scored the first six points after the break and made plays on the defensive end as well, giving the Vols a double digit lead.  And when Cameron Tatum got hot from beyond the arc, Tennessee pushed the game out of reach.

The Vols' advantage in athleticism and experience paid off in padding the lead late, as UT outscored Austin Peay 52-28 in the second half.  And while there were familiar moments both good and bad - the return of the press and its ability to create turnovers (19 for AP), as well as a reliance on three point shooting early, even when they weren't dropping - in the second half, there were plenty of encouraging moments as well.

All of us hoping that Scotty Hopson had grown into a more complete player saw what we wanted to see in his first game this season:  16 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.  Hopson's shot has less rainbow-effect to it this season, and it was working tonight.  Hopson was also the beneficiary of an alley-oop from Cameron Tatum, who was right behind him with 15 points on 6 of 9, 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.

The rest of the three point shooting wasn't so hot - the remaining Vols went 3 of 11 - but if those two can carry that load this well every night, the Vols will be in great shape.  The overall team percentage was way up from last year's frustrating 31.5%, with UT shooting 43.5% tonight.  That cushions the blow, a little, from a 5 of 11 night at the free throw line.  Like I said, much familiar.

But much that's familiar is also good:  double-doubles from Tyler Smith (14 and 11) and Wayne Chism (11 and 10) gave the Vols four players in double figures and a +15 margin on the glass.  As for the new guys...it took them awhile to get going, and they all showed the positives and negatives you'd expect in their first game.  Melvin Goins had 5 points, 4 assists and 2 steals, and played well defensively.  Skylar McBee and the TBA crowd couldn't will any of his four three point attempts in, but this kid had three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and will dive after a loose ball.  His shot will fall sooner than later.  Kenny Hall had moments where he looked lost early, but had a strong second half to finish with 4 points and 4 rebounds.

A little sloppy, a few lapses, but enough talent and experience to pull away in the second half.  If the Vols can find more of those 13-0 spurts in them, and if Hopson and Tatum continue to play this well from beyond the arc, this team will go far in reminding Vol fans of BruceBall teams of the past, and will combine well with Tyler & Wayne inside to eventually make a solid team of the present.  Game two is Tuesday night against UNC-Asheville.