March 18, 2008
No. 15 American (21-11) vs. No. 2 Tennessee (29-4)
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama Ticker) -- Tennessee captured its first Southeastern Conference regular-season title. But if the second-seeded Volunteers are going to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, their defense must improve.
Tennessee (29-4) which won its first regular-season crown in 41 years, faces No. 15 American, the Patriot League champion, in a first-round contest in the East Region on Friday.
Tennessee is a 20-point favorite and the 'total' is hovering around 141.
The Volunteers went into the SEC tournament as the favorite but their defense was a no-show. Tennessee held off South Carolina, 87-85, then lost to Arkansas, 92-91, in its two tournament games.
"We scored 91 points, we shot 55 percent, 46 percent from three," Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl said after the loss to the Razorbacks. "There was nothing wrong with our offense. We couldn't stop Arkansas."
Tennessee's high-powered offense is led by senior guard Chris Lofton, who made 113 3-pointers and shot 39.8 percent from the arc during the season. Lofton scored 25 points against Arkansas, making 5-of-9 3-pointers.
American (21-11) has a 3-point threat of its own in junior guard Garrison Carr, who ranks sixth nationally in 3-pointers per game (4.1).
Still, the Eagles do not figure to have the firepower to stay with the Volunteers. American is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance after defeating Colgate, 52-46, in the Patriot League championship game.
The winner faces either No. 7 seed Butler or No. 10 South Alabama in the second round on Sunday.
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