• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Smith trio leads Tennessee against West Virginia in Legends Classic

Nov 23, 2007 - 4:20 PM No. 7 Tennessee (4-0) at West Virginia (2-0) 9:00 pm EST

NEWARK, New Jersey (Ticker) -- A trio of Smiths have gotten Tennessee off to a 4-0 start for the third consecutive year.

The seventh-ranked Volunteers hope to continue their hot start behind JaJuan, Ramar and Tyler Smith when they take on West Virginia in the Legends Classic at the Prudential Center on Friday.

The three Smiths have combined for 41.8 points per game, with JaJuan leading the way at 17.3 per game.

Two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Chris Lofton has been relatively quiet in the first four games, scoring 11.5 points per game - down from 20.8 last season.

The Volunteers are coming off a 109-40 drubbing of Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday, when they tied a school record with 16 3-pointers and won by the second-largest margin in school history.

The Mountaineers, guided by first-year coach Bob Huggins, and are coming off a 106-41 rout of Prairie View A&M on Sunday.

West Virginia leads the all-time series, 5-2, and won the last meeting, 65-62, on December 21, 2002.

The winner faces either New Mexico State or Texas in the championship on Saturday.