UT-Chattanooga 75 - 114 5Tennessee
Final
  for this game

Tennessee opens season vs. Chattanooga

Nov 15, 2008 - 11:20 AM Chattanooga at No. 13 Tennessee 7:00 p.m. EST

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Despite the loss of nearly 30 points a game from Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith, Tennessee returns plenty of talent capable of sending coach Bruce Pearl and the Volunteers into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.

The 13th-ranked Volunteers open their season Saturday when they host in-state rival Chattanooga.

Smith and Lofton each shot 38 percent from the 3-point line, combining for 211 makes from behind the arc to lead Tennessee to a 31-5 mark, an SEC title and Sweet 16 apperance.

But Pearl still has preseason SEC Player of the Year Tyler Smith and a host of talent capable of replicating last season's success.

Smith averaged 13.6 points a game while juniors Wayne Chism and J.P. Prince combined for nearly 18 points and nine rebounds a game.

Chattanooga returns its top two scorers from a squad that finished 18-13 overall, 13-7 in the Southern Conference.

Leading a group of five seniors are Stephen McDowell, who scored 14.3 points a game while knocking down 108 3-pointers, and Nicchaeus Doaks, who averaged 14.1 and 7.1 rebounds per contest.






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