College Basketball Betting - Vols will supplant Gators

Determining the likely champion men's basketball champion in the Southeastern Conference had been relatively easy the past few years:

There was Florida, and then there was the rest.

Well, the two-time national champion and three-time SEC Tournament champion Gators are in rebuilding mode, so a new team will finally take the conference crown, and that team is another from a "football school": Tennessee.

The Vols, under coach Bruce Pearl, are WagerWeb.com's +175 favorites to win the SEC East division, and +2000 to win the national title; they are ranked No. 7 in the AP preseason Top 25.

Last season, Tennessee reached went 24-11 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, losing to national runner-up Ohio State in San Antonio, a game in which the Vols had a 20-point lead.

"I want our players to remember our last game in San Antonio, and I wanted to remind them where the [2008] Final Four is," Pearl said. "Last year, we played as good a half of basketball as any college team in the country did (in taking a 17-point halftime lead over Ohio State). In the second half, we did some things that we are known for stereotypically -- we didn't guard, we weren't physical.

'I want our kids to know what they have to do to get back to San Antonio.'

The Vols have four starters returning, led by senior guard Chris Lofton, the reigning SEC Player of the Year. The All-American averaged 20.8 points per game last year as one of the country's best shooters.

Lofton, who has 313 career 3-pointers and likely will break the school record this year, passed on the NBA draft to try and get the Vols to the Final Four."Having that bad taste in your mouth at the end of the game, knowing you were up at least 20 points, it makes you realize how close you were to the Elite Eight,"

Lofton said. "Whatever happens after that, nobody knows."

Every relevant player except Dane Bradshaw returns for the Vols, including starters JaJuan Smith (15.2 points), Ramar Smith (10.7 points) and Wayne Chism (9.1 points).

Sophomore Duke Crews should continue to be a presence inside. Crews averaged 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds while leading the Vols in blocked shots (32) and field goal percentage (.518) as a true freshman in 2006-07.

He was suspended from the team, however, on Sept. 26 for being late to several team functions and because a resident assistant's search of Crews' campus apartment turned up what university police said was a minor amount of marijuana. But Pearl has recently reinstated Crews.

In addition, Tennessee adds Tyler Smith. The transfer from Iowa was a third-team All-Big Ten performer as a freshman when he averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He was given immediate eligibility because of his family situation. His father, who lived in Tennessee, died of cancer in September.

The Vols will need Smith and Crews to join with Chism and give a post presence, because UT's backcourt is among the nation's best.

"This team has never been past the Sweet 16 and hasn't won an SEC Tournament championship or overall SEC title in a while," Pearl said. "I believe that, to build a program, you take steps and you put yourself in position to be competitive every year and then you play it out. I can't allow expectations to have this thing played out before we even take the floor. There is a lot of road to travel between here and the end of a basketball season. Keeping my guys hungry and humble will be paramount."

Tennessee opens its season Nov. 9 against Temple.

Bet on SEC basketball at WagerWeb.com