KNOXVILLE — Chris Lofton was adamant.
Tennessee’s soft-spoken senior sharpshooter swore that today’s game with Kentucky isn’t about him.
“It’s about this team trying to win an SEC championship,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”
Those closest to Lofton swear by his statements. They swear he’d rather be held scoreless in a win than have 40 points in defeat.
Lofton would rather not have all the attention on himself. That’s normally difficult when the Volunteers play Kentucky, the Big Blue powerhouse that didn’t offer him a scholarship despite one of the best prep careers in the state’s history.
But today, in what could be his last game against the Wildcats, it’s almost possible for him to slip slightly from the spotlight.
Former Vols great Ernie Grunfield — also a Kentucky killer — will have his No. 22 jersey raised to the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena. Bernard King — whose No. 53 was retired when UT beat the Wildcats in Knoxville last season — will be on hand to honor his teammate.
Then there’s the main plot: Today’s winner will have the inside track on the Eastern Division’s No. 1 seed in the Southeastern Conference tournament with less than two weeks left in the regular season.
If the Vols prevail — with Kentucky star freshman forward Patrick Patterson on crutches — they will inch closer to the program’s first outright conference championship in 41 years.
“That would be a lot for us,” Lofton said. “It hasn’t happened here in a long time. That’s what we’re all about — trying to make history.
“It’s very important to all of us. We’re not used to winning here, especially when I first got here. To see where we’ve grown, where we’ve come from, we’re just happy to be in this position where we can control our own destiny.”
Lost in the stories of Patterson’s injury is that Kentucky also controls its destiny. The Vols swear they haven’t forgotten.
“We’ve got to treat it like a championship game,” UT senior guard JaJuan Smith said. “They’re the closest team behind us right now. We know they can take care of business, and we don’t want to ask for any help, so we’ve got to take care of our own business.
“Forty-one years, that’s a lifetime, and we can change all of that.”
The top-ranked Vols (25-3, 11-2) can’t clinch anything today, but a victory would put them two games up on the Wildcats (16-10, 10-3) with two games left in the regular season. A Kentucky win would force a three-way tie with Mississippi State for the overall league lead.
Lofton stayed in Thompson-Boling after practice every day this week for extra shooting sessions, but he does the same in preparation for every team.
Pearl has called it Lofton’s “unbelievable dedication to his craft.”
Smith, who often shoots just as long on the other side, said it’s “how he became the best shooter in the country. He approaches every game the same. He doesn’t put too much pressure on himself. He just treats every game the same, and you can just expect a big one from him.”
Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie said he doesn’t expect the Vols to change their offense greatly with Patterson out of the lineup. He probably still won’t ask his players to leave Lofton and help inside.
“Tennessee has a great system and they’ve done a great job with it, escalating to No. 1 in the country,” Gillispie said. “The reason we’ll have some unfortunate situations — and you hope you have less than they do — is because of Tennessee’s greatness. They have a great team. They have a team that’s capable of winning a championship.
“We’re going to miss Patrick, but our guys aren’t throwing in the towel. This is Kentucky basketball. We’re going to represent, and we’re going to do our best.
“We’re not going to change our resolve at all. We’ll just have to do it a little differently than what we expected.”
If the Wildcats hope to win, they’ll need Perry Stevenson and a group of inexperienced big men to keep the Vols’ posts and penetrators out of the paint, and they’ll have to do that without leaving Lofton, Smith and UT’s other shooters open on the perimeter.
Kentucky must overcome a 30-game home-court winning streak in an arena full of fans who won’t feel sorry for the Wildcats. The early tip time should be offset by an Ernie and Bernie Show reunion, too.
UT has already honored Smith and Jordan Howell with individual senior days. Today, naturally, is Lofton’s.
“How can I put it?” Lofton said with a smile this week. “It’s a big game for me, of course. But it’s a big game for all of us.
“They’re in the way of what we’re trying to do: win a championship.”
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