Smith, Prince have made Vols better

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Brad Stevens thought Tennessee was a “great team” last season.

“And now you add a pro at (power forward) in Tyler Smith, and possibly another pro at guard in J.P. Prince,” the Butler basketball coach said Saturday.

Bruce Pearl and his Volunteers hope those two players are the difference today, or one of the best senior classes in UT history will go home with no Elite Eight appearances — and short of the Sweet 16 on their way out the door.

The first second-round game between two 30-win teams in NCAA tournament history is set for 2:30 p.m. EDT today at the BJCC Arena.

“We’re going to have our hands full from the beginning to the end,” Vols senior guard JaJuan Smith said. “We’ve got to come ready to play our best ballgame, and it’s going to take a special performance from each and every one of us.”

It could take big plays from Tennessee’s two big-time transfers, too. While Tyler Smith was at Iowa and Prince was at Arizona early last season, Butler thumped the Vols 56-44 in Madison Square Garden in a preseason NIT semifinal — the lowest offensive output in Pearl’s three-year UT tenure.

Both teams advanced to the Sweet 16 of last season’s NCAA tournament, but most of the Vols ignored Pearl’s pregame warnings about the Bulldogs. They should have listened, because he battled Butler in Horizon League play for four seasons at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“Last year we overlooked Butler,” Vols senior guard Chris Lofton said. “We found out that (conference) doesn’t matter in college basketball, that all teams are great.

“Butler’s a great team. They showed that last year, and they showed it this year.”

Added JaJuan Smith: “We were well-prepared from our coaches. We just didn’t perform up to our ability. Now we know what we’ve got to do with them, and we’re going to be ready.”

And they’ve added two versatile, ultra-athletic, 6-foot-7 difference makers. Prince has had dazzling moments for the Vols, while Tyler Smith has often been the best player on the floor. Both have made the Vols significantly better on both ends of the floor. Both high-flyers are tough to stop in transition, and both have improved UT’s half-court offense.

“They have a lot of the same guys, but they’re a completely different team,” Butler senior Pete Campbell said. “It’s amazing what two guys like that can do to a team.”

Butler and Tennessee are both known for their high-scoring senior backcourts, but the Vols’ offense typically goes through Tyler Smith — who scores 13.6 points per game and leads the team with 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

Stevens said Butler’s schedule has featured several teams that run their half-court offense through the 4 position. Power forwards in that role are commonplace in many mid-major leagues.

“But I don’t think we played against anybody as good as Tyler Smith at that spot,” Stevens said. “I think he’s a heck of a player, and I think they have really benefited from him this year. He is an unbelievable challenge for our defense.”

Butler senior point guard Mike Green said the Vols “look like a completely different team” than the one that lost to Butler season.

“Why?” a reporter asked.

“Tyler Smith,” Green replied.

Campbell mulled over the matchups and said they looked “really difficult for us. But I feel like we have guys on our team that are very difficult matchups as well.”

Campbell is one of those matchup nightmares — a 6-8 forward who shoots nearly 50 percent from the 3-point line, including an 8-for-10 clinic against South Alabama in Friday’s first-round romp.

The Bulldogs haven’t allowed 80 points to any team this season in part because of Drew Streicher, a 6-8 senior forward considered by some to be the mid-major level’s most versatile defender.

“We came here to do more than just win one game, and we feel like we have a team good enough to do that,” Green said.

Fellow senior guard A.J. Graves said today’s outcome “will come down to which team plays better defense.

“We know it’s going to be a big challenge. But we like that. You want to play the best teams in the country in this tournament, and (Tennessee is) definitely one of those teams. I don’t think any of us expect them to be like last year, and we’re a different team, too.”

Added Campbell: “Both teams have added from last year, and both teams are better than last year.”