by Wes Rucker , Chattanooga Times Free Press

The 10th-ranked University of Tennessee men's basketball team handled North Alabama in a 117-79 victory Friday night in Thompson-Boling Arena, and it could have been much worse.

UT took a 101-60 lead on a Cameron Tatum slam dunk with more than seven minutes left, but the Volunteers backed off before the NCAA Division II Lions finished the game on an 11-0 run.

The Vols tried to implement more full-court pressure and up-tempo basketball, as Coach Bruce Pearl predicted all offseason, but the early returns weren't polished.

"We like to call our style 'controlled chaos,'" Pearl said. "But I'm not sure that was chaos. It was more controlled. You can see what we're trying to do with full-court pressure and turning the tempo back up ... but the game was too sloppy."

Senior forwards Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism didn't play after the break for UT, but the Vols still quickly ballooned their 58-41 halftime advantage and dazzled Thompson-Boling's 18,362 denizens with their typical flair.

"I think that was the most we've pressed since I've ever been here," said senior point guard Bobby Maze, who had nine assists and one turnover in 21 minutes. "That was a good chance for us to start learning our spots and what-not.

"The only way you can learn (the press) is by trying against other teams, and not just against each other -- I mean, it's our press, so of course we're going to know how to break it."

Sophomore guard Scotty Hopson led UT with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting, and 4-for-5 from 3-point range.

Freshman forward Kenny Hall added 14 points and seven rebounds, and five other Vols scored in double digits on a night with plenty of points to pass around.

The lean, 6-foot-9 freshman said UT should have finished with larger rebounding advantage than 46-30 over the small Lions, though.

"We could have been more aggressive and been in better position a few times, if you ask me," Hall said.

UT shot 10-for-17 behind the arc. Freshman walk-on Skylar McBee, a solid candidate to stick in the main playing rotation, made three shots from long range, and sophomore wing Renaldo Woolridge added two.

"I don't think there's words to describe coming out and playing in front of your family and your friends and your community for the school you've watched since you were a kid, and the school you've always been a fan of and always wanted to play at and worked so hard to do so," McBee said. "Coming out in that orange and white was indescribable."

Smith had 11 points and five assists in just 15 minutes, while Chism added six points and five rebounds in only 13 minutes.

Brett Jackson, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward transfer from UT, started for North Alabama and scored nine points. Senior wing Jared Strode led the Lions with 20 points.

The Vols have one more exhibition tune-up -- Wednesday against nearby Lincoln Memorial -- before hosting Austin Peay in their Nov. 13 regular season opener.

"You've got to start someplace," Pearl said. "And hey, this is a starting point, and something we'll learn a great deal from."

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