The Tennessee Volunteer men's basketball team took the overall Southeastern Conference lead with a 76-71 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs Saturday night. Guard Chris Lofton led the way for the Vols (19-2, 6-1 in the SEC) with 20 points.

    UT jumped out to a 17-point lead with 6:26 left in the game, only to witness an unbelievable display of shooting by Mississippi State. The Bulldogs hit seven of nine three-pointers to close the gap to two points with :41 to go. State had a chance to take the lead after UT's Wayne Chism missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity, but they were hit with a travelling violation on the ensuing possession. The Vols' Jordan Howell iced the game by hitting three of four free throws over the final 16 seconds.

    "I found out why Tennessee was so good," State coach Rick Stansbury said on utsports.com. "They make plays when they have to make plays. They have an incredible shooter in Lofton."

    Lofton is emerging as the leader he was pegged to be in many preseason magazines, averaging 23 points per game over the last four UT contests. His shot selection has improved, along with his efforts to get open. Those efforts will need to continue when the Florida Gators come to Knoxville on Tuesday night (9 pm, ESPN).

    Florida was hammered 80-61 at Arkansas Saturday, and will be looking to rebound on the road at a sold out Thompson-Boling Arena. The No. 22 Gators are led by freshman Nick Calathes, who averages nearly 16 points per game. Anchoring the post for Florida is sophomore Marreese Speights, who averages 14 points and nearly eight rebounds per contest.

    Post play will surely be an important factor Tuesday night, and it has always been a concern for UT in the Bruce Pearl era. But it also seems that when the Vols are challenged to rebound better, they rise to the occasion. They did so on Saturday, outrebounding Mississippi State 42-32. UT will need those second-chance opportunities in order to counter Florida's 80-point-per game average.

    Chris Lofton might not agree with that sentiment. His trademark sweet shooting stroke seems to have returned, and it just may keep the Vols from having to rebound the ball on many possessions.

Bright Spots

    Lofton passed Dyron Nix to become seventh on UT's all-time scoring list with 1,891 points. The next Vol in front of him is former SEC Player of the Year and NBA All Star Bernard King.