The Volunteers applied pressure defense on their way to an 80-60 victory over in-state rival Vanderbilt. Wayne Chism led the Vols with 18 points and windexed the glass for 18 rebounds. Chris Lofton scored 11 points after having only five against South Carolina on Saturday.

 As I watched the game, it became apparent to me that Tennessee is not simply more talented than their opponents. They play hard from start to finish and never give up no matter the score.

Both teams seemed to be timid to start the game, but a couple of Vandy turnovers got the Vols and the home crowd going. UT pressured the Commodores into 19 turnovers. That's no surprise as Tennessee leads the conference in turnover margin, generating eight more than their opponents per game. The Vols have capitalized on their opponents mistakes to the tune of a league-leading 86.7 points per game.

 Tennessee's depth will play a huge factor in how long Tennessee lasts in the NCAA Tournament. Chris Lofton was scoreless in the first half. The past three seasons that would have really affected the team, but this year it hasn't. Tyler Smith, J.P. Prince and JaJuan Smith usually lead the charge while Lofton has struggled to find his shot so far.

 Once Lofton did get going in the second half, it seemed like the Vols’ momentum was multiplied by two. With him finally able to hit some threes, the defense intensified and the crowd was going crazy.

 Rebounding will also help UT go deep in the post-season. They struggled against Ole Miss but responded this week by outrebounding Vanderbilt 42-37. I don’t want to take anything away from Chism, but Vandy’s A.J. Ogilvy spent a good portion of the game on the bench due to foul trouble. Once forward Duke Crews returns for Tennessee from his heart condition, rebounding should be no problem.

 I must say that coach Bruce Pearl has done an excellent job of putting together this team. He has talented guys who understand their roles and are not selfish with the ball and they have good attitudes.

 Tyler Smith is definitely a high-profile player but he has meshed well with the rest of the Vols players to create chemistry, not disrupt it. Prince was highly recruited in 2005 and after transferring from Arizona in the middle of last season, and he is a good compliment coming off the bench.

 The Vols should continue to win as they are 3-0 in the conference, their best start in 10 years. The game I really want to see is on Feb. 23 when UT visits No. 2 Memphis. Both teams like to run and should match up well. Even though I am from Memphis, I’ll definitely be wearing my orange and white supporting Coach Pearl and the Volunteers.

 Tennessee will win the conference if they continue to play the way they did Thursday night, barring injury. Very few  teams can hang with them for 40 minutes, and none of those teams are playing in the SEC.