It was hard to watch Chris Lofton, one of the greatest players in Tennessee basketball history, start his senior year mired in the worst shooting slump of his career.

For the past month and a half it also was hard to watch Duke Crews, a player known for his passion and intensity, languish on the sidelines awaiting word on whether he would ever be able to play basketball again due to a heart condition.

And at least for some of us it was hard to watch Ramar Smith, an all-SEC freshman performer last season, lose his starting role at the beginning of his sophomore year and start 16 consecutive games on the bench.

Saturday night was a much different story as Lofton hit seven  3-pointers en route to a season-high 27 points, Crews made his return to the court with nine points and eight rebounds in only 14 minutes and Smith dished out eight assists in his first start since mid-November.

All this as the Vols rebounded from a disappointing loss at Kentucky earlier in the week with a convincing 85–69 win over Georgia for their 27^th consecutive victory at Thompson Boling Arena.

Nothing could have been more refreshing to Tennessee fans than seeing "the old Chris Lofton" on full display. Lofton truly was his old self Saturday night, moving without the ball and draining three pointers from all over the court.

Lofton's 13 3-point attempts is an indication the Vols' offense again is flowing through the senior sharpshooter and the results were astounding.

Lofton's 13 3-point attempts is an indication the Vols' offense again is flowing through the senior sharpshooter and the results were astounding.

Tennessee shot a ridiculous 57 percent from the field as the three Smith's; Tyler, JaJuan and Ramar, combined to shoot 13-for-17 for the game.

In fact, J.P. Prince was the only Vol to shoot less than 50 percent from the floor against the Bulldogs, going 2-for-5 due in large part to two missed alley-oops.

Crews' return was felt immediately on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court, where he brings back a toughness and aggressiveness in the post which the Vols lacked during his absence.

It's easy to forget Crews had been named the starter ahead of Wayne Chism earlier in the season, but don't be surprised if it happens again as he gets his legs back under him over the next couple weeks.

His presence in the paint is invaluable to Bruce Pearl when they face teams like Kentucky, who look to expose the Vols in the paint.

Ramar Smith's return to the starting lineup came after a string of games in which he has proven to be too valuable to begin games on the bench.

Smith's recent assist binge reflects a transition in his game to becoming a pass-first point guard rather than looking to score first as he did both last year and earlier this season.

In his last four games Smith has more assists than shots attempted, a statistic that is particularly impressive for a natural shooting guard.

With so many weapons around him this season, Smith's greatest contribution to the team is his ability to penetrate to the basket and open things up for other players, something he has done very well since conference play began.

With Chris Lofton seemingly back on track after a sluggish start to his senior season, Duke Crews again playing tough in the post and Ramar Smith returning to the point after a two-month hiatus, the Vols look like they are firing on all cylinders.

All of that comes just in time for back to back road games in Tuscaloosa and Starkville before the Florida Gators pay a visit to Knoxville early next week.