Men's College Basketball: Tennessee--Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl was back in his usual spot, roaming the sideline for the Volunteers on Tuesday night against No. 18 Kentucky in his trademark creamsicle blazer following an eight-game suspension for lying to the NCAA about the program's recruiting practices.

"It feels like normal, it's good to get yelled at," Pearl said.

Getting beat? Not so much.

DeAndre Liggins tied a career-high with 19 points and the Wildcats ruined Pearl's return to the bench with a 73-61 victory.

Josh Harrellson added 16 points as the Wildcats (17-6, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) broke a modest two-game losing streak by burying the Volunteers with a big run in each half.

Kentucky coach John Calipari said the Wildcats were in "crisis" after consecutive losses to Mississippi and Florida (No. 19 EPSN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) last week, the first losing streak he's endured in six years. He stressed the need for his team, particularly the upperclassmen, to play with some urgency after slipping into a tie for last place in the competitive SEC East.

Hoping to instill some toughness he had the Wildcats don boxing gloves in practice, where they worked the heavy bag with regularity.

"I showed them how to jab," Calipari said. "You've got to be rough. You've got to be willing to fight. You can't let people take our stuff."

Certainly not the Volunteers, who survived Pearl's eight-game reprimand by SEC commissioner Mike Slive just fine. They won five of their eight conference games with Pearl watching on TV. It was difficult being away from his players. Watching them get outmuscled by the Wildcats, however, wasn't much better.

Kentucky dominated the glass, outrebounding Tennessee 38-28, often ripping balls out of the hands of a Tennessee player who seemed to have it secured.

"In the area they had to win, which I thought was the area of toughness and rebounding, I thought they did win," Pearl said.

Kentucky played arguably its best game against a quality opponent in over a month, thanks in part to the presence of former star John Wall, now playing for the Washington Wizards. Wall sat courtside during the game and joined the team in the locker room, providing words of wisdom.

Whatever he said, it seemed to have an effect on Liggins. The junior guard came in averaging 5.0 points on 29 percent shooting over the last five games but dominated play on both ends of the floor. He made 5-of-6 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws while adding five rebounds and five steals.

Harrellson, chided by Calipari for inconsistent play after appearing to be on the verge of a breakthrough a month ago, scored 12 points in the second half including two big putbacks on offensive rebounds.

"Obviously if Josh, Darius [Miller] and DeAndre play like this, it's much easier," Calipari said.

Melvin Goins led Tennessee (15-9, 5-4) with 16 points and Scotty Hopson had 11 after missing two games with a left ankle injury but the Volunteers never got going.

Tennessee shot just 41 percent from the field, turned it over 14 times and never got closer than five points over the game's final 30 minutes.

It was more than enough to put a damper on Pearl's much-anticipated return to work.

Pearl said Monday he was ready to get back on the bus after watching Tennessee's first eight conference games on television. He joked Slive actually wanted to suspend him for 10 games but shortened it to eight after seeing Tennessee played at Kentucky and Florida this week.

Pearl was smiling when he said it. The smile faded quickly once he walked onto the Rupp Arena court, perhaps because of a well-prepared student section that featured a handful of signs hinting at Pearl's NCAA trouble.

Tennessee's play early in the first half did little to lift his mood. Kentucky overcame a slow start, making five of its first six 3-pointers build a 19-point lead even with point guard Brandon Knight spending the last 9:28 on the bench saddled with two fouls.

Hopson soon followed after collecting his second foul, but Pearl sent him back out to keep Tennessee in it. His presence seemed to calm down the Volunteers and they ended the half on a 14-2 run to get within 35-28.

While the students were giving Pearl an eyeful, the fans directly behind the Tennessee bench gave him an earful. Pearl asked security to get involved as he walked off the court at halftime and his assistants appeared to exchange words with several people in Kentucky gear moments before the second half started.

Pearl said he didn't mind the taunts. The language, however, was another issue.

The razzing, however, turned into a roar as Kentucky used a 16-3 surge early in the second half to grab a 51-33 lead and cruise from there.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Tennessee Titans backup QB due in court Oct. 7

NEW YORK -- Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Chris Simms needs to add a new date to his 2010 season: an October trial in his New York City drugged-driving case.

Simms

Simms didn't make it to court Monday in the case; he's training with theTennessee Titans in Nashville. A Manhattan judge agreed to excuse Simms but said he needs to be there Oct. 7 for a hearing and trial.

Police say Simms slurred his words and told them he'd been smoking marijuana before he was stopped at a checkpoint July 1. The 29-year-old has said he was just talking about cigarettes.

He faces charges including a misdemeanor count of driving while impaired by drugs.

Simms is a son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms. Chris Simms has started 16 games during his six-year NFL career.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Tennessee Titans & Pro Bowler Chris Johnson Agree To 2010 Accord

Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson and the Titans have agreed to a restructured deal, which still is not signed, a source confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The agreement was first reported by Profootballtalk.com.



Chris Johnson
#28 RB
Tennessee Titans
2009 STATS
RUSH  YDS  TD  REC YDS TD

358      2006  14     50    503    2






 Both sides are reviewing the contract, which could be signed within the next 48 hours. Some of his maximum $2.5 million escalator will be moved forward, and no new years will be added to the deal, the source said.

"We're still talking through some issues," a source familiar with the process said Monday. "It's going to get done, but it's not done yet."

Johnson had said he would hold out from the Titans' training camp, which begins July 31, unless he received either a long-term deal or a short-term fix to his 2010 salary.

He had been scheduled to make $550,000 for the 2010 season.


The two-time Pro Bowler said earlier this offseason he wants to be the highest-paid offensive player in the NFL, a bold goal for a running back. The Titans have maintained that Johnson remains under contract for three more seasons thanks to the five-year, $12 million deal he signed after being drafted 24th overall out of East Carolina.

Johnson was named The Associated Press' Offensive Player of the Year last season after rushing for 2,006 yards.

In 2009, Johnson also set the single-season record for yards from scrimmage with 2,509. He became the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards and catch 500 yards in the same season.

He also became the first player in NFL history to rush for three touchdowns of 85 yards or longer in a career, which he did in one season. Through two seasons, Johnson ranks third in NFL history with 3,234 yards to start his career. Only Eric Dickerson (3,913) and Edgerrin James (3,262) ran for more in their first two seasons.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

2 Tennessee Football Players are Suspended After Late-Night Brawl

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee coach Derek Dooley has dismissed sophomore safety Darren Myles Jr. from the team and indefinitely suspended defensive tackle Marlon Walls and linebacker Greg King in the aftermath of an early-morning bar brawl Friday allegedly involving several Vols players.

Myles was one of two Tennessee football players arrested. He was charged with assaulting a UT police officer and resisting and evading arrest. Also, freshman receiver Da'Rick Rogers, one of the Volunteers' most heralded signees in Dooley's first recruiting class, was arrested on disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges.

"It is a privilege, not a right, to be a member of the University of Tennessee football team," Dooley said in a statement. "The most important responsibility of that privilege is to properly represent this institution and our supporters on and off the field. I am disappointed and in many ways embarrassed by the poor judgment displayed on many fronts by several members of our football team last night.


"Although we are still gathering all the facts and some legal proceedings will follow, we have taken some initial levels of discipline resulting from my conversations with the student-athletes who were present."

Rogers, 18, was released on $1,000 bond later Friday morning, and Myles, 19, was released on $2,000 bond. It was not clear if either player had an attorney.

Dooley added, "As I have referenced on many occasions, a change in culture is achieved in time through a combination of education, discipline and support. We will aggressively continue to build on the many positive changes that have occurred over the last five months to ensure our program is represented with class and dignity."

Police are continuing to investigate the brawl that left an off-duty Knoxville police officer unconscious after being kicked repeatedly while he was on the ground.

Police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said he anticipates there will be more arrests once police are able to speak with Knoxville Police Department officer Robert Capouellez, who remains in a Knoxville hospital and is undergoing treatment for a head wound.

A second victim, whose name has not been released, also was sent to the hospital and was being treated for multiple injuries.

DeBusk said Capouellez, 24, was hit in the head while trying to break up a fight in Bar Knoxville, which is located on the Cumberland Avenue strip near campus. The fight had spilled outside, and Capouellez was knocked to the ground and kicked more than once before the suspect ran away.

"We've heard that anywhere from seven to 10 people were involved in the incident inside the bar, and we believe the majority of them are associated with the UT football team," DeBusk said.

Police have reached out to Dooley, who was out of town. A school spokeswoman said a statement from the university would be released later Friday.