The Tennessee Volunteers carry high hopes that the rocky road navigated by Rocky Top in 2009 will be smoother this season.

The Vols landed two players on the All-Southeastern Conference Coaches’ second-team, announced Tuesday in advance of SEC Media Days.

Senior tight end Luke Stocker and senior defensive lineman Chris Walker were selected by the conference’s coaches.

Tennessee finished 7-6 overall, tying Georgia for second in the SEC East with a 4-4 mark.

Defending conference champion Alabama landed six players on the first team and nine players overall. Florida, which won the East, placed 10 players on the first and second teams.

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It’s not a strange sight to see Tennessee playing deep into the NCAA Tournament … the women’s tournament, that is.

The UT men advancing this deep into March Madness? That’s a first. Tennessee earned its first trip to the Elite Eight Friday night, J.P. Prince blocking a shot at the buzzer as the Vols stopped Ohio State 76-73 in the Midwest Regional semifinals in St. Louis.

The Vols (28-8) will face Michigan State on Sunday in the regional final. On the line: a trip to Indianapolis and next weekend’s Final Four.

Brian Williams tipped in a missed shot with 32 seconds left to give the Volts the lead for keeps. Prince, checking Ohio State’s talented Evan Turner, blocked a Turner 3-point attempt at the finish to seal the victory.

Wayne Chism scored a team-high 22 points and added 11 rebounds for Tennessee. Williams pulled down 12 rebounds. The Vols, who nearly were bounced in the first round by San Diego State, hung tough in a game where neither team led by more than seven points.

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This was a little more like what Tennessee Volunteers’ fans expected out of their team in the NCAA Tournament.

Two days after surviving a scare from San Diego State, the sixth-seeded Vols punched a ticket to their third Sweet 16 in four years. J.P. Prince’s 18 points lead a balanced attack, Tennessee overwhelming Ohio in the paint for an 83-68 victory on Saturday in the second round of the Midwest Regional in Providence, R.I.

Tennessee (27-8) is back in the regional semifinals for the third time in four years (2007, 2008). The Vols take on second-seeded Ohio State for a berth in the Elite Eight.

The Vols shot 56.7 percent against Ohio and held the Bobcats to just 37.9 percent shooting. Tennessee outscored Ohio 58-12 inside.

Scotty Hopson added 17 points for the Vols, who got 12 rebounds each from Brian Williams and Wayne Chism.

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With losses in three of its past five games, the Tennessee Volunteers aren’t exactly moving in the right direction as March looms.

The Vols were buried under a 27-6 run Tuesday night, falling 75-62 at Florida to drop to fourth place in the SEC East standings.

The Gators moved past Tennessee (20-7, 8-5) into third with the victory. Tennessee at one time was 18-4, but has lost three times in the past two weeks.

Tied at 37 at halftime, the Vols were run over in the second half by the strong Florida surge, which featured four 3-point baskets. On a night where Tennessee shot just 39.7 percent from the floor, it was too much to overcome, especially with the Gators connecting on 50.9 percent of their attempts.

Scotty Hopson scored 20 points off the bench for Tennessee. The Vols play host to Kentucky on Saturday, then play at home against Arkansas next Wednesday and at Mississippi State March 6 to wrap up the regular season.

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The Tennessee Volunteers leave Georgia no longer undefeated in Southeastern Conference play.

And it wasn’t as close as the 78-63 final score inside Stegeman Coliseum would indicate.

The Vols were run over Saturday by a Georgia team that was hungrier, scrappier, played better defense and shot better. Mix it together, and Tennessee’s seven-game winning streak came crashing down.

The Dogs raced to a 14-4 lead and the Vols spent the rest of the game trying to catch up. But Georgia shot 56 percent from the floor, and held Tennessee to 42 percent shooting. In particular, the Vols’ missing on 13 of 16 3-point attempts helped to turn this one into a rout.

The Vols closed to within 12 points early in the second half, but the Dogs blew the game open from there, leading by as many as 24 points.

Scotty Hopson led the Vols with 19 points and five steals, hitting all three of the 3-pointers Tennessee made. Bobby Maze finished with 11 points, and Kenny Hall scored 10.

Tennessee looks to rebound Wednesday at home against SEC co-leader Vanderbilt.

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