Birmingham, AL -- (Sports Network) - JaJuan Smith scored 19 points and Wayne Chism added 16, as Tennessee pulled away late to earn a tougher-than-expected 72-57 victory over American University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tyler Smith contributed 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Volunteers (30-4), who won the SEC regular season title to earn the No. 2 seed in the East Region and will next face Butler in Sunday's second round.

Tennessee won despite an off-game from guard Chris Lofton, who managed just five points on 1-of-7 shooting. He missed each of his five three-point tries, as the Vols finished just 6-of-19 from beyond the arc. JaJuan Smith and Chism picked up the slack, canning threes at critical times and hitting a combined 6-of-11 from three-point range.

Garrison Carr scored a game-high 26 points for American (21-12), which captured the Patriot League crown to claim its first-ever NCAA bid. Brian Gilmore notched 13 points for the Eagles, who kept it close for the majority of the second half.

"It wasn't pretty, but we scraped and I think we pushed Tennessee pretty hard the most part of the game," said American head coach Jeff Jones. "I think, ultimately, they wore us down."

Tennessee carried a seven-point lead to the intermission, but a three-pointer by Derrick Mercer had American back within 31-30 less than three minutes into the second half. The Eagles soon after fell behind by six, but Carr drilled back-to-back shots from well beyond the arc to tie it at 40-40 with 11:11 remaining.

Tyler Smith quickly answered with a jumper for the Volunteers, igniting a run of 10 straight Tennessee points. Chism and JaJuan Smith drilled shots from beyond the arc and a tip-in by Chism made it a 50-40 game.

Back came the Eagles, however, as a trio of three-pointers -- the last one by Carr -- pulled them to within one with six minutes remaining. Again, JaJuan Smith had an answer with a three, and another shot from beyond the arc by Chism extended the Tennessee cushion to 57-51 with just under four minutes to play.

American got only as close as four from there, as the Vols hit enough free throws down the stretch to seal it. Tennessee finished 22-of-31 from the stripe, while American was just 6-of-12.

"We just weren't playing our ball," said JaJuan Smith. "We were a little sloppy, but we turned it on in the second half and made plays."

Tennessee is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in as many seasons under head coach Bruce Pearl. The Vols were a No. 2 seed in 2006 and had a similar first-round game, as they beat Winthrop by two and lost in the second round to Wichita State. Tennessee reached the third round of last year's tournament before a loss to eventual national runner-up Ohio State.

"We were in a 2-15 game against Winthrop and Chris Lofton had to make a shot to win," Pearl said in reference to the 2006 tournament. "No matter how we try and prepare you guys [media] to understand that this is what it is...you just think that we're supposed to roll out there and knock these guys off and in a huge way."

American led by four early in the contest, the last time at 13-9 after a Nick Hendra layup with just under 11 1/2 minutes to play in the opening half. The Eagles still led by one a few moments later, but Tennessee finally settled down with six straight points.

A layup by Duke Crews put the Vols ahead 14-13 and jumpers by Lofton and Tyler Smith followed for a five-point edge. The Vols also scored six of the last seven points of a sluggish half for a 29-22 advantage at the break.

Tennessee made just 2-of-11 three-point tries and shot 45.5 percent overall in the opening 20 minutes, while American made only 31 percent of its shots. The Eagles also turned the ball over 12 times, but managed stay somewhat close with a 21-12 rebounding edge.

Carr scored 10 first-half points for the Eagles, while JaJuan Smith led the Vols with 10.

"Coach prepared us for a close game," Smith added. "He was telling us all week how close this game was going to be."

Game Notes:

American finished the contest with a 39-27 advantage on the glass, and held an 18-6 edge on the offensive boards...The Eagles wound up with 22 turnovers, while Tennessee turned it over 14 times...Mercer scored nine points in defeat...The teams met once previously, a 59-58 Tennessee victory on December 18, 1981.