FACTS & STATS: Site: BJCC Arena (16,266) -- Birmingham, Alabama. Television: CBS. NCAA Tournament Record: American 0-0, Tennessee 11-16 Series Record: Tennessee leads, 1-0.

GAME NOTES: In what appears to be a lopsided matchup in the East Region of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers will battle the American University Eagles in the first round. Awaiting the winner of this clash is a second-round date with either seventh-seeded Butler or 10th-seeded South Alabama. American grabbed an automatic bid to the "Big Dance" by knocking off Colgate by a 52-46 final in the Patriot League Tournament title game. Today's contest marks the first-ever Division I tournament game in the history of the program, and the Eagles hope to improve their 21-11 overall record despite the enormous odds. Tennessee owned the No. 1 spot in the Top-25 not long ago, but it is coming off a heart-breaking 92-91 loss to Arkansas in the SEC semifinals on Saturday. Still, the Vols' 29 wins this season have eclipsed the previous school record of 26 set in 1999-2000. They are making their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, and while an 11-16 record at this event isn't exactly impressive, last year's squad did reach the "Sweet 16". The only previous meeting between American and Tennessee took place in 1981, and the Vols won that game by a 59-58 final.

American junior guard Garrison Carr was named MVP of the Patriot League Tournament, and he figures to carry a wealth of confidence into this first- round game. Carr is scoring 18.1 ppg and is hitting more than four three- pointers per contest. His 45.5 percent shooting efficiency from behind the arc is tremendous, as is his 88.8 percent accuracy from the foul line. Fellow junior backcourt standout Derrick Mercer has also been a key to AU's success. Another deadly perimeter shooter, Mercer is scoring 12.5 ppg on 43.8 percent shooting from three-point range. The team as a whole is knocking down 41.4 percent of its shots from long range to rank fourth nationally, and the only chance the Eagles have of staying close in this contest is to light it up from beyond the arc.

There are many talented players in the fold for Tennessee, but the most recognizable individual for the Vols is senior guard Chris Lofton. After a horrendous first half of the season, Lofton has played much better lately. He holds career records at the school for three-pointers made (421) and three- point percentage (.426). Lofton has made more shots from behind the arc than any player in SEC history, and he enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 16.1 ppg. Both Lofton and Tyler Smith were recently named First Team All-SEC performers, while JaJuan Smith earned second team honors. J.P. Prince was tabbed the SEC Sixth Man of the Year, so there is a wealth of talent on the roster. Tyler Smith is undoubtedly the team's most versatile performer, and he is posting 13.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.5 apg. JaJuan Smith is netting 14.5 ppg, and Prince is contributing 8.3 ppg.

Obviously, Tennessee should be able to cruise to victory over American, which doesn't have the athletes to keep up with the Vols. The second round will provide a much stiffer test for Tennessee.

Predicted Outcome

Tennessee 84, American University 58