At the pinnacle of Tennessee’s late second-half run against Florida on Tuesday night, the ESPN cameras found Billy Donovan on the sideline. His eyes were cast downward, contemplative. He slowly shook his head. Now, I’m not mind reader, but that look couldn’t have been anything other than, “What just happened?”

A five-point lead swelled to 18. Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith began ripping off 3-pointers and steals, Tyler Smith began dominating the game like he did in nonconference play, punctuating it with two house-crashing dunks. Heck, even Ryan Childress set a screen or two. When the carnage ended, a pretty close game that had been back-and-forth was a 104-82 beatdown.

Meanwhile, the best coach in America stood on the sideline bewildered. (That’s right, I wouldn’t trade Bruce for many in the country. Billy D. would be on the short list…) “How did this happen?” his look said. “Where did the game go?” After all, this is how Florida is used to beating opponents. With all the immense, young talent that Billy the Kid has accumulated in Gainesville, it’s the way the Gators will beat opponents in the near future. He’s got a team that’s young but disciplined, balanced and terribly talented, and they’ll be hard, hard, hard to beat in the O-Dome.

With a name like Marreese, you’d better be good! 

But there have been two games in three years that Bruce Pearl’s team has been out of, and with the way the Vols played Tuesday night, you have to think any more games like Texas in November won’t happen again. They’re too talented and too relentless to not be in games at crunchtime.

It didn’t start out this way Tuesday night, though. The Vols trailed 16-3, leading me and my dad to break out some noises unheard by anyone outside of a torture chamber. But even though I watch entire UT football games and basketball games pissed off (I know that’s not too hard to believe for my co-writers and frequent readers) I always forget that Pearl’s teams have lapses, but they have far more unbelievable runs.

One of those runs separated UT from the Gators on Tuesday, and, in my mind, separated the Vols from the rest of the competition in the SEC — for the time being. In the past week, we’ve disposed of Alabama on the road, Mississippi State on the road and Florida at home. We’ve weathered a pretty tough stretch and looked great doing it. Other than Florida’s game-opening run tonight, an Alonzo Gee festival last Tuesday and Jamont Gordon’s 3-for-all in the closing minutes against tight defense, the Vols have looked like a team that can go deep in the tourney. Very deep.

With the ensuing Signing Day storm looming, Knoxville needed a pick-me-up, and it got one in a big way. Tyler Smith is simply amazing. There are few in the country better than him nestled in the center against a zone defense because of his sick moves inside. With JaJuan and Lofton on like they were tonight, it’s going to be next-to-impossible to beat UT.

Problem is, they won’t be on every night — or at least JaJuan won’t. The way Lofton has been playing the past five games (averaging 23 ppg during that stretch coming in and adding 26 on Tuesday), you can almost pencil him in for 20+ every night again these days. He’s broken out of his slump in a MONSTER way. But that’s where Tyler, Wayne Chism and the return of Duke Crews are so crucial. Crews has given this team exactly what it needed the past handful of games, defensively, rebounding and emotion-wise. He may not score a lot, but his contributions are immeasurable.

They’d better be with what’s looming. This team has hit an amazing streak — the best in the history of the program. They’ve won 27 in a row at Thompson-Boling, turning it into one of the most hostile environments in the Southeast with the renovations, downsizing and student placement changes. They’ve scored 60 points in a half twice in the past week. Lofton is Lofton again. And their 20-2 start is the best in the program history.

But …

Check out this stretch Feb. 23-March 5. It’s a run that can make or break a team’s psyche heading into the SEC Tourney and March Madness… On Saturday the 23rd, the Vols travel to No. 1 Memphis, the most talented — yet equally undisciplined as UT — to take on the deep Tigers. Then, they go to always-tough Memorial Coliseum to face a better-than-advertised Vandy team three days later. Sunday, March 2, UT will come home … and play a Kentucky team that looks like its building momentum for a probably-too-late NCAA Tourney run on CBS on a Sunday afternoon. Then, at the end of the rainbow on the 5th, the Vols have to go to Gainesville to take on a team full of freshmen who don’t play like it now and certainly won’t then.

It’s a stretch that can cripple a team’s invincibility, but it’s also a stretch that can build character and momentum, much like last year’s Gators. (Tennessee is by no means as talented as that team, but the way the Vols play, a run like that is completely in the picture …)

There’s a lot to be excited about as a Tennessee basketball fan this year. There’s also a lot to be nervous about. As long as the Vols keep putting looks on coach’s faces like Donovan’s tonight, they’ll be OK. In my opinion, Tennessee is one of the four most talented teams in the country along with North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas. It is yet to be proven whether the Vols are one of the best.

They sure looked like it against the Gators.