Tennessee must make do with much less against No. 1 Kansas

Heading into a game against No. 1 Kansas on Sunday, Tennessee knows it will need every ounce of talent from every player it has left.

The Volunteers are down to just six scholarship players after four were suspended indefinitely, charged with gun possession following a traffic stop just hours after the team defeated Memphis on New Year’s Eve. Officers reportedly smelled marijuana and saw an open container of alcohol in the car.

Senior forward Tyler Smith is the most significant loss. He was averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 26.8 minutes a game.

Sophomore swingman Cameron Tatum, junior center Brian Williams and junior guard Melvin Goins were the other players suspended, and Coach Bruce Pearl didn’t count out dismissals from the team among his options.

As for what’s left, “we obviously don’t have the depth,” Pearl said. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge. It’s our hope we find a way.”

Pearl plans to use a nine-man rotation by playing some non-scholarship athletes, but said that employing a press will be much more difficult now.

The Volunteers were already playing short-handed. Forward Emmanuel Negedu is on medical leave and senior Josh Tabb left the program to take care of his ill mother after he had been indefinitely suspended for breaking team rules in September.

“I’ve talked to my team every day about making the right decisions,” Pearl said.

Cramping his style

Freshman John Wall has looked pretty close to perfect in his first 15 games at Kentucky, but the point guard does have one problem Coach John Calipari hopes to address quickly.

He has struggled with leg cramps in several games.

Calipari said he will start thinking more about ways to strategically substitute Wall to help monitor the cramping, such as before television timeouts.

Wall, who averages 33.5 minutes a game, never experienced cramps in high school, but he said he has never played this hard either.

“I’m using a lot of energy, sweating a lot,” he said. “I’m playing to a level I thought I could never play.”

Swish of the week

Chandler Parsons, Florida. The junior forward was 0 for 3 and Florida was two for 23 from three-point range before Parsons made a 75-foot shot at the buzzer in overtime Sunday to beat North Carolina State, 62-61.

The Gators had lost to South Alabama and needed a lift. Parsons delivered.

Brick of the week

USC. The Trojans know when their season will end: March 6 at Arizona. USC took a positive step in imposing sanctions on itself for rules violations in the recruitment of former star O.J. Mayo that will not allow the team to participate in the Pacific 10 Conference or NCAA tournaments.

Former coach Tim Floyd and Mayo aren’t being punished, but this season’s team is taking the blow. The Trojans looked like possible conference championship contenders in winning eight straight after a 2-4 start.

Game of the week

Purdue at Wisconsin, Saturday. Wisconsin defends its home court as well as any team in the country. For the undefeated Boilermakers, this is one of the toughest tests of the Big Ten season.

sryan@tribune.com