Vols advance, flying by pesky American Eagles

American University's first trip to the NCAA Tournament didn't last nearly as long as they would have hoped.

The 15th seeded Eagles gave the Tennessee Volunteers a game that won't have many fans breathing easy as the Vols head into the second round. Tennessee won 72 to 57 in NCAA Tournament first round action Friday in Birmingham.

The win is Tennessee's 30th on the season, setting a new school record.

The Eagles stayed well within striking distance throughout but Tennessee used a 10-0 run half way through the second half to give themselves some breathing room against the Patriot League champs.

JaJuan Smith led a sluggish Volunteer team to victory, pouring in 19 points on 7-12 shooting.

Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism rounded out a three-headed Vols attack. Smith added 13 points while Chism scored 16 points.

Garrison Carr led the way in Eagles' losing effort. He dumped in 26 points while hitting 6 three pointers.

UT shot just 25% from beyond the arc for the game, but it was more than enough as the Vols defense held American shooters to under 40% on the afternoon.

Tennessee will now play the winner of the South Alabama/Butler game that's scheduled for mid-afternoon Friday.

Their second round game will also be in Birmingham. Tip-off is set for 2:30p.m. (EST).

To see Bruce Pearl's comments after the game, click the video icon.