KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Volunteers know their road through the Southeastern Conference won’t get any easier.

So their 79-48 victory over league-worst Georgia on Wednesday night surely didn’t hurt. After a disappointing loss at Auburn on Saturday seemed to threaten the Vols’ standing in the SEC East, the win over the Bulldogs put them in a four-way tie for first in the division with Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina — all teams Tennessee (15-8, 6-3) will face.

Georgia’s woes continued to grow in its fourth game after coach Dennis Felton was fired.

The Bulldogs (9-15, 0-9), who are on an 11-game losing skid for the first time since 1974, committed 25 turnovers, the most in an SEC game this season.

"I have to use everything I’ve done in 40 years of coaching. We’re trying to keep the kids going. They have to play for each other, they’ve got to be more together than splintered and they’ve got to continue to try and do the things that enable them to stay in games and win one in the end," interim coach Pete Herrmann said.

"It’s going to be a real challenge as we go through February," he said.

Wayne Chism scored 13 points for the Vols, Scotty Hopson had 12, J.P. Prince added 11 and Williams had 10. Prince’s team-leading nine rebounds were a career high.

Trey Thompkins led Georgia with 10 points.

"It is tough to see Georgia go through such tough times," Pearl said. "It is what happens when they have a coaching change in midseason. Pete Herrmann is doing the best he can do."