The Tennessee men's basketball program expects to sell out its 16,000 season-ticket allotment despite an increase in prices, according to UT executive associate athletic director John Currie.

Season ticket renewal forms were sent out earlier this month via the Internet and hard copy mail, and must be returned by Aug. 11. Any season tickets that remain will be put on sale Sept. 3. Currie said Wednesday the Vols expect to release their complete schedule by the end of this week.

Season tickets for the lower level side court cost $535 ($31.47 per game, up from $25.44), lower level end zone seats are $385 ($22.65, up from $18.33) while upper arena seats are $160 ($8.88, up from $8.55).

Currie said he anticipates the only season tickets that will be made available to the public will be in the upper deck. Individual game tickets go on sale Oct. 1.

“As in the past, season ticket orders are filled by donor priority, and the second priority is for season ticket holders who are not annual contributors but were season ticket holders last season,'' Currie said. “We tried to keep the upper arena prices low so that Tennessee basketball is accessible to all of our families and fans.''

Currie said the increase in ticket prices is to offset the costs associated with keeping the Vols' athletic programs and facilities among the best in the nation. The UT athletic program recently sank approximately $38 million into basketball for a new practice facility and renovations to Thompson-Boling Arena.

"We continue to make investments in our programs and the arena improvements for the stability and long-term success of all of our programs,'' Currie said. “The donors and season ticket holders are helping do that.''

It is also costing more to pay coaches. Earlier this month, UT coach Bruce Pearl received a $300,000 raise to $1.6 million for the 2008-09 season.

Pearl's contract escalates to $2.5 million by 2014. Pearl also received a $250,000 bonus and a retention bonus of $1.5 million.

His salary will average $2.3 million a year over the life of his seven-year deal.

Pearl's assistants will also get raises. The salaries have yet to be finalized.

The Vols, who ranked fourth in the nation in average home attendance last season (20,267), are coming off a year that saw them win a school-record 31 games while winning their first outright SEC title in 41 years and attain their first No. 1-ranking.

“Everywhere I go now, people ask me, 'What happened at Tennessee?' '' said Pearl, who is 45-2 at Thompson-Boling Arena in his three years with the Vols. “I tell them that from the time we (Pearl's staff) got there, the fans have responded and just filled the building''

UT played the toughest schedule in the nation last year, and this year's home slate includes games with Gonzaga (Jan. 7), Memphis (Jan. 24) and Florida. The Vols are riding the third-longest active home win streak in the nation at 32 games.

The Vols are in the top 10 of many preseason rankings and are the obvious choice to repeat as SEC champions despite losing their starting backcourt.

“We've got five freshmen and a junior college point guard, so half the team is brand new,'' Pearl said. “I'm excited about the talent we have, but without that experience in the backcourt, we'll have to work very hard on our consistency.''

The Vols return junior forward Tyler Smith, a preseason favorite for SEC Player of the Year, and have added McDonald's All-American Scotty Hopson and juco All-American point guard Bobby Maze.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.