SWEET AND SZCZERBIAK

By ROBYN NORWOOD

March 15, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Steve Alford walked the Southwest Missouri State sideline with such perfect composure and self-assurance Sunday, you almost forgot it seems like yesterday he was playing for Indiana.

Then Allen Phillips found Ron Bruton with an alley-oop pass, Southwest Missouri State suddenly led by 23 points, Tennessee called timeout, and Alford crashed into Phillips on the court with a chest-bump.

A chest-bump?

“I was shocked to hear more coaches don’t chest-bump,” Alford said.

There might be a lot of that sort of thing going on in Springfield, Mo., today after No. 12-seeded Southwest Missouri State’s 81-51 demolition of No. 4-seeded Tennessee on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA East Regional at Charlotte Coliseum.

Only a dozen years after he won the 1987 NCAA title as a player, Alford is on his way to the Sweet 16 as a coach.

“I don’t think many brackets had Southwest Missouri State going to New Jersey,” said Alford, whose Bears will play top-seeded Duke (34-1) in East Rutherford on Friday. “We’ll go back on the plane knowing we messed up a lot of brackets.”

Southwest Missouri State (22-10) knocked off a Big Ten team--No. 5-seeded Wisconsin--in the first round, then pushed aside a Southeastern Conference team on Sunday--and one that was ranked in the top 10 in preseason polls at that.

The confident but not cocky Bears played as if it was routine.

“I knew this would be a tough fight,” forward Ken Stringer said. “I felt we would win, but not by 30.”

Stringer helped get the ball rolling for the Bears at the end of the first half when he nearly lost the ball, got it back and banked in a three-point shot just before the buzzer for a 36-26 halftime lead.

“I don’t think I can say much about that,” Stringer said. “I just shot it hoping to get fouled. I guess somebody tapped it in from upstairs.”

A 22-7 run at the start of the second half punctuated by Bruton’s dunk and all that chest-bumping turned it into Southwest Missouri State’s ballgame.

Tennessee (21-9) was never closer than 20 points again.

“The pressure was on them,” said Phillips, who scored eight points off the bench and made two three-point shots. “They were supposed to beat us. We were the underdogs. [Alford] told us to go out and play our hearts out.”

Southwest Missouri State’s defense helped hold Wisconsin to 32 points and 25.5% shooting in the first round, and Tennessee to 29.5%.

“Today they were an awfully good team and we weren’t,” Tennessee Coach Jerry Green said. “We didn’t play well, and when you shoot 29%, you’re not going to beat anyone good. They handled the ball very well. They had a very solid game plan.”

Southwest Missouri State made almost 52% of its shots, and center Danny Moore led the way with 25 points, making eight of 14 shots--and two of two three-point attempts--after Tennessee made a questionable decision not to double-team him.

“I’m happy they played me straight up. I hadn’t seen that all year,” Moore said. “That was the reason I got a lot of points.”

Southwest Missouri State committed only six turnovers, and point guard William Fontleroy only had one in 30 minutes as the Bears concentrated on taking care of the ball to prevent Tennessee from getting easy baskets in transition.

The Volunteers have a lot of obviously talented players, but they couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn in their two tournament games.

Tony Harris, one of Tennessee’s guards, went two for 11 against Southwest Missouri State. Backcourt partner Brandon Wharton was a little better, going five for 16. They were a combined 15 for 53 in the tournament.

“Today was an embarrassment, but overall, it’s been a good season,” Green said.

For Southwest Missouri State, it is now officially the best season in school history. The Bears had never reached the Sweet 16.

Alford, a coach who mixes discipline with fun, said this week of preparing to play Duke will be fun.

“We’re going to play a lot of whiffle ball,” he said. “Life goes by so quickly. The games go by so quickly.

“We want to enjoy this time. We’re not above or below enjoying ourselves out there.”