[UT Vols News]

Up to the minute news about the UT Vols from GoTeamsGo. We'll find the latest TN Volunteer news so you can chat about it with Vol Fans here.

Vols get another shot at Ohio State
Pioneer Press, MN - 6 hours ago
Last summer in Knoxville, Bruce Pearl was forced into a decision. Entering his second season, the Tennessee coach had had a 22-win debut and had even cracked the national rankings for the first time in four years. But the program, he thought, needed a more formal national introduction.

So even when he knew the cost - a big black eye - he called Ohio State and, er, volunteered his team.

"The decision to play Ohio State was a program decision," Pearl said. "The game was going to be a CBS game, and nobody wanted to go to Columbus to play them because it was like scheduling a loss.

"But when you're at a place like Tennessee and you're not on the radar nationally, you've got to do things like that."

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 05:11:14 GMT

Post your comments about this story here.

[Lefty Noob]

This is a dangerous game for the Buckeyes... Tennessee could well take them. But how do they stop Oden?

[KENVOL]

I think this is where TN. bowes out of the NCAA.They don't play well when you have a team with a big dominate player on the inside. Oden will be to much for them. That said we do have a chance if someone besides Lofton will do some scoring and we hit our free throws. We could win. As they say, this is why we play the game. We do have a chance, a small one but none the less we have a chance.GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[rmjvol]

What a great game so far!!! Go VOLS!!!

Tennessee is shooting lights out, got 2 of OSU's best players in foul trouble early.... looking like a 20 point lead getting close to halftime...


verne says largest lead for an OSU opponent at the half has been 9 this season. 20 points right now with 30 seconds til halftime

[rmjvol]

49-32 at the half. Go Big Orange!!!
Love to see UT vs Memphis in the elite 8!!!

[rmjvol]

In 5 minutes, Bucs have cut it to a 6 point game. Vols have got to start playing!!

[rmjvol]

holy crap, c'mon vols! cut to 2 points

[rmjvol]

aaaarrrrrrggghhhhh! 85-84 Vols blow a 20 freaking point lead. Chance to win at the buzzer & rejected by Odom.

[plrbear1999]

What a giant hairball hacked up by UT. I'll bet that mutt you all trot out hasn't vomited a wad of terbacky like the tears did tonight. That has to be the biggest chokejob ever. Wow. I am stunned. That wasn't the ole ball coach. That was thad motta(little nick saban to xavier). I guess the gators are right. You don't belong.
Wow!

[UT Vols News]

Maybe now folks will realize there's more to Ohio State than Greg Oden.

The big man finally looked like a freshman, getting mired in foul trouble as the top-seeded Buckeyes fell behind by 20 points before halftime. But senior Ron Lewis and fellow freshman Mike Conley bailed out Oden and lifted Ohio State past Tennessee, 85-84 Thursday night in the semifinals of the NCAA South Regional.

"In this tournament, the two most important words are `survive' and `advance,' and we've been very, very fortunate the last couple of games to do those things," said Buckeyes coach Thad Matta, whose club needed a furious final minute and overtime to get past Xavier in the second round.

VOLS FALL TO OHIO STATE, 85-84, ON LAST SECOND BLOCKED SHOT

[UT Vols News]

Up to the minute news about the UT Vols from GoTeamsGo. We'll find the latest TN Volunteer news so you can chat about it with Vol Fans here.

With defining win in sight, Vols get burned
FOXSports.com - 3 hours ago
The Volunteers had surged to a commanding 49-32 lead over top-ranked and top-seeded Ohio State in the NCAA South Regional on Thursday at the Alamodome, 20 minutes away from a showdown with second-seeded, cross-state rival Memphis tomorrow for the right to go to the Final Four in Atlanta.

But it all disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Ohio State (33-3) came back from the dead for a second straight game, rallying from a huge deficit to defeat the Vols 85-84, opening a door that looked like it was shut tight. In the end, it took a block by Ohio State's 7-foot goliath Greg Oden, who swatted freshman guard Ramar Smith's driving layup into the cheerleaders as time expired to seal the deal.

Smith collapsed face down in front of the Vols' bench after the game, realizing opportunities like this don't come along very often.

"I'm terribly disappointed,'' Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said. "We've proven we can beat the best teams in the country and proven we can come close to beating the best teams in the country.''

The Vols (24-11) only have themselves to blame for this one.

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 08:31:13 GMT

Post your comments about this story here.

[KENVOL]

I can't believe that they QUIT. This just stinks. They looked like the football team. Let's just play 1 half. I cannot believe you can loose a 20 point lead and still think you are playing hard. This was almost as bad as the Outback Bowl.

[VolunteerFan]

Way to GO VOLS!!! Did you see how they hung on to that 20 point lead almost up to the very end???? They were awesome in the first quarter shooting the lights out with those 3 pointers. They were running and gunning right up to half time!!! They couldn't have played any better. Everyone talks about the Gators losing 3 out of 4 at the seasons end. The Vols topped them with grabbing a 17 point lead at half time and playing like their real selfs in the second half!!! Let's see what Butler and Georgetown can do tonight to embarrass the SEC

[VolunteerFan]

A real opportunity for UT to fall apart doesn't come around this often. Thankfully they capitalized on this opportunity to be humiliated on national tv