For the first time in school history, the Tennessee Volunteers have advanced to the Elite 8 with a 76-73 victory over Ohio State on Friday in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
Tennessee gained a measure of revenge against the Buckeyes who had defeated the Vols in four of their five previous meetings, including a matchup in the 2007 regional semifinals in which Ohio State overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the Volunteers.
Tennessee’s interior presence was one of the key factors in helping the Vols to advance, outscoring Ohio State 56-22 in the paint and controlling the boards as well, outrebounding the Buckeyes 36-23.
Brian Williams scored the go-ahead basket on a tip-in with 32 seconds left, and Bobby Maze tossed in two free throws with 12.9 seconds remaining to give the Vols a 76-73 lead.
Tennessee used a 10-man rotation throughout the game trying to wear down Ohio State, who used only seven players in the game.
“I told our team, ‘It’s our team vs. their six,’” Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl said. “We were a better 10 than their six.”
Wayne Chism led Tennessee (28-8) with 22 points and 11 rebounds, with 18 of those points coming in the second half.
J.P. Prince added 14 points for the Vols and made the most important defensive play of the game, blocking a desperation 3-pointer from Evan Turner as time expired.
As the Tennessee players celebrated the win, Turner walked off the court with his head down.
“I can’t give a percentage right now,” Turner said, his eyes red and his voice catching, when asked if he’ll return to Ohio State for his senior year. “I really don’t want to go out like this.”
Turner led Ohio State (29-8) with 31 points while William Buford added 15. The Buckeyes’ season came to an end when their path to the Final Four seemed to be cleared after the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks lost to Northern Iowa last week.
“Obviously, it hasn’t hit me to the point where I think it’s over,” coach Thad Matta said. “They’re distraught because this isn’t where they thought it was going to end.”
The sixth-seeded Volunteers will face fifth-seed Michigan State in the Midwest Regional finals on Sunday. The Spartans defeated Northern Iowa on Friday 59-52.
