Tennessee Vols Top 30 Memorable Moments of the Adidas Era

Feb 8, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; A general view of Thompson-Boling Arena before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Carolina Gamecocks. The Pat Summitt Plaza is located in the lower left. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

24. Men’s Basketball Reaches the Sweet Sixteen in 2007

This Sweet Sixteen end is not as bittersweet. The Vols were in their second year under head coach Bruce Pearl, who had generated buzz around the men’s basketball program that had never been touched at the time.

Okay, that part is bittersweet since Pearl is now gone. But that is a long way away from here.

In this instance, Pearl had a very young team that would only lose one starter but entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed after an up-and-down season. Behind the leadership of guys like Chris Lofton, Dane Bradshaw, and JaJuan Smith, the young team blew out Long Beach State in the first round. Then they met the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers in the second round and held on to win for their first Sweet Sixteen appearance in seven years.

Everybody in Knoxville was amped and excited about the state of the program, particularly since just two years before they were laboring in the midst of a period in which a Sweet Sixteen was as unreachable as a national championship. This time, the youth of the team and the future had the Vols playing with House Money.

The Sweet Sixteen game against No. 1 seed Ohio State was a very stinging loss since the Vols blew a 20-point lead and a chance at their first Elite Eight, but they had already surpassed expectations.

Next: #23: 2007 SEC East Football Championship