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NCAA Tournament: Ranking all 5 games Tennessee Vols played as a 2-seed

By Caleb Calhoun

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 27: Chris Lofton #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers walks off the court after losing to the Louisville Cardinals during the 2008 NCAA Men's East Regional Semifinal at Bobcats Arena on March 27, 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Cardinals defeated the Volunteers 77-60. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 27: Chris Lofton #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers walks off the court after losing to the Louisville Cardinals during the 2008 NCAA Men's East Regional Semifinal at Bobcats Arena on March 27, 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Cardinals defeated the Volunteers 77-60. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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5. 2008 Sweet Sixteen

(3) Louisville beats (2) Tennessee

Final Score: 79-60

A very unfair seeding in the NCAA Tournament and a poor matchup resulted in the most depressing loss in the Big Dance the Vols ever had. This was supposed to be their year to break the Sweet Sixteen curse and get to the Elite Eight, even the Final Four. And the Vols were looking like a No. 1 seed for much of the year.

However, they got stuck with a No. 2 seed in the end while also playing in the toughest bracket of all. In the Sweet Sixteen, a team that had no true point guard ran into the Louisville Cardinals. Chris Lofton was not on, for some reason, and Tyler Smith did not have the length to compete with Rick Pitino’s scheme.

On the perimeter, Lofton and JaJuan Smith did not have the length to guard the scorers. As a result, it was a disastrous matchup from the start, one the Vols would only overcome if they were hitting their outside shots.

It just so happened to be an off-day for them, and Pitino’s scheme prevailed. The Cardinals blew Bruce Pearl’s third team out of the water, and a group that was once No. 1 looked like it never belonged with the elites.

Up to that point, Tennessee basketball had been looking like a different team ever since it reached that No. 1 ranking by upsetting the Memphis Tigers. They could just never seem to match the high level of play they showed in that game. And it finally all came crashing down in this matchup. What made it worse was it was the last game for Lofton and Smith.

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