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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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Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images /

4. 2006 Round of 32

(7) Wichita State beats (2) Tennessee

Final Score: 80-73

This loss wasn’t as painful as the Tennessee Vols’ loss to the Louisville Cardinals two years later because people understood the situation. Bruce Pearl had already exceeded everybody’s expectations in his first year as head coach on Rocky Top.

A team that was coming off a losing season, lost its two leading scorers and hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament in four years had low expectations. But Pearl shocked the world with this team, winning the SEC East and getting them into the Top 10 at one point. However, the lack of depth showed late, and the Vols stumbled down the stretch.

Their resume still earned them a No. 2 seed, though. In the second round, they faced an upstart Wichita State Shockers team led by Mark Turgeon, who is now with the Maryland Terrapins. And the Vols’ late-season issues in terms of staying alert on defense and keeping a rhythm shooting the ball continued.

Chris Lofton still had 20 points, but it required 21 shots. Dane Bradshaw couldn’t hit, and the Shockers shot 60 percent from three. CJ Watson, in his final game, did everything he could to reach the Sweet Sixteen with 20 points, but it wasn’t enough.

The loss didn’t overshadow UT’s Cinderella year, though, and it generated another level of excitement for the future under Pearl. All that hurt about this was the Vols blew it in a bracket loaded with upsets, which got George Mason to the Final Four.

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