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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 Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images /

2. 2008 Round of 32

(2) Tennessee beats (7) Butler

Final Score: 76-71 (OT)

Two days after holding off the American Eagles in the NCAA Tournament, the Tennessee Vols had to face a Butler Bulldogs team that had made the Sweet Sixteen just a year earlier. We all remember those very good Butler teams Brad Stephens coached during that time.

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They were just the achilles-heel for a team with low morale, struggling with point guard play and off its rhythm on outside shooting. The combination of those things created exactly the types of issues you would expect from this team.

So Bruce Pearl took a big risk and moved J.P. Prince over to starting point guard in this game. Early, it looked like it was working, and the Vols built a 21-8 lead. But the offense managed to sputter the rest of the way after that.

Butler fought back to make it 38-34 at halftime. Lofton’s shot was still not falling. Another 10-point lead was built early in the second half, but the Bulldogs fought back again since the Vols could not hold on.

And once again, the team sputtered down the stretch on offense. Prince clearly wasn’t ready for the point guard role, and the lack of competent play there was grossly evident. Butler managed to take a two-point lead with two minutes left in overtime. That’s when the Vols finally put this one away.

Related Story. 5 things we learned about Vols from SEC Tournament. light

Ramar Smith, of all people, scored two buckets late with Wayne Chism adding one to build a two-score lead. From there, JaJuan Smith hit four free throws to send this team to its second straight Sweet Sixteen. It wasn’t an easy fight, but they managed to get there nonetheless. And the win was exciting, which is why we have it up here.

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