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NCAA Tournament: Remembering Tennessee basketball’s last No. 5 seed in 2007

By Caleb Calhoun

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 16: Dane Bradshaw #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers goes in for a layup against the Long Beach State 49ers during the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 16, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 16: Dane Bradshaw #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers goes in for a layup against the Long Beach State 49ers during the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 16, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – FEBRUARY 13: Wayne Chism #4 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on during the SEC game against the Kentucky Wilcats on February 13, 2010 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY – FEBRUARY 13: Wayne Chism #4 of the Tennessee Volunteers looks on during the SEC game against the Kentucky Wilcats on February 13, 2010 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Tennessee: 77 Virginia: 74

After beating the Long Beach State Beach, Tennessee basketball had to face the No. 4 seed Virginia Cavaliers in the second round. The Vols were looking for their first win over a higher-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament since 1982. Ironically, that year, they were eliminated by UVA in the second round of the Big Dance.

Well, this game was set to be much closer. In a matchup of runs, UVA appeared to take control in the first half, going up 36-25, but in the final four and a half minutes, UT went on a 10-2 run and trailed by only three at halftime.

In the second half, trailing 42-39, the Vols went on a 10-0 run to take a 49-42 lead. They eventually extended that to 54-44 and never trailed again. That didn’t mean that Virginia didn’t fight back, though. They cut UT’s lead to one possession in the final 35 seconds, and in a game of free throws, the Vols were automatic, going 8-for-8 down the stretch.

At the end, UVA had a chance to tie it, but Sean Singletary missed a three-point jumper, and the Vols escaped with a 77-74 upset to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2000 at the time. Chris Lofton led the way with 20 points, but JaJuan Smith added 16, and Wayne Chism had 13. Ryan Childress had a surprise elite game, scoring 10 off the bench with eight rebounds.

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