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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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UT head coach Bruce Pearl reacts to a referee’s comments during a game against Belmont on Saturday, December 20, 2008 at Thompson Boling Arena on Saturday. Tennessee won the game 79-77.Bruce Pearl 0032
UT head coach Bruce Pearl reacts to a referee’s comments during a game against Belmont on Saturday, December 20, 2008 at Thompson Boling Arena on Saturday. Tennessee won the game 79-77.Bruce Pearl 0032 /

Ohio State: 85 Tennessee: 84

This is arguably the most heartbreaking game for Tennessee basketball in history, and it’s definitely the most heartbreaking NCAA Tournament game. For context, the Vols lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the regular season of this year off a last-second three-pointer.

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OSU was led by Greg Oden and Mike Conley, two phenom freshmen, but the Vols were a great matchup for Thad Matta’s team with their tempo. They had every reason to think they could win this one, and it looked that way early. UT started raining threes and forcing turnovers, and in the blink of an eye, they were beating the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament by 20.

A three-point play by David Lighty closed out the first half to cut it to 17. Then Ohio State went on a red-hot run in the second half, cutting it to one with just over 11 minutes left. The game became a back and forth affair after that. Tied at 84 late, Conley drew a shooting foul. He hit one free throw and missed the second.

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On the rebound, Ramar Smith took it the length of the court in six seconds and had a great look at the basket. However, Oden got down there in time and blocked the shot, securing an 85-84 win for OSU. If UT had won, they would’ve made their first Elite Eight and faced the Memphis Tigers, who they beat by 17 that regular season. As a result, this loss stung more than ever.

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