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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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MEMPHIS, TN – FEBRUARY 23: The Tennessee Volunteers huddle before a game against the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum on February 23, 2008 in Memphis, Tennessee. Tennessee beat Memphis 66-62. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN – FEBRUARY 23: The Tennessee Volunteers huddle before a game against the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum on February 23, 2008 in Memphis, Tennessee. Tennessee beat Memphis 66-62. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images) /

What happened afterward?

That loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes remains the one that cost Tennessee basketball its best chance at reaching the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. However, the Vols created lots of great memories after that.

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In the offseason, only Dane Bradshaw was lost due to graduate. Everybody else returned, and Bruce Pearl added transfer forward Tyler Smith, who received a hardship eligibility waiver from the NCAA to play immediately. They also would add transfer wing J.P. Prince midseason, building a ton of depth by the time SEC play began.

The addition of Smith and Prince led to the best season in school history, as the Vols went 31-5 and won the SEC Regular Season Championship. Their year was highlighted by a No. 2 vs. No. 1 matchup at the Memphis Tigers that they won to reach their first No. 1 ranking in school history.

However, the magic didn’t last, as they lost in the Sweet 16 again, getting blown out by the Louisville Cardinals, thanks to lack of point guard play. Two years later, though, the Vols got their revenge on Ohio State. As a No. 6 seed, they upset the No. 2 seed Buckeyes in the 2010 Sweet 16 to reach their first Elite Eight.

Next. Five reasons Vols could reach the Final Four. dark

Not many teams on Rocky Top have had the success in the regular season or NCAA Tournament that the 2006-2007 Tennessee basketball team had. They finished the year 24-11, and although it ended in a heartbreaker, it is still remembered fondly to this day.

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