Tennessee rolls over Ohio, secures third Sweet 16 in last four years

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Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- J.P. Prince scored 18 points, and Brian Williams and Wayne Chism had 12 rebounds apiece on Saturday to lead sixth-seeded Tennessee to an 83-68 victory over No. 14 seed Ohio on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.


It's the third time in four years Bruce Pearl's Volunteers have reached the NCAA's second weekend. Tennessee (27-8) will play the winner of Sunday's Ohio State-Georgia Tech game in the Midwest Regional semifinals in St. Louis.

Tommy Freeman scored 23 points for Ohio, which was the lowest seed to get out of the first round. But he got little help from Armon Bassett and freshman D.J. Cooper, the guards who starred in the first-round victory over third-seeded Georgetown but combined for 23 points on 7-of-23 shooting against Tennessee.

Each of Saturday's games in Providence matched a double-digit seed against a team from a power conference. But one-half hour after tiny Saint Mary's knocked off Villanova -- a No. 2 seed and a Final Four participant in 2009 -- Ohio failed in its attempt to be just the third No. 14 seed to reach the Sweet 16 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

The Bobcats (22-15) trailed by six points midway through the second half before the Vols went on a 10-1 run to put it away.

Scotty Hopson scored 17 points, and Bobby Maze had nine assists for Tennessee, which continues its remarkable run since four players were arrested on New Year's Day -- three of them were suspended, and starter Tyler Smith was kicked off the team -- in a traffic stop that resulted in gun, drug and alcohol charges.

Two games later, with six scholarship players and three walk-ons, the Vols beat No. 1 Kansas.

The Bobcats earned their underdog status honestly: They were 7-9 in the Mid-American Conference this year and a No. 9 seed in the 12-team league tournament. But they swept through though the MAC postseason and then dispatched the Hoyas 97-83.

The Vols took the lead with an 18-2 run that started with 12 minutes left in the first half, turning a two-point deficit into a 14-point lead. Ohio kept firing 3-pointers -- they tried 26 in the game, making 10 -- but never got any closer than 50-45 on Freeman's 3-pointer with 13 minutes to play.

It was 55-49 when the Vols scored 10 of the next 11 points.

Ohio shot 35 percent in the first half, with regular-season leading scorer Bassett missing all five shots. But Freeman had 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting at the half, making four of his five 3-point attempts.