Vols beat Ohio, move on to Sweet 16

Solid performance, Vols. You took Option Three, and I'm eating my words.

UT advanced to its third Sweet 16 in four years with a 83-68 win over 14th-seeded Ohio Saturday. The Vols didn't just avoid another upset bid like they did against 11-seed San Diego State Thursday, they proved that they were the better team.

There's one main reason Tennessee won: the Vols outscored the Bobcats 58-12 in the paint.

It's no secret that Tennessee's half-court offense has been shaky this year, as it usually consists of the Vols passing the ball around the perimeter and taking a contested jumper with the shot clock winding down. But hats off to Bruce Pearl and his staff for understanding what they had to do to win the game. They kept play inside the arc, only shooting 14 3-pointers (they made five).

The Vols also had a solid defensive night against guards Armon Bassett and D.J. Cooper, who combined for 55 points 10-of-18 3-point shooting in Ohio's first round upset of Georgetown.

Bassett, who averaged over 29 points a game in Ohio's last five games, was held to just seven points in 40 minutes of play. That's a testament to Bobby Maze, who has has successfully defended multiple high-scoring guards this season.

Depth also played a role in the game, with Tennessee's bench outscoring Ohio's 28-16. It should be noted that DeVaughn Washington scored all 16 of those point, and while he didn't start, he did play all but two minutes of the game. In Ohio's 97-point outing in the first round, its bench only accounted for 10 points.

Now the Vols get to play in the Sweet 16, where things really start heating up. They'll play the winner of the 2-10 match-up of Ohio State and Georgia Tech.

The Vols have always played better as the underdog (refer to the 2007 tournament), so they could do well against the two-seed Ohio State. Since few of these Vols were around when Ohio State came back from 17 points down to beat the UT 85-84 in 2007's Sweet 16, I'm not even going to say that revenge will be a factor. But after seeing how Tennessee responded against Kansas and Kentucky, I imagine they would elevate their play against the Buckeyes.

Georgia Tech would be the other option for the Vols in the round of 16. The Yellow Jackets were one of the last at-large teams placed in the tournament, and pretty much only made it in because they gave Duke a close game in the ACC Tournament.

Although Georgia Tech has been inconsistent this season, it features three players with NBA talent. ESPN Insider has power forward Derrick Favors projected to be a top-five pick in this year's NBA Draft, while Gani Lawal and Iman Shumpert are rated as potential first-round picks, too. Their size alone could bother the Vols, as Favors is 6-10, and Lawal is 6-9.

What some of these Vols will remember is getting smacked by Louisville in 2008's Sweet 16, 79-60. Between that and a first-round exit last year, there has to be a bitter taste on the some of these guys' tongues.

Expect Wayne Chism, as well as the other seniors, to lift this team on their shoulders in hopes to do something no other Tennessee team has done: reach the Elite Eight.

(Read the original story at TNJN.com)