Butler's season ends in 76-71 overtime loss to Tennessee

March 23, 2008

(#2 seed) Tennessee 76, (#7 seed) Butler 71 (OT) Box Score
NCAA Championship, Second Round

Birmingham, Ala. (AP) - JaJuan Smith and Tennessee lost the lead, but not their poise.

Smith hit four straight free throws in the final 13.6 seconds of overtime and the Volunteers held on for a 76-71 win over Butler in the second round of the NCAA tournament, barely surviving a game they at times threatened to turn into an East Regional rout.

The first second-round game featuring two 30-win teams definitely lived up to the distinction.

The Vols (31-4) scored six straight points inside after the Bulldogs took their first lead in the final 2 minutes of OT, including benched guard Ramar Smith's basket with 27 seconds left to make it 72-68.

Butler (30-4) still wouldn't go away. Pete Campbell followed a missed shot to make it 72-70 with 16 seconds left. JaJaun Smith then made both free throws, and Julian Betko rebounded a missed 3-pointer by A.J. Graves and was fouled with 4.9 seconds left for Butler. He made 1-of-2 from the line, and Smith grabbed the rebound before icing the game with foul shots at the other end.

Smith sported the motivating message "No. 1 seed" on his sneakers for a second straight game for a Vols team that felt they were worthy. Tennessee survived the tournament's opening weekend for the second straight year and avoided another 2-seed flop. The Vols had fallen in the second round as a No. 2 seed in 2006, the only other time they were seeded as high.

Wayne Chism led foul-plagued Tennessee with 16 points, while Tyler Smith added 15 and eight rebounds and JaJuan Smith had 11.

The Vols led by 13 in the first half and 10 early in the second half, but Butler kept coming back.

The No. 7 seed Bulldogs, who couldn't catch up to Tennessee for the first 37-plus minutes, took their first lead on Graves' short jumper in the paint to make it 68-66 with 1:46 left in overtime. Ramar Smith and Chism both scored inside to retake the lead inside the final minute.

Tyler Smith blocked Graves from behind and Chism won the scramble for the loose ball and called timeout with 33 seconds left. Ramar Smith then scored inside, coming up with a big play after losing his starting job to J.P. Prince.

Prince had nine points, seven rebounds, five assists - and six of the Vols' 20 turnovers.

Graves led Butler with 21 points on just 6-of-18 shooting. Mike Green added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists before fouling out late in overtime.

Campbell added 12 points and Willie Veasley had 11.

Regulation ended in anticlimactic fashion.

Veasley pushed the ball back in the basket off a missed shot to make it 63-all with 37 seconds left, then Tennessee pushed it across midcourt and called timeout.

Prince was called for traveling against defender Drew Streicher with 4 seconds left, and Green caught the inbounds pass on the run but couldn't get off a decent shot.

The Vols tried to set the tone early, sinking three three-pointers and forcing five turnovers in the first five minutes on their way to building a 21-8 lead. They couldn't keep it up, making just two more threes.

Note: Butler was the first team in Horizon League history to record 30 victories in a single season. Friday's triumph over South Alabama eclipsed the school- and League-standard set by last year's 29-7 Bulldog squad.

Sunday's result marks the third consecutive year a Horizon League team has had its season end at the hands of a Southeastern Conference school. Florida ousted Milwaukee in 2006 and Butler last year on its way to back-to-back national titles. Sunday also marked the one-year anniversary of the Bulldogs' loss to Florida in the regional semifinals last March.