Alabama and Tennessee are two of college football's most tradition-rich programs that annually stage a colorful contest against each other in late October.
They've had their share of college basketball success as well, but they rank 1-2 when it comes to Sweet 16 futility in the NCAA men's tournament. The Crimson Tide are 1-9 in Sweet 16 matchups heading into Thursday night's late West Region semifinal against North Carolina, while the Volunteers have an all-time mark of 1-8 in the round entering Friday's late Midwest Region semifinal versus Creighton.
Here are Tennessee's results in the Sweet 16 through the years.
Dayton 53, UT 52 (1967): The first cold-shooting plague in Tennessee's NCAA tournament history occurred in the first half of this pairing, when the Vols were 7-of-31 and fell behind 36-25. Tennessee pulled within 51-50 and had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Ron Widby's 20-footer was off the mark, and the Flyers made a pair of free throws. Dayton wound up advancing to the championship game, where the Flyers lost to UCLA.
Virginia 62, UT 48 (1981): Tennessee took a 36-31 lead six minutes into the second half before caving against the Cavaliers, who went on a crushing 27-4 run. Ralph Sampson was Virginia's most feared player, but it was forward Jeff Lamp who inflicted the most damage with his game-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
North Carolina 74, UT 69 (2000): Jerry Green's 2000 Vols were the first to win two games in an NCAA tournament, downing Louisiana-Lafayette and reigning national champion Connecticut, but they went more than seven minutes without a field goal down the stretch against the Tar Heels. Two former Chattanooga-area standouts, C.J. Black and Vincent Yarbrough, paced Tennessee with 17 and 13 points, respectively.
Ohio State 85, UT 84 (2007): Easily one of the most painful NCAA tournament games in Tennessee history, the Vols got Ohio State center Greg Oden in foul trouble and built a 20-point lead over the Buckeyes. Mike Conley's free throw with 6.5 seconds left put Ohio State up by a point, and Ramar Smith's layup attempt just before time expired was swatted away by Oden.
Louisville 79, UT 60 (2008): Bruce Pearl's 2008 Vols ascended to a No. 1 ranking in the regular season but were not playing their best in March. They survived 76-71 in overtime against Butler during the second round and were no match for the Cardinals. Rick Pitino's signature zone frustrated Tennessee, and Chris Lofton was just 3-of-15 in his final game with the Vols.
UT 76, Ohio State 73 (2010): Brian Williams scored the go-ahead basket on a tip-in with 32 seconds remaining and Bobby Maze made two late free throws as Tennessee won a Sweet 16 contest for the first time. The Buckeyes got off a 3-point attempt with hopes of overtime, but it was blocked by J.P. Prince. Ohio State guard Evan Turner, the national player of the year, scored 31 points. Tennessee's hopes for its first Final Four were dashed by Michigan State, 70-69, in the Elite Eight.
Michigan 73, UT 71 (2014): Tennessee's one and only appearance in the First Four was a 78-65 overtime victory over Iowa, and the Vols kept advancing with easy wins over Massachusetts and Mercer, which had delivered a memorable first-round upset of Duke. The Vols trailed the Wolverines by 15 midway through the second half but pulled within 72-71 before Jarnell Stokes was called for an offensive foul with six seconds remaining.
Purdue 99, UT 94 (2019): Tennessee's 31-win season had a heartbreaking ending, as the Vols rallied from an 18-point deficit early in the second half to take an 82-80 lead late in regulation. Carson Edwards made two of three free throws to send the game into overtime, and he would finish with a game-high 29 points. Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams each scored 21 in their final contest with the Vols.
Florida Atlantic 62, UT 55 (2023): Tennessee shot just 33% and was at its coldest when it mattered most. The Vols built a 39-33 lead with 12 minutes remaining, but the Owls went on an 18-2 run to take a 51-41 lead with 6:47 to play. The loss marked the fifth consecutive NCAA tournament for the Vols in which they were bounced by a lower-seeded team.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.