COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Tennessee men have typified a battle-tested basketball team all season long.
There were many instances of the veteran-heavy Volunteers' experience paying off even before their NCAA tournament opener against upset-minded Colgate on Friday.
Now they have another example - and their 30th win of the season.
Tennessee, the South Region's No. 2 seed, was down two in the second half against the 15th-seeded Raiders at Nationwide Arena. Late in the game, the Vols led by only three. They responded both times, using an 8-1 run and a 10-3 spurt late that proved to be the difference in their 77-70 win that set up a second-round matchup with 10th-seeded Iowa at 12:10 on Sunday.
"I think it shows our versatility and the confidence we all have," Tennessee forward John Fulkerson said. "All the work we've put in, we're confident in any guy to go out there and make the play."
After a pair of Tucker Richardson free throws gave the Raiders their first lead of the game, 49-48, it was Fulkerson who got the call, and the 6-foot-9 sophomore took one dribble at the top of the key and laid the ball in to put Tennessee in front. Colgate responded with a Richardson 3-pointer, but Tennessee's answer was the 8-1 run.
Grant Williams started it with an inside score, and it was followed by two consecutive turnovers and a pair of Jordan Bowden baskets. Bone then hit a jumper in the lane to put the Vols up 58-53.
"We've been in situations so many times," said Schofield, who explored the NBA draft last spring before deciding to return for his senior season. "We've been in situations against Kentucky, Villanova where we've come out on top. Against Purdue, a lot of teams around the country - we were in that situation even against Oregon two years ago in Maui. So we have experience in those situations, and we understand what it takes to win in those situations.
"It's just defense, getting stops, getting rebounds, and taking smart shots and getting open looks on the offensive end. Understanding the clock and when to take the shot. In that situation, guys like Jordan Bone, Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden really did a great job of being poised, taking care of the ball and getting the best shot possible."
Turner didn't score down the stretch, but the redshirt junior had an offensive rebound that led to a Bone 3-pointer and an assist on the first of three Schofield 3-pointers. Williams also had a block with the Vols up six that led to Schofield's final 3, which put Tennessee up 73-64 and put the game away.
"To get through this tournament, you're going to have games like this," said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, who has the Vols in the second round for the second straight year. "We've been in big arenas; I don't think the noise of the crowd is going to bother us.
"But we were able to get it done. You never take a win in the NCAA for granted, ever. We knew what we had to do - we had to do that a couple different times this year - and they stayed with it. They knew what they had to do, and they did it."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.