March 23, 2008
Chism, Tennessee outlast Butler in overtime
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Ticker) -- Wayne Chism scored 16 points and Tyler Smith added 15 and eight rebounds as second-seeded Tennessee held on for a 76-71 overtime victory over seventh-seeded Butler in a second-round matchup out of the East Regional on Sunday.
Tennessee had never trailed during regulation but saw Butler fight back to tie the game at 63-63 and send the contest into overtime.
Tied at 66-66, A.J. Graves gave Butler its first lead of the game with a runner in the lane, but Tennessee answered on back-to-back baskets by JaJuan Smith and Chism to take a 70-68 lead with 53 seconds left.
The Volunteers (31-4) maintained their slim advantage and JaJuan Smith made two free throws to extend the lead to 74-70 with 13 seconds to play. JaJuan Smith made another pair with four seconds to play to seal the victory.
Trailing the entire game - and by as many as 13 - Butler finally caught Tennessee as Graves sank a pair of free throws to knot the game at 60-60 with 2:37 left to play.
Chism's jumper put Tennessee back in front, but after each team made one free throw, the Bulldogs again tied the contest on Willie Veasley's tip-in of Green's miss with 36 seconds to play.
J.P. Prince traveled on the Volunteers' final possession. giving Butler (30-4) a final chance, but Green could not get a shot off in the final seconds.
The contest featured a pair of 30-win teams, marking the first time since the NCAA Tournament field expanded in 1985 that two teams with at least that many wins met in just the second round.
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