Tennessee reaches Sweet 16 after near-meltdown
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Admiral Schofield ran around the court in sheer joy, waving a March Madness towel after Tennessee made it back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.
The rest of the Volunteers? Just trying to breath normally again.
Tennessee avoided one of the biggest meltdowns in NCAA Tournament history Sunday, letting a 25-point lead slip away before SEC player of the year Grant Williams asserted himself in overtime for an 83-77 victory over Iowa.
None of the Volunteers (31-5) saw that coming, not after they’d raced ahead 44-19 in a sizzling first half they dominated every which way.
The biggest NCAA Tournament comeback? BYU’s 25-point rally past Iona in the First Four in 2012.
“The way we started the game, that’s the team we win (with),” said Schofield, who had 17 of his 19 points in the opening half. “The way we finished the game, we can’t have that.”
Tenth-seeded Iowa (2312) nearly pulled off another historic comeback , sending it overtime tied at 71 — the first overtime game in this year’s tournament. The last time the teams played also was in the NCAA Tournament, with Tennessee rallying from a 12point deficit to a 787-65 overtime victory in the First Four at Dayton.
The Vols’ best player made sure they wouldn’t be on the wrong end of the big comeback this time.
“Grant Williams hit some big shots,” Iowa forward Luka Garza said. “He’s a big-time player. And we defended him well.”
Williams had a pair of free throws, two jumpers, and a strip in overtime that helped the Vols pull it out and match their school record for wins in a season. He finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.
“I feel like a fifth grader who just ate Skittles,” Williams said, summing up the finish.
Jordan Bohannon scored 18 for Iowa, which never led but managed to tie it twice after falling so far behind.
“They were No. 1 for a very long time this year for a reason,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey said. “It’s not often that you get down 25, come back and tie it. So very pleased with the effort and concentration and execution of our guys to a man.”
Last year, the Volunteers lost to Loyola-Chicago in the second round. They followed it with a record season — ranked No. 1 for four weeks, a school-record 19-game winning streak, a full season in the Top 10 — and had just enough in overtime Sunday to keep it going.
Fourth-year coach Rick Barnes got doused with water in the locker room afterward.
“My suit got soaked,” Barnes said. “I got soaked. And when my hair gets wet, it don’t look too good.”
NORTH CAROLINA 81, WASHINGTON 59
In Columbus, Ohio, Luke Maye and Nassir Little each scored 20 points for UNC.
The Tar Heels (29-6) never trailed and moved on to face fifth-seeded Auburn on Friday in a Midwest Regional semifinal.
Last year, one season removed from its national championship, North Carolina was eliminated in the second round in a rout by Texas A&M. The Tar Heels were not going to let it happen again.
Maye added 14 rebounds for North Carolina, a No. 1 seed for a record 17th time.
The Tar Heels committed 10 turnovers in the first half, and led by eight points at the break. But they bolted out in the second half, put together a 13-0 run over 5 minutes and pulled away.
Pac-12 player of the year Jaylen Nowell paced Washington (28-8) with 12 points.
North Carolina forward Garrison Brooks took an elbow to the mouth in the first half that knocked out one tooth, chipped another and required stitches to close his cut lip. He returned to start the second half.
North Carolina guard Kenny Williams exited early in the second half grasping his left hamstring, but he also returned later in the half and seemed to be OK.
DUKE 77, CENTRAL FLORIDA 76
The No. 1 overall seed rallied in the final seconds to reach the Sweet 16 in the East Region.
The Knights had two shots for the win on the final possession, but B.J. Taylor missed a driving shot that rolled off the rim. The same then happened to Aubrey Dawkins' last-ditch tip-in attempt, securing the win for Duke.
Duke trailed 74-70 late before pushing back ahead on RJ Barrett's putback of a missed free throw by Zion Williamson. Williamson had 32 points for Duke, while Dawkins had 32 for UCF.