Tennessee sophomore Ryan Childress is used to his role on the basketball court.

First, he’s a rebounder, a dirty-work guy. But as the Vols clinched their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2000, Childress found himself in another, less familiar role.

The 6-foot-9 forward was a hometown hero.

Forget for a minute that the Vols played in Columbus, Ohio, about 90 miles northeast of his hometown of Loveland, a Cincinnati suburb.

With about 15 friends and family members in the stands Sunday, Childress scored all 10 of his points in the final 20 minutes and hit a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds of UT’s 77-74 victory over Virginia.

"I played in Columbus all my life in AAU," Childress said Monday, following the Vols’ brief workout in Stokely Athletic Center.

"It was just nice to be in front of the hometown crowd and the Vol nation that came up. It was great. I got to go up in the stands after the game, say hey to them, talk about the game a little bit."

There was plenty to talk about.

With freshman Wayne Chism saddled with foul trouble for much of the second half, Childress played 11 minutes — and played a big role in the Vols’ eventual victory.

"It was essential," UT coach Bruce Pearl said. "We play best when everybody contributes. I think that’s what happened this weekend. Even (walk-on) Tanner Wild comes off the bench and knocks down a 3 (in the opening round against Long Beach State)."

Childress scored just four points in UT’s 121-point romp over Long Beach State on Thursday.

On Sunday, though, Childress reached double figures for the first time since making his first career start against ETSU on Dec. 30. His 3-pointer at the 16:01 mark gave UT the lead for good, and two free throws with 27 seconds to go gave UT a 71-67 lead.

"Ryan’s play was very, very significant," Pearl said. "Both throughout the game as our leading rebounder and making a couple of big 3-point shots, to stepping in and making the free throws at the end when there’s a lot of pressure on a young player."

There’s more pressure headed Tennessee’s way this week. The Vols (24-10) face top-seeded Ohio State (32-3) on Thursday (9:57 p.m., TV: WVLT) in a regional semifinal in San Antonio having never advanced to the round of eight.

Childress, along with Chism, Duke Crews and Dane Bradshaw, will have their hands full with Buckeyes center Greg Oden, who had 24 points and 15 rebounds in a 68-66 victory over Tennessee in January.

Childress will have a houseful again.

George Wittmer, Childress’ grandfather and a member of Ohio State’s 1961 football national championship team, was among those who greeted Childress following Sunday’s win.

Come Thursday, he’ll again be among a group of Childress family on hand in the Alamodome.

And he’ll be rooting for his grandson over his alma mater.

"He pulls for me obviously now," Childress said. "The blood runs a little thicker than the water there."

Sweet Send-off: UT will hold a send-off for the Vols at 5:30 p.m. today behind Stokely Athletic Center on Johnny Majors Drive before they travel to San Antonio.

Tickets Available: A limited number of tickets are available for the South Regional at San Antonio.

Tickets are $125 each covering the Thursday and Saturday sessions. They will go on sale at 8:30 a.m. today at the UT Ticket Office or by calling 865-656-1200.

Drew Edwards may be reached at 865-342-6274.