SAN ANTONIO — Ohio State put the squeeze on Tennessee, overcoming a 20-point deficit to score an 85-84 victory Thursday night and advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.

Freshman Michael Conley Jr. split a pair of free throws to give Ohio State a one-point edge with 6.5 seconds left, and UT freshman Ramar Smith had his shot blocked by 7-foot freshman center Greg Oden at the buzzer.

"I drove and I heard my teammates say ‘shoot it,’ ’’ said Smith, who had 15 points, four assists and no turnovers. "Greg just came over and made a great play.’’

The Vols, who had a 20-point lead in the first half, have never reached the Elite Eight.

The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes (33-3) advance to play South Regional No. 2-seed Memphis (33-3) on Saturday in the Alamodome. The Tigers beat Texas A&M, 65-64, earlier Thursday.

The Vols, led by Chris Lofton’s 24 points, finish the season 24-11. UT’s 24 wins are the second most in a season in school history.

UT senior Dane Bradshaw said it’s hard to say goodbye.

"I’m sad, but I feel very blessed to have played for Tennessee,’’ Bradshaw said. "We played our hearts out. The effort was there, but some of the mental focus wasn’t there on the defensive end.

"We showed we could play with anyone in the country, and we’ve raised the bar as far as postseason expectations. But it’s tough when you let it slip away.’’

The Vols stopped Oden, but they couldn’t stop the Buckeyes from winning their 20th consecutive game, a streak that started when they beat UT 68-66 Jan. 13 in Columbus, Ohio.

Oden had nine points and three rebounds, playing just 18 minutes in the game as a result of foul trouble. Oden, however, came up with four blocked shots, including the key rejection on the final play.

The Vols made 8-of-17 free throws (47.1 percent), including just 2-of-4 in the final 1:18. Ohio State was 23 of 35 (65.7 percent) from the line.

"Their ability to get to the foul line was pivotal,’’ UT coach Bruce Pearl said. "They shot 29 free throws in the second half ? that’s like 58 in a game. It’s odd.’’

UT held a 49-29 lead with 36 seconds left in the first half, but Ohio State scored the final three points before halftime and continued the run when play resumed.

"We seen their body language coming out the second half, and we knew we had to attack,’’ said Ohio State’s Ron Lewis, who scored a game-high 25 points. "Their body language was like they knew they already had the game won

The Buckeyes opened the second half on a 12-2 run, closing to 51-44 with 16:28 left when Lewis scored on a drive.

Ohio State tied the game at 64-64 with 9:34 left on a pair of Conley Jr. free throws. One minute later, Matt Terwilliger hit a pair of free throws to make it 66-64, giving the Buckeyes their first lead since being up 10-9 with 16:30 to play in the first half.

Moments later, Jamar Butler hit a 3-pointer to put the Buckeyes up 72-68 with 6:53 left, but the Vols answered with a 9-2 run featuring two Ryan Childress 3-pointers, the second one coming with 4:39 left and putting UT up 77-74.

The Buckeyes reclaimed the lead on a Lewis 3-pointer at the 2:03 mark, going up 82-79, but Lofton hit a 3-pointer to tie it up at 82-82 with 1:55 remaining.

Oden hit a pair of free throws with 1:38 left to give Ohio State an 84-82 lead.

Wayne Chism split his free throws to pull UT to 84-83 with 1:18 left on the ensuing possession.

Lewis was off the mark on a 3-point attempt on the Buckeyes’ next trip down the floor, and Smith drove and was fouled. Smith split his free throws, tying the game at 84-84 with 38.7 seconds left.

"It’s way too soon to reflect,’’ Pearl said. "We did everything we wanted to do in the first half, but you’ve got to play for 40 minutes.’’