Vols 'Remember the Alamo'

Remember the Alamo?

Tennessee does, in the sense that it was in San Antonio that the NCAA tournament run by the Vols last season came to a screeching halt in the Sweet 16 at the hands of today's opponent, Ohio State.

The Buckeyes won 85-84 after the Vols had led by as many as 20 points.

So "Remember the Alamo'' served as the team's motivational slogan throughout a tough offseason regimen, with UT coach Bruce Pearl looking to motivate his player for a Final Four run back to San Antonio this year.

The Buckeyes (12-5) no longer boast the talents of Greg Oden and Michael Conley Jr., both of whom are gone to the NBA, but that doesn't mean No. 6 UT (15-1) won't have an ax to grind when the teams tip off at 3:30 today (TV: WVLT) before a sold-out Thompson-Boling Arena crowd.

"Of course,'' said UT point guard Ramar Smith, a Michigan native whose potential game-winner was swatted away by Oden at the buzzer last season. "Just losing two close games to them makes it like that.''

Ohio State, which was ranked No. 1 during the NCAA tournament en route to a national runner-up finish, had scored a 68-66 win over UT in Columbus earlier last season.

"We know this is a different Ohio State team, but last year is in the back of our minds and we have a nasty taste in our mouths,'' Vols' senior wing JaJuan Smith said. "We know this will be a big game on a big stage, and we're going to be ready for it.''

Pearl hopes so, but the fact that the Buckeyes have not played since Tuesday while UT finished off Vanderbilt in an emotionally charged environment Thursday night has him concerned.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta has his issues, too, and many are the same ones he brought into last year's NCAA tournament game.

"There's not a ton of differences with what (UT) is trying to do,'' Matta told the Columbus Dispatch on Friday. "They lose (Dane) Bradshaw … and they add two guys who are leading them in assists in (Tyler) Smith and (J.P.) Prince, so they are two for one there.

"But I think they're very, very similar; similar actions, same defenses, same out-of-bounds (plays), that type of stuff.''

Matta said he thinks Chris Lofton's reduced scoring has been overblown.

"To say that he's having a bad year, he's not,'' Matta said. "When you add Tyler Smith and Prince to your team, the other guys like JaJuan Smith and Ramar Smith, and Howell 100 percent healthy, it just shows the depth they have.

"This could be the best team we've played this year.''

That would be saying something; the Buckeyes dropped a 66-55 decision to No. 1-ranked North Carolina earlier this season and lost by a 66-60 count at perennial power Michigan State Tuesday.

Matta's plan for the Vols is similar to what other teams have tried to do throughout the season: Attack the interior, where UT lacks size and depth.

"Last year Greg (Oden) got them,'' Matta said. "They play very hard, they play very physical for their lack of size, if you will.

"Where they got us last year was (Ryan) Childress stepped out and knocked down some threes on Greg. But I think that is one area (we can attack).''

UT sophomore center Wayne Chism is coming off the best game of his career, an 18-point, 18-rebound four-blocked shot effort against Vanderbilt.

Ohio State, however, features more size than the Commodores in the form of 7-foot freshman Kosta Koufos, who's averaging 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Pearl said he does not expect sophomore center Duke Crews to play, though he's available.

UT's worries don't end at the post. The Buckeyes also employ a tricky match-up zone defense.

"It has a lot of man-to-man principles,'' Pearl said. "It's like nothing we've seen this year. They lead the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage because they are so big and long out to the perimeter.''

Kind of like last year … remember the Alamo?