COLUMBUS, Ohio -- This is why you foul with a three-point lead. This is why No. 1 Ohio State is still alive in the NCAA Tournament, and why Xavier is home bitching about the intentions of Greg Oden's fifth foul.
This is why Bruce Pearl is worth every penny Tennessee pays him.
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| Sean Singletary delivers for Virginia in crunch time -- but his tying 3 rattles out. (AP) |
And lived to play another day.
Against Ohio State, as a matter of fact.
Tennessee will play the No. 1 Buckeyes on Thursday in the Sweet 16 after beating Virginia 77-74 on Sunday. Tennessee beat Virginia because Pearl saw the same quicksand that devoured Xavier coach Sean Miller one day earlier. Miller saw the quicksand but tried to wade right through it like a mastodon. There's a reason mastodons are extinct.
Xavier was leading Ohio State by three points in the final seconds of regulation. That situation leads to much debate among basketball talking heads -- foul or not? -- which is why basketball talking heads (not those at CBS) are another breed headed for extinction.
Look, dummies. Up three, final seconds, you foul. Without exception. Xavier didn't foul, and Ohio State's Ron Lewis hit a 3-pointer to force overtime. Crushed, Xavier had nothing left for overtime. Thrilled, Ohio State dominated.
That was Saturday at Lexington. Sunday at Columbus, Tennessee led Virginia by three with 10 seconds left. Virginia's Sean Singletary was in the middle of scoring nine points in 29.6 seconds, including a 3-pointer that cut Tennessee's lead to 73-72.
Two Chris Lofton free throws made it 75-72 with 10.2 seconds left, and if Tennessee's coach were Sean Miller, the Volunteers would have dared Singletary to hit another 3-pointer before the buzzer. And Singletary would have done just that.
But Sean Miller doesn't coach Tennessee. Bruce Pearl does. And Pearl told JaJuan Smith to foul Singletary after he crossed midcourt. Smith fouled with 6.3 seconds left.
Pearl was muttering to himself, "A little early, a little early," but was nodding nonetheless. Singletary hit both free throws, but Tennessee still led by one. Two more Lofton free throws made it 77-74, after which Pearl told freshman Josh Tabb the same thing he'd told JaJuan Smith: Foul Singletary before he can shoot it.
Virginia coach Dave Leitao is no dummy. He saw what was going on and had center Jason Cain screen off Tabb as soon as Singletary caught the inbounds pass 75 feet from the basket. Now roaming free, Singletary hurtled toward the 3-point arc with the clock ticking down and Pearl screaming for someone to foul him and Tennessee guard Jordan Howell leaving his man to help on Singletary.
