Just when I thought Tennessee basketball might blow it, the Vols came up clutch vs Texas | Adams

Tennessee basketball advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament Saturday with a 62-58 victory over Texas at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. If that doesn’t spark a celebration, it at least should prompt a huge sigh of relief.

Given UT’s unfavorable history in the tournament, no victories are inconsequential, including a win as shaky as this one. You could say the same for coach Rick Barnes, a future hall of famer whose track record in the tournament is only slightly better than Tennessee's.

Overwhelming an outmanned Saint Peter’s team in the first round and defeating an offensively challenged Texas team doesn’t mean the second-seeded Vols (26-8) are assured of their first Final Four in school history. It beats the alternative by a huge margin, though.

The alternative looked quite possible when seventh-seeded Texas whittled a 12-point lead down to two points in the final seconds. A program renowned for NCAA Tournament failure was within an opposing shot of another upset defeat.

Translation: Tennessee almost blew it.

But SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht clinched the victory by making two free throws with 3.8 seconds to play.

Losing in the Sweet 16 would be a disappointment. Losing in the first or second round would have been closer to a disaster for a team that won the SEC championship and was a top-10 fixture in the regular season.

I could fill up a column detailing the shortcomings of its first two opponents. But what’s the point? Better to focus on how Tennessee exacerbated Saint Peter's shortcomings and held off Texas' late charge. Other favored SEC teams can only wish they had done as much.

Fourth-seeded Kentucky lost to 14^th-seed Oakland on Thursday to cap what – aside from Tennessee’s runaway 83-49 win over Saint Peter’s − was a dreadful first round for the SEC. Eighth-seeded Mississippi State was manhandled by Michigan State 69-51 and sixth-seeded South Carolina looked in over its head in an 87-73 loss to Oregon earlier on Thursday.

The best way to avoid a tumble against a lower-seeded team? Never give it oxygen. 

The Vols accomplished that against Saint Peter’s, squeezing the life out of its upset hopes in the first few minutes. They also gained the upper hand against Texas early, forcing 11 turnovers and holding the Longhorns to 8-for-26 shooting from the field to take a 26-19 halftime lead.

Just when the Vols seemingly had the game in hand, it was as though their tournament history came calling. Even a once airtight defense began to give way down the stretch. And Tennessee's offense was abysmal, especially from 3-point land, where it missed 22-of-25 attempts.

The competition will intensify in the Sweet 16. So should the offense. No matter how well Tennessee plays defensively − and it was outstanding for much of the Texas game − it will have to summon more offense to advance further.

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Tennessee misfired repeatedly against Texas, reminding its fans of why it has been bumped out of so many NCAA Tournaments at the hands of a lower seed. But at least, no full-fledged collapse was forthcoming.

They won a game they almost frittered away. Maybe, that's a sign of better things to come in a tournament that often has brought out the worst in Tennessee.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.