Vols In San Antonio

They say everything's big in Texas, and for the Vols that means a much bigger stage to play on. The Alamodome is set for Thursday night's NCAA regional semifinal match-up between Tennessee and Ohio State.

The rematch angle is getting plenty of play down here in San Antonio. The Vols had a shot to pull-off a major upset in Columbus on January 13th. But Chris Lofton missed a critical free throw, and the Buckeyes scored the game winning basket with 11 seconds to play.

Both teams say they're better. And they're right. The Bucks haven't lost since the Tennessee game. The Vols may be playing their best basketball of the season.

Much has been made of OSU center Greg Oden. He was a force against the Vols in January-- 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and he was playing with one hand. Oden is now healthy, and could be heading for a Boston Celtics' uniform after this tournament is over.
Oden will get his points and rebounds Thursday night. It's Ohio State's guards that will be troubling. If the Vols stop them, force a few turnovers, and shoot like they did last week in Columbus-- they win the game.