COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lady Vols basketball almost let the win slip away.

No. 5 seed Tennessee went on a 14-0 run to take a 17-point lead over No. 4 seed Ohio State in the third quarter. But the Buckeyes wouldn’t go out that easily, especially at home in the Schottenstein Center in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Ohio State stormed back, going on a 16-0 run to cut Tennessee’s lead to one point.

Coach Kim Caldwell wanted to see how the Lady Vols would respond after taking a punch. Tennessee (24-9) showed it could punch right back Sunday in an 82-67 win over Ohio State (26-7).

Tennessee fought back, battling on every possession. It played like its season was on the line, and it led to an upset to return to the Sweet 16. It’s the Lady Vols’ third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last four seasons.

Talaysia Cooper led the Lady Vols with 19 points, eight rebounds, seven steals, five assists and a block. Ruby Whitehorn added 14 points.

The Lady Vols will play the winner of No. 1 seed Texas and No. 8 seed Illinois in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama. The game will tip off at either 1 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Lady Vols win battle of the full-court presses

Tennessee turned a four-point deficit after the first quarter into a five-point lead at halftime after outscoring Ohio State 23-14 in the second quarter.

The Lady Vols stepped up their defensive pressure in the second quarter and strung together stops to slow down the Buckeyes. They also started getting looks inside, scoring 12 points in the paint in the second compared to only six in the first.

Tennessee scored 14 points off of nine OSU turnovers in the first half. It only committed seven of its own, and those only led to seven points for the Buckeyes. The Lady Vols scored 35 points off 23 OSU turnovers, which was a season-high for the Buckeyes.

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Zee Spearman comes up big for Tennessee

Zee Spearman turned the tide for the Lady Vols in the second quarter when she got more aggressive.

Four of her six points in the second gave Tennessee a lead it carried into halftime. Spearman had eight points on 4-for-4 shooting in the first half with four rebounds.

Spearman was aggressive again in the third, hunting her shot and getting in the paint. Ohio State couldn’t contain her off the dribble, and she added five more points. She finished with 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting and five rebounds.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

Ohio State has only had a few spring practices so far, but recruiting efforts have been full speed ahead, with a few dozen prospects arriving on campus to visit the defending national champions in their first week of spring ball. 

The Buckeyes’ recruiting efforts will be crucial throughout the next three weeks of spring practice, as well. Ohio State needs to build momentum this spring with prospects to carry it into official visit season, and it wouldn’t stink to grow the 2026 commitment list from five, either.

With the Buckeyes set to host a bevy of prospects between now and their spring showcase on April 12, we take a look at four crucial priorities for the Buckeyes this spring.

Establish the offensive line pecking order

New offensive line Tyler Bowen has his work cut out for him. Bowen and Ohio State have already hosted and will continue to host numerous 2026 offensive linemen on campus over the next few weeks. That time might be super enlightening to find out just where in the pecking order some of these prospects are on the Buckeyes’ recruiting board. 

Of course, some of it is very obvious. Bowen already has a recruiting win in his cap by keeping Maxwell Riley home, but he’d love to pair him with another Ohio standout offensive tackle, Sam Greer. Greer visited campus on Monday, with Riley also in attendance. That may or may not have been done by design. Getting two standout tackles from the state would be a good start for Bowen’s tenure. 

Another amazing trip to @OhioStateFB great meeting the new staff, cant wait to be back@ryandaytime @Coachcliff904 pic.twitter.com/zYacS4hpW6

— Sam Greer (@Samgreer70) March 18, 2025

Of course, nearly all of the offensive line recruiting angst from fans over the past few seasons has rarely come from recruiting Ohio kids. It’s the misses on highly touted out-of-state prospects that have stung the most, especially since there was often a focus on only a handful of linemen each cycle. 

Two of the top out-of-state priorities, Jackson Cantwell and Micah “Champ” Smith, visited OSU last week. The Buckeyes are hosting four-star offensive tackle Zaden Krempin on Sunday, additionally. 

Had a great time at @OhioStateFB over the last two days!#NSGB @ryandaytime @TylerBowen pic.twitter.com/SljEeiPEpe

— Jackson Cantwell (@jcantwell2499) March 22, 2025

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Stay tuned for the entire video of my visit to THE Ohio State University #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/P9HcH0iSYb

— Micah Champion Smith (@ChampSmith55) March 17, 2025

@OhioStateFB @TylerBowen @Coach_Dickey @Coach_Hill2 @mickdwalker @LettermenRow @ShaunShrock45 @DaBuckeyeBoyz @Birm @davebiddle @GregSmithRivals @Bill_Kurelic @Coach__Fields pic.twitter.com/bSP77oMEAT

— Zaden Krempin (@zadenkrempin) March 23, 2025

Bowen offered another handful of offensive linemen this week and likely will offer more as the spring trudges on. The visits are a good opportunity for Bowen to develop relationships with those linemen and for OSU to evaluate where it wants to make a major push in the offensive trenches.

Use the momentum of winning a national title to your advantage

While there’s been some turnover on the Ohio State coordinator side, two things remain constant for the Buckeyes: Ryan Day remains in place as head coach and the Buckeyes are the defending national champions for the first time since the 2014 season. 

Recruits may not necessarily need a reminder of that considering there are four new championship banners on display at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center practice field, but perhaps more top-of-the-line, out-of-state recruits might look a little closer at the Buckeyes now that they’ve proven themselves on the national stage. 

Not that OSU has ever had a problem attracting marquee players to Columbus beforehand, but it makes it a little easier to sell your program to a recruit whose top priority is playing for a winner when you have a more established track record in big moments.

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Continue to stay aggressive with offers

If we’re just using Bowen as an example, it’s incredible to see the night and day difference in his approach to recruiting compared to his predecessor. Justin Frye typically liked to hone in on a few select offensive linemen each cycle, which is fine if you land them, but once OSU missed on a player there weren’t clear fallback options. That seems to have changed with Bowen, considering he’s turned into Oprah in his first few months on campus with the “You get an offer and you get an offer” strategy.

But this strategy shouldn’t just apply to the offensive line. Other positions have already expanded their boards within the past week, including Carlos Locklyn’s running back room, as he offered in-state prospect Favour Akih on Monday. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has also offered a handful of defensive linemen within the past month. 

WOW TO GOD BE THE GLORY! After a great conversation with @ryandaytime , I am truly
blessed and highly favored to have earned an offer from THEE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY! GO BUCKS @Montgomery_DHHS @AllenTrieu @adamgorney @RivalsFriedman @SWiltfong_ @ChadSimmons_ pic.twitter.com/XSajcqhLcb

— Favour Akih 4 (@FavourAkih) March 17, 2025

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Use this time to make an impression on key 2027 prospects

Naturally, when a lot of us think about recruiting, it’s typically the current cycle that’s at the forefront of our minds. Ohio State (and other Power Four college programs) don’t typically operate that way, as successful teams are recruiting multiple cycles ahead. 

While this spring is crucial for how the 2026 class will finish for reasons we’ve outlined above and more, it’s also a key time to create strong inroads with key 2027 prospects so the Buckeyes will be in a strong position with them a year from now. For example, Ohio State offered five-star Texas linebacker Cooper Witten over the weekend, the son of former NFL tight end Jason Witten. 

Glory to God!! I am very blessed and grateful to receive an offer from Ohio State University. @OhioStateFB @JLaurinaitis55 @ryandaytime @CoachMcGrath22 pic.twitter.com/UGUeglNR4M

— Cooper Witten (@CooperWitten_) March 22, 2025

The Buckeyes already have a bit of an advantage in 2027 because they have a five star quarterback (Brady Edmunds) and a five-star wide receiver (Jamier Brown) committed, so they’ll be able to enlist them as peer recruiters. But the work the Buckeyes put in within the next few weeks in the 2027 class could definitely pay off in the long run.

The Buckeyes came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period and forced double overtime against No. 1 seed Michigan State on its home ice, but suffered a 4-3 defeat to the Spartans in the end.

What a battle. Spartans score with 4:51 left in the second overtime for the win.

Next up – NCAA announcement at 3 pm Sunday on ESPNU. pic.twitter.com/lm88wMx8Di

— Ohio State Men’s Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) March 23, 2025

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It appeared as though Michigan State would win comfortably for most of regulation. The Spartans took a 2-0 lead in the first period on power-play goals from Karsen Dorwart and Isaac Howard. Ohio State’s Joe Dunlap cut the lead to one with an even-strength goal late in the first period, but after a scoreless second period, Michigan State took a 3-1 lead in the first minute of the third period on a goal from Tanner Kelly.

In the final eight minutes of regulation, however, Damien Carfagna and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine each scored goals for the Buckeyes to even the score.

We’ve got a one goal game in the third @OhioStateMHKY #B1GHockey on BTN pic.twitter.com/Rc5FqWnQTY

— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) March 23, 2025

WE’RE ALL TIED UP WITH TWO MINUTES TO GO @OhioStateMHKY #B1GHockey on BTN pic.twitter.com/q04xT4PNnK

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 23, 2025

It took more than 35 minutes of overtime for either team to score the game-winning goal as Ohio State’s Logan Terness made 20 saves between the two overtime periods while Michigan State’s Trey Augustine stopped several close chances by the Buckeyes. In the end, however, Howard slipped a shot around Terness with 4:51 remaining in double overtime to score the game-winner for the Spartans.

WHO ELSE BUT ISAAC HOWARD @MSU_Hockey goes back-to-back as #B1GHockey Tournament Champs pic.twitter.com/PNRAETTGuu

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 23, 2025

Despite the loss, Ohio State is still in line to make this year’s NCAA Tournament. They’ll find out their seed on Sunday at 3 p.m., when the 16-team tournament bracket will be announced on ESPNU.