Earlier in the week, South Carolina nearly stunned the college basketball world by taking No. 2 Alabama to overtime in Columbia.
Facing another top team at No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday, the Gamecocks were unable to repeat the performance.
The Volunteers (21-8, 9-6 SEC) led for the entirety of the contest against Lamont Paris’ South Carolina team, defeating the Gamecocks 85-45 to seal a second blowout win over them this year.
Tennessee is the first SEC team with multiple 40-point wins over the same conference opponent since the 1953-54 season. The Vols also beat South Carolina 85-42 in the second game of SEC play on Jan. 7.
Though South Carolina (10-19, 3-13) has shown growth since that first matchup, the Gamecocks haven’t been able to turn their on-court progress into wins. Just two games remain on the regular season schedule before the SEC tournament begins in Nashville on March 8.
Missed second-chance opportunities
Compared to the first matchup against UT, when the Vols out-rebounded South Carolina 48-21, the Gamecocks held their own on the boards against the Vols on Saturday. The only issue: South Carolina couldn’t turn those second-chance opportunities into points.
The very first possession of the game was a microcosm of that struggle. The Gamecocks won the tip and possessed the ball for more than a minute, with center Josh Gray racking up a whopping four offensive rebounds before Tennessee ever touched the ball. But the Gamecocks missed all six of their field-goal attempts on that possession. Then the Vols got the ball and scored with ease on the other end.
Tennessee narrowly out-rebounded South Carolina for the game, 34-30. Despite 14 offensive rebounds to UT’s 12, South Carolina scored just four second-chance points for the game.
South Carolina's playmakers struggle
Veteran forward Hayden Brown had a strong game for South Carolina, leading the Gamecocks with 18 points, but the rest of the team couldn’t seem to crack Rick Barnes’ vaunted defense.
The Vols entered the game leading the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, and they showed why with a stifling performance, keeping South Carolina's scorers uncomfortable all night long.
South Carolina star freshman GG Jackson didn’t score a field goal until the 6:22 mark of the first half, scoring just five points for the game on 2-of-12 shooting. Point guard Meechie Johnson, another key scorer, didn’t fare much better. Johnson scored just six points and whiffed on all five of his 3-point attempts.
After making 24 3-pointers combined in their last two games, the Gamecocks struggled from beyond the arc as a team, making just four of their 22 3-point attempts and shooting
Injury updates
Both Chico Carter Jr. (knee tendinitis) and Ford Cooper (deep thigh bruise) remained out for the Gamecocks. Carter hasn’t played since Feb. 14 against Vanderbilt, while Cooper last played Jan. 31 against Mississippi State.
Paris said earlier in the week that both players had shown progress and that the team’s medical staff had cleared Carter to play. But Paris added that Carter was still feeling out his knee, and whether or not he plays ultimately will be up to him. Carter has started 25 games for South Carolina this year, and his absence has allowed Jackson to slide back into the starting lineup.
