Preview: No. 22 Tennessee travels to Columbia to face South Carolina

The 22nd ranked Tennessee Volunteers travel to Columbia for an SEC East matchup against South Carolina. Both teams faced off earlier in the season with Tennessee winning at home 66-46.

Tennessee

The Volunteers started their 2022 campaign off hot and currently sit fourth in the SEC rankings. Big wins against No. 18 ranked North Carolina, No. 6 ranked Arizona, and No. 13 ranked LSU have allowed them to propel up into the spotlight.

UT guards Kennedy Chandler and Josiah-Jordan James have been hot as of late, and contributions from graduate student John Fulkerson have also helped spark the offense. The offense has been pretty consistent all season, but its the defensive side of the ball where the Vols are best. Tennessee ranks eight in steals in the NCAA and eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom metrics.

The Vols are coming off a 90-80 win against Texas A&M, and looking to keep adding to the win column.

📊 14 PTS / 8 REB / 5 STL

Jo set the tone. pic.twitter.com/QdI8Bj4LfW

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 3, 2022

South Carolina

South Carolina hasn’t had an amazing 2022 season, but it’s not horrible by any means. Sitting at 13-8 they hold wins against Georgetown and Florida State, but have dropped games to Princeton, Clemson and Coastal Carolina. South Carolina currently find themselves ranked at No. 100 according to KenPom, a 24-spot jump from last year.

Guards Eric Stevenson and James Reese V lead the team averaging 11 and 10 points, respectively, but a few players can’t lead the team to wins alone. A lack of support in scoring has explained why the Gamecocks struggle to find a winning rhythm this season.

South Carolina are just coming off a disappointing loss to Mississippi State in Starkville.

Not our night – big bounce back opportunity Saturday at CLA. #Gamecocks // #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/2kx45bLDA8

— Gamecock Men's Basketball (@GamecockMBB) February 2, 2022

The Preview:

When these two teams last faced off, the Vols held the Gamecocks to a mere 46 points and managed to force 23 turnovers. Even though both teams shot poorly, UT’s win probability never fell below 74% as they dominated the game.

ESPN insider Joe Lunardi has the Vols as a potential six seed, with the Gamecocks far from NCAA tournament consideration. Could this be a chance for South Carolina to make a statement at home, or will Tennessee handle business once again? 

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