Trends Of The Game: South Carolina at No. 5 Tennessee

South Carolina's men's basketball team continues to impose it's will on the 'more talented' teams in SEC play.

It might not be the flashiest or sexiest brand of basketball for opposing fans to watch, but Lamont Paris and the South Carolina Gamecocks are perfectly content with their play style. Their consistency in terms of playing half-court basketball, making smart decisions on offense, and closing their opponent's airspace on defense is what largely led to their upset of No. 6 Kentucky last week.

How much did those tendencies carry over into tonight's win over No. 5 Tennessee?

Make 'Em Earn It

Coming into tonight, the Gamecocks were facing their most formidable challenge since squaring off against Alabama's Mark Sears in Volunteer guard Dalton Knecht. While the fifth-year player and Colorado native scored 31 points, he shot 6 of 18 or 33.3 percent from the field in the first 37 minutes and 5 seconds of action.

Also, besides Knecht, nobody else seriously threatened the Gamecocks on the defensive end, as the rest of Tennessee's squad shot 29.4 percent from the field. It was mentioned on the television broadcast that the Volunteers looked worn down, and considering what South Carolina has done this year, that shouldn't be viewed as a mere coincidence.

Valuable Bench Contributions

This year, South Carolina still doesn't have a high quantity of shot creators, but they have multiple guys who are either fifth-year seniors or have played in Lamont's system for at least two-thirds of a season whom they can rely on.

Myles Stute came back from injury tonight and gave this team 13 points. Josh Gray came in and was a physically imposing force on the interior defensively. Morris Ugusuk continues to gain confidence on offense and made several hustle plays on defense that shouldn't go unnoticed. Carolina might not have a Dalton Knecht, but they have a bunch of fighters who find a way to make a play when needed.

Clutch Free Throws

It's an area of the game that's gotten less attention as the years go by but remains a vital part of close games like this one. South Carolina went to the free throw line for 18 shots and made 15 of them (83.3 percent). This included four makes from Myles Stute in the final 23 seconds of the game.

After his second-to-last make at the charity stripe, Stute put a finger to his lips, letting the Volunteer crowd know that he didn't plan on missing his final free throw. It's symbolic of what the Gamecocks have done lately: silence the haters.

You Might Also Like:

• Gamecocks Continue to Climb in Updated NCAA Bracket Projections
• Lamont Paris Talks Upcoming Showdown With No. 5 Tennessee, Dalton Knecht
  
• Game Balls: South Carolina Vs. Missouri

Join the community:

• Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC
• Follow Joseph Griffin on Twitter: @JosephGriffinJG
• Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest and our page on Facebook!