South Carolina Preview

Tennessee has certainly been in a skid as of late. They will look to get a win on Saturday as they take on the Gamecocks in Thompson-Boling Arena.

The No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers (20-8, 9-6 SEC) have their second-to-last home matchup on Saturday as they take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-18, 3-12 SEC) in Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tennessee is coming off a loss on Tuesday to a hot Texas A&M team, as the Gamecocks are coming off a close loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in overtime on Wednesday. 

It has been a rocky road for South Carolina this season. However, the team has been playing better, with two of their three SEC wins coming against LSU and Ole Miss in their last five games. 

USC was not ready for the Volunteers last time they met in Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 7. The Vols came out on top, winning 85-42. One player who exploded that game was Volunteer big man Olivier Nkamhoua. He was a perfect 10-10 (100%) from the field with 21 points and had ten rebounds to get his 3rd double-double in a Tennessee uniform.

The tale of the tape was simple. The Vols shot extremely well as a team (51.5%), and South Carolina did not (25.0%). They also shoot way better from three as a team than the Gamecocks (45.5% versus 15.4%). 

The dominance statistically does not stop there. Tennessee also heavily outrebounded USC on their home floor (48 versus 21). South Carolina also never lead this game. 

South Carolina's best player this year has undoubtedly been Gregory Jackson II. The 6-foot-9-inch freshman from Columbia, S.C., has averaged 15.5 points and 6 rebounds a game. However, he had no points and was a none factor back on Jan. 7. He had 20 and 19, respectively, in a win against LSU last Saturday and the OT loss to Alabama on Wednesday. The Vols will once again need to keep an eye on him. 

Meechie Johnson had a great game against the Vols in January. He finished with 19 points and added two steals to his box score. He is second on the Gamecocks in points per game (13.0). 

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