Tennessee @ South Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 11, 2020 ) South Carolina 55, Tennessee 56

South Carolina showed flashes of being a good team with victories over Clemson and Virginia in December and, after a slow start to SEC play, the Gamecocks are soaring entering Saturday’s home matchup with Tennessee. South Carolina smothered Georgia on the road 75-59 on Wednesday as sophomore guard AJ Lawson led four players in double figures with 20 points, and the Gamecocks finished with 10 steals while holding Georgia to 34.6 percent shooting from the field.

“Obviously, the way we started the game defensively was kind of piggybacking the way we played the last game defensively,” South Carolina coach Frank Martin told reporters after the Gamecocks opened the game with a 27-5 spurt, four days after holding Texas A&M to 27.3 percent shooting in a 74-54 victory. The Volunteers have steadied themselves after a three-game losing streak, winning two of their past three games following Tuesday’s 82-61 home triumph over Arkansas. Freshman guard Santiago Vescovi led the way with season highs in points (20) and assists (eight), Tennessee shot 37.5 percent from 3-point range and held Arkansas to 30.6 percent shooting from the field. “From start to finish, we were pretty good on both ends,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes told the media afterward.

TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT TENNESSEE (14-10, 6-5 SEC): Vescovi finished 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range Tuesday, and in 12 games since joining the roster is shooting 38.4 percent from long range. Senior guard Jordan Bowden leads the Volunteers in scoring at 13.2 points – one of five Tennessee players averaging in double figures – and on the road in SEC play is averaging 15.6 points. The Volunteers have averaged 11 turnovers in their past six games after averaging 14.8 turnovers in their first 18 games.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (15-9, 7-4): Lawson is shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3-point range in his past eight games, finishing 7-for-10 overall and 2-for-4 on 3-point attempts Wednesday. Redshirt freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard added 14 points and is averaging 19 points in his past four contests. Across the past six games, the Gamecocks have forced 16 turnovers per game while holding opponents to fewer than 35 percent shooting from the field four times.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Tennessee freshman G Josiah-Jordan James is considered day-to-day after missing the past four games with a groin injury.

2. South Carolina sophomore F Keyshawn Bryant scored 12 points against Georgia after averaging 4.5 points in his previous six games.

3. The Volunteers beat South Carolina 56-55 on Jan. 11, Tennessee’s fifth consecutive victory over the Gamecocks.

PREDICTION: South Carolina 65, Tennessee 61