Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina basketball's next opponent, the Tennessee Volunteers

South Carolina basketball has just one game left in the regular season. With last place in the SEC locked in for the Gamecocks, the last game is of little overall consequence. However, a win would mark a three-out-of-five stretch for the team. That could spell some momentum heading into the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

Following a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, South Carolina sits at 12-18 for the season and 2-15 in conference play. To move past the 2011-2012 Gamecocks and away from the title of “worst SEC conference record in program history,” USC will need to find a way to pull off a win over a top-5 Tennessee Volunteers team in Knoxville.

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Resume Check: Tennessee Volunteers

Record: 24-6 (12-6 in SEC)
AP Ranking: No. 4
Last Week: Win over Alabama 79-76 in Knoxville, Loss to Ole Miss 78-76 in Oxford
Previous Meeting: South Carolina and Tennessee split two games during 2023-2024 season

Rick Barnes’ Tennessee Volunteers are one of the top teams in the country. The Vols knocked off quality non-conference foes like Louisville, Virginia, Baylor, Syracuse, and Illinois en route to a perfect 13-0 record. With six losses now, they currently sit in fourth place in the SEC. But in what might be the toughest conference in college basketball history, that is an impressive feat.

Tennessee has been ranked as high as No. 1 in the country and currently is 4th in the AP poll. UT has been in the top 12 in the ranking all season long. However, the Vols will enter Saturday’s contest coming off of a loss at Ole Miss.

Heading into this weekend’s showdown with South Carolina, the Tennessee Volunteers are the best defensive team in the SEC. The Vols lead the conference both in points allowed and field goal percentage allowed. Frankly, they lead by wide margins. Rick Barnes’ group owns the best 3-point percentage defense in the league and second-best 2-point percentage defense. Felix Okpara is a legitimate post defender who averages nearly two blocks per game, and Zakai Zeigler is still one of the top perimeter defenders in the SEC.

The Vols’ offensive stats aren’t nearly as impressive. However, some of that is due to a slower pace scheme. Even so, Tennessee ranks just 12th in the SEC in field goal efficiency and ninth from behind the arc. Chaz Lanier leads the team in scoring at over 17 points per game, and he knocks down over 40% of his shots from the perimeter. Zeigler (13.7), sixth man Jordan Gainey (11.0), and forward Igor Milicic (10.2) also average at least 10 points.

Despite their slowed-down style of play, Tennessee ranks in the top half of the SEC in rebounding. Milicic (7.3) and Okpara (6.4) lead the way, but the Vols have seven different players who chip in at least three boards per night.

The Volunteers have been fairly healthy all season, and that appears to be the case right now, too. Coach Barnes only put forward JP Estrella on the SEC-mandated availability report ahead of Tennessee’s game against Ole Miss. The sophomore has missed most of the year, so he should remain out on Saturday, too.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and Tennessee Volunteers will take the floor at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The game will air on SEC Network and stream on the ESPN app.

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