South Carolina falls to Tennessee in battle for first place in SEC

On a night where there was so much hope and optimism in the air, South Carolina couldn’t get the same results as it did the first time around in this matchup.

In a battle for first place in the SEC, the No. 17 Gamecocks fell to No. 4 Tennessee, losing 66-59 on Wednesday night.

With the loss, this puts the Gamecocks in a weird spot. Although this game was a fight for first place, they now could drop to fifth in the standings if Kentucky beats Vanderbilt this evening. As for the Volunteers, they have now clinched the SEC regular season title.

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How it happened

South Carolina (24-6, 12-5 SEC) didn’t get off to an ideal start, missing a handful of shots in the early going. Despite this, Tennessee only led by as much as five points nearing the halfway point.

And right on cue, the Gamecocks fought back to tie the game on two separate occasions and seemed to be on the right track. But one of the main issues was the Volunteers’ effective shooting. They finished shooting 41.9 percent from the field in the first half. Plus, they went 5-for-11 from three-point range.

With just under four minutes to go, South Carolina cut the deficit down to two points after returnee Myles Stute sank a three-pointer. However, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht continued to show why he is one of the top players in the country, hitting multiple contested shots.

By halftime, Knecht was already up to 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four made threes. He was playing far more effectively than he was in the first matchup between these two teams.

South Carolina did have its chances to cut back into the lead and make a run. But made shots were hard to come by, especially from the outside. The Gamecocks were 4-of-17 from three in the first half and shot 32.3 percent from the field.

Because of this, the Volunteers held a commanding 35-24 lead at the break.

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It took about six minutes into the second half, but South Carolina managed to get the game back down to a single-digit deficit with another three from Stute. Things continued to progress as the Gamecocks went on a 6-0 run while Tennessee was held scoreless for more than three minutes.

After the Volunteers went to the line and hit a pair of foul shots, Knecht hit a corner three while being fouled. In a matter of minutes, it was back to a double-digit deficit.

As the minutes ticked down, Tennessee still held a convincing lead. Anytime South Carolina tried to cut back in, the Volunteers responded with a good run of their own to stay ahead.

In a last ditch effort, the Gamecocks finally started to knock down some threes, something that had been a struggle for most of the game. With just under a minute to go, they got it down to a three-point game.

After a missed free throw, Ta’Lon Cooper tried to draw a foul on a three-point shot but to no avail. Instead, the Gamecocks had to foul and sent Tennessee to the line. This play ended any chance of making the game close again.

RELATED: South Carolina-Tennessee Box Score

Two observations

Knecht is unreal—There’s no doubt he will be a future NBA lottery draft pick. He’s just one of those players that is really tough to guard, no matter what you do defensively. The 6-foot-6 guard finished with 26 points on 9-of-23 shooting. It wasn’t his best night but still made a big difference in the game.

This loss isn’t the end of the world—Probably the last thing anyone wants to hear right now. But this loss isn’t a season killer for the Gamecocks. While they would’ve loved to win the SEC regular season title, this is still a very good team with a legit shot to make a run in March. Plenty of ball still to play moving forward.

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Key stat

28.6 percent—It’s the main storyline of the night. South Carolina shot 28.6 percent from three-point range and only towards the end of the night did the threes finally start to come in in bunches.

Turning point

Again, it was a rough night for South Carolina from deep. The Gamecocks finished 8-for-28 from three-point range, which hurt their chances. They started shooting better towards the end of the game. But one can imagine what this score ends up being if they had shot more consistently.

Up next

South Carolina will head into its regular season finale in another must-win scenario. The Gamecocks will travel to Mississippi State (19-10, 8-8 SEC) on Saturday. Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

If the Gamecocks want to earn a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament, they will need to win on Saturday. But they will also need one of Alabama, Kentucky, Auburn, or Florida lose.

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