GoGamecocks.com
Morris: Vols prove good to the last dunk
Tennessee's J.P. Prince dunks one over USC's Sam Muldrow during their game Thursday.
Gerry Melendez/gmelendez@thestate.com
Posted on 03.06.09
Comments
PHOTO GALLERY: USC vs. Tennessee
SOMETIMES THE BEST team just wins.
Such was the case Thursday night at Colonial Life Arena. Tennessee proved to be the best team in the Southeastern Conference East Division, clinching a tie for the title with an 86-70 whipping of South Carolina.
Tennessee dominated USC in every phase of the game. The Volunteers collected twice as many rebounds as USC. They shot the basketball better than USC. And here is the real kick to the USC stomach — they played better defense.
Before finding fault with USC and any of its players, the nod should go to Tennessee. This club is long, athletic and talented. One of the great mysteries of the SEC season is how Tennessee was blown out twice by Kentucky and another time by Mississippi.
The Tennessee team that played Thursday was the one many envisioned in the pre-season when the Volunteers were nationally ranked and considered the best team in the SEC.
“That was as good a game as we’ve played all year,” Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said.
Unfortunately for USC, it was its poorest performance of the season, at least on the defensive end of the court. This is a USC team whose staple from day one has been its tenacious and harassing defense.
USC played its way into Thursday’s championship-deciding contest because of its defense. Yet on the biggest night of the season, USC seemed to lack aggressiveness.
USC’s inability to defend Tennessee led to poor rebounding and ultimately carried over to the offensive end, where it never seemed to find a groove.
“I thought the tone for the game was set in the first half when both teams were scoring too easy,” USC coach Darrin Horn said. “We were not what we needed to be defensively, and then did not do the job on the glass and gave up too many easy ones defensively.”
The game’s official statistics do not track dunks, but Tennessee could easily have filled a night’s worth of top 10 plays on ESPN. Even when USC swatted a shot from the basket, the Volunteers seemed to grab the carom and go right back up for an easy two points.
Tennessee shot 54.7 percent from the field, a percentage that could have been much higher save for a host of point-black misses. Tennessee managed 17 second-chance points.
USC could not stop Tennessee from scoring. Perhaps as a desperation move, USC switched to a zone defense midway through the second half. Tennessee quickly shredded that, too, outscoring USC 8-3 before the Gamecocks reverted to man-to-man defense.
Nevertheless, the sellout crowd of 18,000 had to tip its collective hat to Tennessee in a game that had all the trademarks of a championship showdown, including the bright lights of a national television audience with commentator Bob Knight sitting sideline.
The USC student section arrived and was in full voice 90 minutes before tipoff. It was as strong a following and as consistently loud as probably any time in Colonial Life Arena’s history.
Prior to the game, Pearl pulled Horn aside and told him, “Regardless of what happens, you’ve done a phenomenal job.” Even afterward, Pearl was complimentary of Horn, the USC team and its fans.
“How exciting is it for the South Carolina fans to host a game like this?” Pearl said. “How exciting is it for the South Carolina program to sell out a game on ESPN and have coach Knight here and to play for a championship?”
Perhaps that is what should not be lost on the night. USC was in position to play for an SEC division title for the first time in more than a decade. It happened to run into the most talented team in the league that is playing its best basketball of the season.
“I think it’s disappointing, but I think deflating is a strong word,” Horn said. “Did you guys think we’d be sitting in this spot when we started the year?”
No one did. Nor did anyone believe USC would carry a 20-8 record into the regular season’s final weekend with an NCAA tournament berth in the works. So, USC has no time to lick its wounds as it looks to Saturday’s game at Georgia.
There is no reason to look back, really. It is easier to accept defeat when you lose to a better team.
Listen to Morris Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. on ESPN Radio 93.1 FM
Most Viewed Stories
- Gamecocks receive an urgent message
- Shorthanded to start: 5 questions facing USC baseball
- North Carolina Receiver Holds USC Offer
- Men's pregame: Gamecocks vs. Gators
- USC Interested In Union County Lineman
- Downey injures ankle but expects to play
- USC recruit could be removed from high school
- USC Taking Look At Florida Lineman
- SEC basketball: Midseason report
- Downey held out of practice
@Nyx.CommentBody@