South Carolina-Tennessee basketball: How to watch, what to watch for
No. 21 Tennessee (12-5, 3-3 SEC) at South Carolina (12-6, 3-3)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Colonial Life Arena
KenPom prediction: Tennessee 71, South Carolina 67
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 107.5 The Game in Columbia area
Series: Tennessee leads, 42-27
Streak: South Carolina’s won three straight
Last meeting: Feb. 25, 2017 – South Carolina won 82-55 in Columbia
TENNESSEE
Coach: Rick Barnes (647-354 in 31 seasons overall; Third season at Tennessee – 43-40). Barnes is 1-3 against South Carolina
Projected starters: G Jordan Bone (8.5 ppg), G Jordan Bowden (10.4), F Admiral Schofield (13.2), F Grant Williams (16.6), F Kyle Alexander (6.2)
RPI: 14
KenPom: 14
Last game: Lost to Missouri 59-55 on Wednesday in Columbia, Missouri
Notes: Williams, a 6-foot-7, 241-pound sophomore, is the reigning SEC Player of the Week. He averaged 23 points and six rebounds as the Volunteers beat Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. Williams averaged 11.5 points and seven rebounds in two matchups with the Gamecocks last season. … Tennessee is the only SEC to be ranked among Ken Pomeroy’s top 25 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency ratings. . … A win Saturday would give the Vols four true road wins, matching their total from last season.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Coach: Frank Martin (225-134 in 11 seasons overall; Sixth season at USC — 108-80). Martin is 4-5 against Tennessee.
Projected starters: G Wes Myers (6.9); G Evan Hinson (3.4); F Justin Minaya (7.9); F Chris Silva (14.9); F Maik Kotsar (8.6)
RPI: 49
KenPom: 71
Last game: Beat Kentucky 76-68 on Tuesday in Columbia
Notes: After 27 against Kentucky, Silva has scored 20-plus points three times in six games. The junior entered this season never having a game with over 17 points. ... USC, averaging 25.5 a game, is second in the SEC and 17th nationally in free throw attempts. Over 24 percent of USC’s points are coming from FTs. That’s the sixth-most in the country. … Frank Booker, Carolina’s leading 3-point shooter, has made three 2-point shots in each of the past two games. His season-high for 2s in a game is four (against Coastal Carolina on Dec. 9).
STORYLINES
1. Major Opportunity, Part II
This is No. 2 of a four-part series for the Gamecocks. Beating Kentucky (RPI 12) was a major step, but can they top the Volunteers (14) and grab back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time since November 2016?
After Saturday, USC travels to Florida (36) on Wednesday and hosts Texas Tech (16) next Saturday. The Gamecocks finished the 2016-17 regular season with just two wins over teams in the top 40 of the RPI. The 2017-18 Gamecocks could double that by the end of next week.
2. Change in experience
After beating a Kentucky team that started five freshmen, South Carolina will face a significantly different Tennessee lineup.
Alexander, Williams, Bone and Bowden started for the Volunteers last season in their first matchup with the Gamecocks. Only one Vol freshman (John Fulkerson) is logging more than seven minutes a game.
“Arguably the most experienced team in the SEC,” Martin said Thursday during his “Carolina Calls” radio show.
3. Gamecocks vs. Gamecocks?
South Carolina and Tennessee are two of three SEC teams ranked among Ken Pomeroy’s top 17 for adjusted defensive efficiency. The Gamecocks are allowing 93.2 points per 100 possessions. The Volunteers are allowing 93.5 points per 100 possessions.
“Rick Barnes is on the record saying that he wants his team to play like South Carolina,” Martin said. “That he wants to deny, he wants to ball pressure and that’s how they play and that’s what makes them good. They’re old, they’re strong and they’re athletic.
“That’s that toughness that they play with.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 12:54 PM with the headline "South Carolina-Tennessee basketball: How to watch, what to watch for."