South Carolina-Tennessee men’s basketball: How to watch, what to watch for
Who: South Carolina (13-12, 4-8 SEC) at Tennessee (18-6, 8-4)
When: 9 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Thompson–Boling Arena
KenPom prediction: Tennessee 74, South Carolina 61
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 107.5 The Game
Series: Tennessee leads, 43-27
Last meeting: Jan. 20, 2018 – Tennessee won, 70-63
Streak: South Carolina’s won three of past four meetings
TENNESSEE
Coach: Rick Barnes (654-355 in 31 seasons overall; third season at Tennessee – 49-41). Barnes is 2-3 against South Carolina.
Projected starters: G Jordan Bone (7.2 ppg); G Jordan Bowden (9.7); F Admiral Schofield (12.3); F Grant Williams (15.9); F Kyle Alexander (6.0)
RPI: 13
KenPom: 12
Last game: Lost to Alabama 78-50 on Saturday in Tuscaloosa
Notes: The Alabama loss snapped Tennessee’s six-game winning streak. The Volunteers on Sunday debuted as a No. 4 seed in the selection committee’s initial NCAA Tournament rankings. … Tennessee is one of two SEC teams to be ranked among the nation’s top 40 in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive and offensive efficiency ratings. The Vols came in at No. 5 in defense and No. 37 in offense. … Tennessee has won its past five home games by an average of 17 points.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Coach: Frank Martin (226-140 in 11 seasons overall; sixth season at USC — 109-86). Martin is 4-6 against Tennessee.
Projected starters: G Hassani Gravett (7.0); G Evan Hinson (3.1); G Justin Minaya (8.5); F Chris Silva (14.3); F Maik Kotsar (8.0)
RPI: 80
KenPom: 92
Last game: Lost to Florida 65-41 on Saturday in Columbia
Notes: The Gamecocks are seeking to avoid their first six-game losing streak since January 2014. … After getting 10 of its shots blocked Saturday against Florida, USC dropped to last in the country in opponent block shot rate. Opponents have swatted 15.3 percent of Carolina’s 2-point attempts this season. … USC is last in the SEC in field goal percentage and second to last in scoring offense and assist-to-turnover ratio.
STORYLINES
1. In search of offense
The Gamecocks are coming off their lowest scoring effort in five years. They’re averaging 55.3 points over their last three games.
Tennessee, second in the SEC in scoring defense, held USC to 36.7 percent shooting on Jan. 20.
“I think we got to just execute, really,” Minaya said Monday. “Right now we’re really not executing what coach Martin and our offense really runs. We got to make shots, too. When guys get a chance to make shots, we got to knock them down.”
2. Containing Turner
Lamonte Turner came off the bench Jan. 20 to score a game-high 25 points against the Gamecocks.
His jumper with 4:22 to go broke a 59-all tie, and Tennessee never trailed. Turner’s impressive performance was just one of several this season by an opposing point guard. That position plagued USC on Saturday as Florida’s Chris Chiozza (12 points, seven rebounds, three assists) out-played both Hassani Gravett (two points, two assists) and Wes Myers (scoreless in 20 minutes).
3. Silva vs. Williams
Silva, again plagued by foul trouble, was a nonfactor against the Volunteers in the first matchup. The 6-foot-9 forward was held to six points and five rebounds in 25 minutes. With UT up two with 2:32 to play, Silva missed consecutive free throws.
Williams, Silva’s 6-7 counterpart, had 14 points. He’s ninth in the SEC in scoring, 15th in rebounds and sixth in field goal percentage.
This story was originally published February 12, 2018 at 5:07 PM with the headline "South Carolina-Tennessee men’s basketball: How to watch, what to watch for."