Tennessee looking to get back on track against a struggling South Carolina team

South Carolina has seen just one win come their way since they last faced the Tennessee Volunteers. Now losers of five straight, the Gamecocks have fallen all the way to 11th in the SEC standings, tied with the likes of Ole Miss and Georgia.

Unfortunately for them, their schedule is brutal this week. South Carolina has to make the trip to Knoxville on Tuesday, then host 10th ranked Auburn on Saturday. After making a run to the final four last year, Frank Martin’s squad will likely be out of the tournament picture this year, barring a run in the SEC Tournament next month.

South Carolina’s streak includes losses to Texas Tech, Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Their last win was against Florida, way back on January 24th.

The Gamecocks haven’t been all that competitive in their last three games, losing by 13 points or more in each contest. That’s a streak that Tennessee would like to continue as they try to bounce back from a brutal performance against Alabama on Saturday.

As you probably remember, it took a 25 point performance from Lamonte Turner for the Vols to prevail over South Carolina in their first meeting this year. It was a game that Tennessee loosely controlled in the second half as they held off a three point barrage late.

Justin Minaya and Wesley Myers brought South Carolina back from the dead late in the second half, nailing three after three. Outside of that, it was a really solid defensive performance from Tennessee. They were helped out by Chris Silva, who was in foul trouble for much of the game.

As noted above, South Carolina has gone downhill from here. Tennessee seems to be catching them at the right time, but you better show up to play every night in the SEC — as we saw on Saturday night.

What do the rankings say?

Kenpom

Tennessee: 11th

South Carolina: 93rd

BPI

Tennessee: 16th

South Carolina: 101st

Vegas Line

Tennessee -12.5

Gameday Information

TV: ESPNU

Tip-off: 8 PM Eastern

Location: Knoxville

Radio: Vol Network

Streaming: Watch ESPN