The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers take on the No. 17 South Carolina Gamecocks in an SEC matchup on Wednesday, March 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and the game will air on ESPN2. Tennessee can clinch the outright SEC regular season title with a win this evening.
Tennessee (23-6, 13-3 SEC) is fresh off a big win over the best offense in the country. They defeated Alabama 81-74 on Saturday to extend their winning streak to six games. The Vols are projected to earn a No. 2 seed come March at ESPN, but an SEC title could put them over the top to a No. 1. They rank sixth overall at KenPom and third in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Vols lead the country in opponent shooting percentage, allowing just 38.3% of attempts to find their target. Their offense, led by Dalton Knecht, is nothing to scoff at either — they rank 19th in adjusted efficiency and put up 80.7 points per game (28th in the nation). However, Tennessee fell to South Carolina at home earlier this season, 63-59, as the Gamecocks heated up from the perimeter. Can they reverse the results this time?
South Carolina (24-5, 12-4 SEC) recently grabbed an 82-76 win over Florida. They rank 44th at KenPom, despite their high rank in SEC standings, and hold opponents to 65.6 points per game on average (18th in the nation). While they beat Tennessee from the perimeter earlier this season, they are fairly average in three-point shooting, ranking 162nd in the nation from the outside.
The Gamecocks are expected to get guard Myles Stute back on the court after he missed three games with an injury. The Gamecocks have won three in a row, but can they sustain the same success they found against the Vols in January?
Tennessee vs. South Carolina odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Tennessee -5.5
Total: 140
Moneyline: Tennessee -230, South Carolina +190
Pick: Tennessee -5.5
This Tennessee team is not going to let South Carolina pass them by a second time. The Vols’ defense may have let up a few too many points from the perimeter the last time these two teams met, but the lesson has been learned. Also, South Carolina is not consistent enough at the perimeter to duplicate January’s results. Dalton Knecht will get more help in this one, and the Vols cover on the road.