No. 4 Tennessee has a chance to clinch at least a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season title when it tips off against No. 17 South Carolina on Wednesday evening in Columbia, S.C.
The Volunteers (23-6, 13-3 SEC) entered the week with a one-game lead over the Gamecocks (24-5, 12-4) and No. 16 Alabama (20-9, 12-4) in the league standings.
Tennessee last earned a share of the SEC regular-season title during the 2017-18 campaign, when it finished tied for first with Auburn.
Volunteers coach Rick Barnes said he is not taking anything for granted. Following the game at South Carolina, Tennessee will finish its regular season at home against No. 15 Kentucky on Saturday. Two wins would give the Volunteers their first outright SEC regular-season crown since 2007-08.
“I’ve said many times that I think this league is the best it’s ever been in the nine years that I’ve been in it,” Barnes said. “And I don’t know if anybody has had a tougher closing schedule than we’ve had, where — it is what it is. That’s the way it worked out, but we have another week to go against two ranked teams.
“I think every team we’ve closed with (has) been ranked. Every team we play from here on out is going to be an NCAA team and a team that can play deep into March.”
That includes South Carolina, which is riding a three-game winning streak after victories over Ole Miss, Texas A&M and then-No. 24 Florida. The Gamecocks have won 10 of their past 12 games and are seeking at least a share of the SEC regular-season title for the first time since 1997-98, when they won the outright crown.
South Carolina coach Lamont Paris believes his players have earned all of their success. Before the season, the media poll projected the Gamecocks to finish last in the conference.
“We kept saying, as you stack these things together, ultimately there will be a bigger prize, and the immediate bigger prize was an invitation to the NCAA Tournament,” Paris said. “That was the short-term, long-term prize. And having continued to do things, … the other one now is that you’re looking in the face of a potential SEC regular-season championship.”
The Gamecocks will try to find a way to slow Dalton Knecht, who leads Tennessee with 20.6 points per game and is shooting 40.2 percent from 3-point range. Jonas Aidoo (12.1 points per game) and Zakai Zeigler (11.4) also are scoring in double digits for the Volunteers.
South Carolina is led by Meechie Johnson, who is averaging 14.2 points per game. Teammate B.J. Mack is putting up 13.2 points per contest.
Tennessee hopes to avenge a home-court loss against South Carolina in the teams’ first matchup of the season Jan. 30. The Gamecocks held on for a 63-59 win thanks in part to a great performance from Ta’Lon Cooper, who finished with 18 points and made a decisive 3-pointer in the final minute.
Knecht led Tennessee with 31 points on 11-for-24 shooting in the first game against South Carolina.
–Field Level Media
