The South Carolina Gamecocks (7-7, 0-1 SEC) will try to overcome one of the NCAA’s top scoring defenses when they host the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (12-2, 2-0 SEC) on Saturday.
Tennessee blew out the Mississippi State Bulldogs 87-53 at Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday, their third straight win. Santiago Vescovi was the top scorer with 14 points. Zakai Zeigler chipped in with 11 points and 10 assists. The Volunteers slipped to second in the Southeastern Conference.
South Carolina dropped their last game on Tuesday at Memorial Gym, falling to the Vanderbilt Commodores 84-79. Chico Carter Jr. had 24 points and six rebounds in the losing effort, carrying the team.The teams are meeting for the only time this season.
Tennessee won both games between the teams last season, the last of which was an 81-57 triumph at Colonial Life Arena in February 2022, their third straight head-to-head victory. Josiah-Jordan James led the Volunteers with 20 points, six rebounds, and three blocks. Erik Stevenson had 13 points in the loss.
Olivier Nkamhoua (11.4 ppg), Vescovi (11.0), and Zeigler (10.7) have led the Volunteers in scoring this season. Zeigler also has dished 3.8 assists per game. Meanwhile, Julian Phillips is grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game.
Gregory Jackson has supplied much of the Gamecocks’ offense, averaging 16.9 points per game. Jackson also has pulled down 7.5 rebounds per game. Meechie Johnson Jr. has tallied 3.1 assists per game.
The Volunteers are holding opponents to 53.2 points per game, ranking as one of the stingiest scoring defenses in the country (3rd). The Volunteers are 7-3 in the last 10 trips to Colonial Life Arena.
Tennessee is 9-1 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +22.4 (75.3-52.9). South Carolina has split the last 10 (5-5), allowing 69.3 points per game on average while scoring only 66.9 (-2.4 margin).
VOLUNTEERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Santiago Vescovi: 14.0 | 11.0 | +3.0
Julian Phillips: 6.4 | 10.1 | -3.7
GAMECOCKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Meechie Johnson Jr.: 24.6 | 16.8 | +7.8
Points per game:
Meechie Johnson Jr.: 15.8 | 9.9 | +5.9
Jacobi Wright: 3.6 | 6.0 | -2.4
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Tennessee -17.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
