Expect a low-scoring game when the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-17, 3-11 SEC) head to face the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers (20-8, 9-6 SEC) on Saturday.South Carolina topped the LSU Tigers 82-73 at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday.
Meechie Johnson Jr. was the key player with 20 points and six assists. The Gamecocks are 12th in the Southeastern Conference. Tennessee dropped their last game on Tuesday at Reed Arena, falling to the Texas A&M Aggies 68-63. Santiago Vescovi had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in the loss, leading the team.
The Volunteers are fourth in the Southeastern Conference. This marks the final meeting of the season between the teams. Tennessee will be seeking a season sweep against South Carolina after taking the only earlier matchup 85-42 at Colonial Life Arena on January 7, their fourth straight head-to-head victory.
Olivier Nkamhoua led the Volunteers with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson Jr. had 19 points in the loss. The Gamecocks have been led this season by Gregory Jackson, who is averaging 15.3 points per game. Jackson also has grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, Johnson Jr. is dishing 3.2 assists. Vescovi (11.2 ppg), Zakai Zeigler (10.9), and Nkamhoua (10.6) have been the primary providers for the Volunteers on offense. Zeigler also has tallied 5.3 assists per game. Meanwhile, Jonas Aidoo has averaged 5.0 rebounds per game.
Half-court execution will likely be the difference in this matchup that features two of the NCAA’s slowest-paced teams, as the Gamecocks are 299th in possessions per game while the Volunteers are 292nd.The Gamecocks are only 2-7 in their last 10 visits to Thompson-Boling Arena.
South Carolina is 2-8 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -7.6 (66.0-73.6). Tennessee has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 66.4 points per game on average while holding opponents to 62.3 (+4.1 margin). The Volunteers are averaging 71.4 ppg for the full season while allowing 57.1.
GAMECOCKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Josh Gray: 18.6 | 10.5 | +8.1
Chico Carter Jr.: 7.8 | 12.1 | -4.3
Points per game:
Meechie Johnson Jr.: 16.2 | 11.8 | +4.4
Chico Carter Jr.: 4.8 | 9.0 | -4.2
Rebounds per game:
Josh Gray: 10.6 | 5.9 | +4.7
Gregory Jackson: 3.8 | 6.1 | -2.3
Assists per game:
Meechie Johnson Jr.: 4.2 | 3.2 | +1.0
VOLUNTEERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Julian Phillips: 4.4 | 13.8 | -9.4
Points per game:
Santiago Vescovi: 15.2 | 11.2 | +4.0
Julian Phillips: 2.8 | 8.1 | -5.3
Rebounds per game:
Julian Phillips: 1.2 | 4.3 | -3.1
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Tennessee -21.5 (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
