The Tennessee Volunteers and South Carolina Gamecocks will face off in Colonial Life Arena on Saturday evening as both teams look for another much needed conference win.
Both teams have started the conference season with a 3-3 record and will look to separate themselves from the middle of the pack with a win in this contest.
Tennessee has won three of its last four games which includes a 76-65 win over Kentucky. Although the Vols failed to win at Missouri, Rick Barnes’ team showed heart and grit to take the game to the wire in Columbia.
South Carolina has won two consecutive contests and have also recently defeated a ranked Kentucky team. Despite the slow start to conference play, the Gamecocks still has all to play for during the remainder of the season.
Tennessee will want to win this game to bolster their tournament resume; however, I see this game being more important for South Carolina in the long run.
After a less-than-stellar non-conference performance, the Gamecocks are in need of quality wins like the one they could get here against the Vols.
Players to Watch
Grant Williams (Tennessee)
Williams leads Tennessee in both scoring and rebounding. The 6’8 forward out of North Carolina has been a load inside all season long and will look to continue his run of form against the Gamecocks.
Williams will go head to head against Chris Silva on Saturday night which will make for an interesting match-up.
Although Williams is effective against many different types of post players, Silva’s strength and defense-first mentality will challenge Williams.
This match-up is likely to be a decisive factor in the game and should be fun to watch.
Frank Booker (South Carolina)
When Booker plays well, South Carolina wins games.
There is no better evidence of that than Tuesday night’s victory over Kentucky.
Booker scored 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting and also recorded three steals and one assist in 29 minutes of action against the Wildcats. The 6’3 senior made key shots down the stretch which allowed Carolina to come out on top.
If Booker can get involved early and limit Tennessee’s guards, look for Frank Martin’s squad to take this one down to the wire.
How Tennessee Can Win
Just play Tennessee basketball.
All season long we have seen intense defense and a methodical halfcourt offense from the Volunteers. Nothing more than that will be needed to win this game.
The Vols will want to have Williams established on the inside and will look to get key contributions from Admiral Schofield and UT’s outstanding trio of guards (Bowden, Turner, Bone).
Although the likes of Booker and Hassani Gravett can compete with Tennessee, they simply won’t have enough for the Gamecocks if the Vol guards get rolling as a whole.
How South Carolina Can Win
First things first: the ball has to go through Silva.
Silva is leading South Carolina in scoring and rebounding and has been a menacing presence inside dating all the way back to late last season.
If the Gamecocks are going to have a chance in this one, Silva will need to be engaged from the get-go.
Next, as mentioned above, Booker will need to play a key role in this game.
Silva and Booker are the only players averaging double-figures in scoring for the Gamecocks. When one of them doesn’t contribute, the Carolina offense often finds itself lacking in creativity.
Lastly, I’ll say that a third contributor would go a long way for South Carolina.
If someone like Maik Kotsar, Hassani Gravett, or Justin Minaya can step up in this game, the Gamecocks chances of willing will increase exponentially.