The Southeastern’s top team will be on the road when the No. 24 South Carolina Gamecocks (17-1) head to Thompson-Boling Arena to play the Tennessee Volunteers (9-9). Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and can be seen on SEC and ES3.
The Volunteers are hoping to rebound after their 88-74 loss to Vanderbilt on Wednesday. Kevin Punter was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, are coming off a 77-74 win against Ole Miss on Tuesday. Laimonas Chatkevicius claimed his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
South Carolina may control the offensive boards in this matchup, as they place 14th in the nation in OR% at 38.9%. On the other hand, Tennessee ranks 326th in the nation on the defensive glass with a DR% of 65.8%.
The odds for Tennessee and South Carolina are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 155 points. The Volunteers have gone 9-9 Straight Up (SU) and 9-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Volunteers, ranking 23rd in the country in blocks per game with 5.4.
As for their opponent, the Gamecocks have 17-1 SU and 12-3 ATS records. South Carolina performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-2 record. The Gamecocks get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking 11th in the nation with 361 made (20.0 per game). The Gamecocks have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 14.1 offensive rebounds per game, 18th in the country. The South Carolina defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .386 shooting from the field to its opponents.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. South Carolina won the last game in the matchup, but the win was not enough to overtake Tennessee in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 1-9 SU over the most recent meetings. Furthermore, Tennessee holds the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. Tennessee held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, South Carolina never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – SC, ATS Winner – SC, O/U – Over
Notes
Tennessee is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tennessee’s last 6 games.
Tennessee is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
Tennessee is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home.
Tennessee is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tennessee’s last 5 games when playing South Carolina.
Tennessee is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against South Carolina.
South Carolina holds a 4-1 SU record against the Southeastern Conference this season, while Tennessee has a subpar 2-4 SU record against the conference.
South Carolina averages 78.4 points per game (ranked 74th). Tennessee, on the other hand, allows 77.0 points per game (ranked 286th).
In its last game, South Carolina won by a margin of three points. Tennessee is 0-2 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. South Carolina has a 1-0 record in close games.
On average, Tennessee has 72.7 possessions per game and scores 1.091 points on each possession. South Carolina has both fewer possessions (72.3) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.084).
Tennessee has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.0%. South Carolina is an outstanding 6-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Tennessee attempts an average of 21.0 three pointers per game and South Carolina attempts 17.0 on average. When the teams attempt at least 20 three pointers, the Tennessee Volunteers have a losing 5-8 record while the South Carolina Gamecocks are undefeated with a 6-0 record.
Tennessee, the 23rd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.4 per game. South Carolina ranks 73rd with 4.5.
Tennessee ranks 86th in offensive rebounding. When it comes to defensive rebounds, South Carolina ranks 38th.
The Tennessee Volunteers make an average of 5.5 steals per game. When the South Carolina Gamecocks allow 5 or more steals, they are a dazzling 11-1.
