It was a contest many thought Tennessee couldn’t win.
In the midst of a five-game losing streak and the memory of the 18-point defeat the Volunteers suffered at the hands of LSU in their first matchup, there was not much hope surrounding the program before its trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Vols apparently missed the memo and ultimately returned the favor with a 15-point victory inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
But Tennessee head coach Donnie Tyndall is not letting the victory against the NCAA tournament-hopeful Tigers change the perception of his team.
“We understand the circumstances we have,” said the first-year head coach after Wednesday’s victory over LSU. “I have said this, and I mean it: I would not trade my team for any team in the league because of how coachable they are and how hard they work. We understand we have some deficiencies, and we will grow our program as we move forward, but our team has competed.
“We played 29 games now, and we have competed for 28 and a half of those games. Sometimes the ball goes in and sometimes it does not … It is just another game in regard to getting better and improving, and hopefully we will continue on into Saturday against South Carolina.”
Those Gamecocks will be looking to play spoiler on an emotional night inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
Four Vols — Josh Richardson, Galen Campbell, Brandon Lopez and Ian Chiles — will play their final regular-season home games on Saturday.
Tennessee currently holds a 15-game winning streak against South Carolina, and a 16th straight win will ensure that the Vols stay out of the bottom four spots of the SEC, securing a first round bye in the SEC tournament.
Tipoff between the Vols and Gamecocks is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST and can be streamed on FOX Sports Net.
UT legends to be honored: Bernard King and Johnny Darden will be recognized at halftime on Saturday during the Vols’ home finale against the Gamecocks.
King is Tennessee’s lone representative in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Saturday will mark his first official on-campus recognition since his 2013 Hall of Fame induction.
Darden is UT’s all-time leader in assists at 715 and will represent Tennessee at the SEC Tournament in Nashville as the school’s 2015 SEC Basketball Legend.
Both were members of the 1977 SEC Championship team, while Darden also helped the Vols claim the 1979 SEC Championship.
Courtside View Stats
Tennessee
Scoring offense: 63.3
Scoring defense: 63.9
field goal %: .432
3-point %: .333
Rebound Margin: +1.2
Assists per game: 11
Blocks per game: 3.6
Steals per game: 7.8
turnover margin: 1.8
South Carolina
Scoring offense: 65.2
Scoring defense: 61.9
Field Goal %: .401
3-point %: .290
Rebounding margin: +3.7
Assists per game: 13.3
Blocks per game: 4.3
Steals per game: 6.3
turnover margin: +.9
Players to Watch
Duane Notice
ppg: 11.3
rebounds: 2.8
apg: 2.7
FG%: .372
Sindari Thornwell
ppg: 11
rgp: 5
apg: 2
FG%: .333
Tyrone Johnson
ppg: 9.9
rpg: 2.7
apg: 3.4
FG%: .375
