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Vols Look for Second SEC Win as South Carolina Comes to Knoxville

The Vols will look to win their second consecutive SEC game when South Carolina comes to town on Saturday.
Credit: AP
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes directs his players from the bench during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Cincinnati, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee will be looking to win their second consecutive conference game when South Carolina comes to Knoxville on Saturday. Campus has been buzzing with excitement this week after freshman guard Santiago Vescovi exploded onto the scene as conference play began nearly a week ago. The Vols lost their SEC opener to LSU, but a win over Missouri on Tuesday showed signs of positivity for the Vols.

Coach Frank Martin will bring his South Carolina team into Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday after having lost their SEC opener to Florida earlier in the week.

After winning four of their first five games, South Carolina has been wildly inconsistent. The Gamecocks have clearly been struggling, winning only four games since November 22. However, in that stretch they managed to go on the road and deliver reigning national champion Virginia their second loss of the season. The very next time South Carolina played, they were defeated on their home floor by a Stetson team that has won just two other road games this season.

The Vols clearly have an opportunity to keep things rolling in the right direction with a win this weekend. However, the intensity of the game may end up depending on which version of South Carolina shows up in Knoxville. The Gamecocks have found a way to be tough on the road at times this season, as they lead the SEC in road wins with three.

STATS TO KNOW:

-Newcomer Santiago Vescovi is averaging 15 points per game to lead the Vols, while the Gamecocks are lead by AJ Lawson who is averaging 15.2 points per game.

-Tennessee has won its last four games against South Carolina.

-From a shooting percentage standpoint, these two teams are about as evenly matched as they could get. Tennessee and South Carolina are both shooting 43% from the field offensively. Defensively, both teams are allowing opponents to shoot 39% from the field.

-One advantage the Vols have statistically on the season, is their ability to make free throws. Tennessee is shooting 73.5%, while South Carolina is shooting just 61.5% from the free throw line. The ability to get to the line and knock down shots could be a major story in Saturday's match up. In the Vols' loss against LSU, Tennessee shot just five free throws for the game. In their win against Missouri however, the Vols shot 16 times from the line.

Saturday's game is set to tip off at 1:00 PM.

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