South Carolina (5-9, 3-7) vs. No. 19 Tennessee (14-5, 7-5)
Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee; Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 19 Tennessee looks for its fourth straight win over South Carolina at Thompson-Boling Arena. The last victory for the Gamecocks at Tennessee was a 70-60 win on Jan. 11, 2017.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: AJ Lawson is averaging 17.9 points and 4.4 rebounds to lead the charge for the Gamecocks. Keyshawn Bryant is also a big contributor, producing 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. The Volunteers have been led by Josiah-Jordan James, who is averaging 8.9 points and six rebounds.
TAKE IT UP A NOTCH: The Gamecocks have scored 66.3 points per game against conference opponents so far, an improvement from the 69 per game they managed in non-conference play.ACCURATE AJ: Lawson has connected on 36.2 percent of the 116 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 11 of 33 over the last three games. He’s also made 66.7 percent of his foul shots this season.
SLIPPING AT 75: South Carolina is 0-9 when it allows at least 75 points and 5-0 when it holds opponents to less than 75.
WINNING WHEN: The Volunteers are 10-0 when they record seven or more steals and 4-5 when they fall shy of that mark. The Gamecocks are 5-0 when they hold opponents to 71 points or fewer and 0-9 when opponents exceed 71 points.
DID YOU KNOW: The Tennessee defense has forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 23.2 percent of all possessions, which is the 27th-highest rate in the country. The South Carolina offense has turned the ball over on 21.1 percent of its possessions (ranked 277th among Division I teams).
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This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
