Vols Will Need Top Effort to Beat 24th Ranked South Carolina

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With a matchup against top-25 opponent in No. 24 South Carolina looming Saturday, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes’ message was the same one he expressed after Wednesday’s 88-74 loss to Vanderbilt: effort is paramount to the Vols’ success.

"We’ve had two now," Barnes said, referring to the instances he believed the Vols’ effort was not up to snuff. "I didn’t think we were very competitive during the Nebraska game and certainly we didn’t play hard enough to win any basketball game against Vandy on Wednesday night. But the fact is, it’s our next game. We’ve got to be ready."

No. 24 South Carolina has just one loss to its name this season, a 73-50 loss at Alabama on on Jan. 13. Since then, the Gamecocks have picked up two more wins and will arrive in Knoxville looking to surpass all of last season’s win total before January is even done.

Another stiff challenge to be sure, but Barnes expects his squad poised to wipe out any memory of an uninspired performance on Wednesday.

"You’re only as good as your last one. We’ve got a chance to back come out and see if we can be a lot better than we were against Vandy."

Despite the expectation of inclement weather in the area, Tennessee and South Carolina remain on schedule to tip off at 12 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to stay posted to @UTGameday and @Vol_Hoops for any weather-related updates.

South Carolina owns a 17-1 (4-1 SEC) record in its fourth season under head coach Frank Martin. The Gamecocks began the season 15-0 before suffering their only loss at Alabama (73-50) on Jan. 13.

“I love Frank, and I love his style of basketball,” Vols head coach Rick Barnes said Friday. “He believes in (playing) hard-nosed, aggressive man-to-man, but they’ll mix in some zone and a little bit of matchup (zone) at times, too.

“They’re a really a very aggressive team, and they want to turn you over, there’s no question about that. They’re a very disciplined team.”

Carolina is 2-1 on the road in conference games and is coming off a come-from-behind, overtime win at Ole Miss Tuesday night.

In SEC play, the Gamecocks lead the league in rebounding margin (+9.7) and are second in rebounding defense (32.6).

Junior guard Sindarius Thornwell averages 14.0 points during SEC play, a team high, while senior forward Michael Carrera averages 11.2 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds in conference games.

Carrera has knocked down 24 3-pointers in 18 games this season and is shooting at a .444 clip from long range.

“Here’s the dilemma that we have with Michael,” Martin said of Carrera recently. “He’s become one of our better 3-point shooters, but at the same time he’s so effective around the basket.”

Saturday’s games marks the first time Tennessee has faced a South Carolina team that was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since Feb. 7, 1998. In that game, the Vols defeated the 13th-ranked Gamecocks, 70-69, in Knoxville.

Last season’s clash in Knoxville was a different story, however. Though South Carolina was not ranked, the Gamecocks came to Thompson-Boling Arena and ended UT’s 15-game win streak in the series.

The Vols look to start a new streak over the Gamecocks with a strong effort Saturday. The teams also will meet Feb. 24 in Columbia.

In its 105-year history, the Tennessee basketball program has received several significant contributions from players whose careers lasted two seasons or fewer. Vols who fit that criteria include three All-Americans, one Freshman All-American and five All-SEC first-teamers.

However, senior point guard Kevin Punter Jr. is on pace to do something that no two-year Vol has accomplished: score 1,000 points.

Averaging 22.6 points per game through the first 18 games of the 2015-16 season, Punter has already amassed 735 points in 50 games on Rocky Top. At that scoring rate, which ranks second in the SEC and ninth in the nation, Punter is on pace to finish with 1,051 points in only two seasons at UT. The current points leader from two-year players in Tennessee history is Scooter McFadgon, who scored 865 points from 2003-05.

Should Punter reach the 1,000 point milestone, he is also in line to post one of the best scoring seasons in Tennessee history. At 22.6 ppg and 407 total points this season, the Bronx, New York, native is projected to finish with 723 points. That figure would be the third-best single-season mark in program history, trailing Dale Ellis’ 1982-83 total of 724 by just one point.

Punter’s 22.6 ppg scoring average would earn a spot in the record books, ranking as the ninth-best single-season scoring average in Tennessee’s history.