Ad Disclosure
South Carolina upsets Tennessee for first top-5 road win in over 25 years
By Andrew Olson
Published:
South Carolina has done it again. The Gamecocks have picked up their second top-10 win in a week. Last Tuesday, Lamont Paris’ squad knocked off then-No. 6 Kentucky in Columbia. This time, it was 63-59 over No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville.
Tuesday’s upset on Rocky Top is South Carolina’s first road win over a top-5 team since 1997. Ta’Lon Cooper led the way for South Carolina with 18 points on 6-of-10 field-goal shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point territory, with 2 free throws.
Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht has a way of taking over games. Knecht was once again the game’s leading scorer with 31 points, but it wasn’t enough. The SEC Network broadcast mentioned that Paris’ staff wanted Knecht to have to work for his points. The Vol star took 24 shots from the floor, making 11 field goals, going 3-of-8 from 3-point range and 6-of-10 at the free-throw line.
Looking to bet on college basketball? Sports betting is coming to North Carolina and our partners offer the top sports betting apps!
South Carolina led for over 30 minutes in the game, but the Gamecocks never led by double digits. In a tight battle, Tennessee led 5:14 during the 6 lead changes and the game was tied at 5 times.
UT shot slightly better from the floor, 36% to 34%. The Gamecocks were the better 3-point shooting team, making 10-of-29 for 34% to the Vols’ 5-of-21.
Free-throw shooting also hurt Tennessee. The Vols were just 12-of-20 at the line, while South Carolina was 15-of-18.
UT dominated points in the paint 28-18, but South Carolina had more bench points, 22-8. It was 30-26 at the break, with each team scoring 33 points in the second half.
One would expect the win will get the Gamecocks into the AP Top 25. South Carolina travels to Georgia on Saturday.
Earned it. ?#Gamecocks?? // #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/fCVXbgbDSC
— Gamecock Men’s Basketball (@GamecockMBB) January 31, 2024
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
