Carolina travels to UT

Downey, who according to head coach Darrin Horn has seen just about everything a defense could throw at him this season, will be challenged by a Tennessee team that has forced their opponents into 18.4 turnovers per game this year. Senior guard Brandis Raley-Ross said that the team had been running a lot of drills to get better at protecting the ball against the Volunteers’ (17-4, 5-2) pressure.

“We know that they like to get after you and try to beat you up with their physical play, so we made that a point of emphasis this week,” Raley-Ross said.

A week is exactly how long it will have been since Carolina has played a game when they take the court against Tennessee. UT on the other hand will be playing their third game in just seven days.

The amount of time that USC has had off between games might seem like an advantage to some like Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, who recently expressed his displeasure with this week’s scheduling, but for Horn it makes no difference how long his team has had off between games.

“I think that’s a great thing for you all to dissect and think about, but we’re just doing whatever our schedule is. Ours is a week off and we took that time to get better individually and as a team,” Horn said after the team’s final practice before they headed off to Knoxville.

Horn and Raley-Ross both mentioned how important it was for players other than Downey to keep stepping up, and over their past five games South Carolina has found extra offensive help from a variety of sources. One of those is junior Sam Muldrow who recorded his first ever double-double against Georgia on January 30th and has averaged 10.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game over that five game span.

To build on their recent success heading into a week featuring three important games, the Gamecocks will have to continue to see players like Muldrow contribute, and get some help from their improving freshmen as well. In their last game against the Bulldogs, freshmen Stephen Spinella and Ramon Galloway combined to score 12 points off the bench, going four of five from behind the three point line, while forward Lakeem Jackson put in a stat-stuffing performance with six points, five rebounds and five assists.

“We’ve got some freshmen that can play and are capable of giving us positive things, and I think maybe more important than that with freshmen sometimes is not bringing us negatives, and that’s what those guys have been able to do here as of late,” Horn said, “now the challenge is consistency and doing it on the road.”

The road has not been a favorable place for Carolina this season, as they’ve won just a single game away from the Colonial Life Arena all year long, and picking up their second road victory won’t come easily; Tennessee has only lost one time on their home court all year.

“It would be a big win especially at their house to go in and beat a good team on their home court,” Raley-Ross said.

Over their past two games Carolina has been neck and neck in the rebounding department against two of the top rebounding teams in the SEC. If USC wants to come out of Thompson-Boling arena with a win, Muldrow and his fellow big men are going to have to do a good job cleaning the glass against the Vols who rank fifth in the league at rebounding, grabbing 37 boards per game.

In their most recent victory over LSU, Tennessee controlled the glass most of the night, grabbing 36 rebounds, nine of which were offensive. In fact, the Volunteers are averaging 12.2 offensive rebounds per game.  

One area that Horn might look to exploit on Saturday is Tennessee’s three point shooting ability. Pearl’s squad was just five for 18 from behind the arc against a Tigers team who’s let opposing teams shoot 35.5 percent from three point range all year.

Where the Vols managed to overpower LSU was inside the paint, behind an impressive performance from senior forward Wayne Chism. Chism, who scored 20 points and recorded seven rebounds in the win, is averaging 14.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game during SEC play.

“He’s a good player, and I think the thing about him that goes over looked is all the different things he does do,” Horn said. “Offensively he shoots it, he’s good around the basket... defensively he’s a guy that rebounds for them and gives them a big body. He’s definitely an issue for every team, I think, that plays him.”

Whether or not the Gamecocks can keep up their tenacity on the boards and keep Tennessee from hitting their threes remains to be seen, but energy is one thing USC should bring to the table against the Vols.

“Guys have been itching to play, I know I have, I know Devan has. I think we’re going to come out with a lot of energy,” Raley Ross said.