by Jack Glennon
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On Saturday afternoon, the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team (24-6, 11-6) played host to the South Carolina Gamecocks (12-18, 2-15). Though the Volunteers won, the expectations for a blowout of South Carolina were never met. South Carolina hung around and even led with less than 14 minutes left in the 2nd half. However, Tennessee pulled away in the late stages, securing a 75–65 win at home on senior day.
The game featured a plethora of notable individual performances from both teams. Carolina guard Jamarii Thomas kept the Gamecocks afloat for the majority of the game, chipping in 14 points in the 1st half. He finished with 20, to go along with 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
Center Nick Pringle also turned in a strong performance for the visiting Gamecocks. He scored 16 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, and dished out a pair of assists.
The only other notable performance for South Carolina came from sophomore guard Arden Conyers, who drained 3 triples on just 4 attempts, good for 9 points.
Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier led all scorers with 23 points, 20 of which came from a dominant second-half performance. He added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in the Volunteers’ win.
After the game, I asked Chaz how he’s able to stay focused even after struggling in the first half, and how important that kind of mental resilience is at this time of the year. He told me, “… I just tell myself to keep on shootin[g]… I know that my teammates have the confidence in me… and the coaches believe in me…”
It’s clear that Lanier also has the trust of the fan base, who has supported him throughout his personal ups and downs of the long season.
In the second half, the rest of Lanier’s team was barely able to outpace their star guard, putting together a combined 21 points.
That’s not to say, however, that Lanier was without help. Cade Phillips contributed 15 points on 6-8 shooting. He grabbed 4 rebounds and blocked 3 South Carolina shot attempts. Jordan Gainey added 10 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal across 30 minutes of action.
Igor Miličić Jr. came out of the locker room in the zone for the Vols, scoring 8 of their first 10 points. He finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. His wing counterpart Jahmai Mashack complimented him with 5 points, 7 rebounds, and an assist.
A particular combination of players, however, really seemed to help Tennessee pull away in the second half. This lineup (of Gainey, Lanier, Mashack, Phillips, and Miličić) opened up a 9-2 run to give the Volunteers a 6-point lead.
Tennessee never looked back.
I was able to ask Tennessee Head Coach Rick Barnes what he saw from this lineup, and if this run was the game’s turning point. He told me, “With that group, we said we’re [going to] get aggressive… I thought we executed well at that point in time… that was an important stretch for us obviously.”
Barnes was not kidding when he emphasized the importance of that 9-2 run for Tennessee. The second-half burst got the crowd (which had previously been subdued throughout the game) involved. This undoubtedly helped propel the Vols to a much-needed victory.
With this win, the Volunteers improved to 25-6 on the season (12-6 in conference play). Meanwhile, the South Carolina Gamecocks dropped to 12-19 (2-16 in conference play).
This victory also helped Tennessee clinch the 4-seed in the SEC tournament. They will begin tournament play Friday in Nashville after a well-earned double bye.