No. 8: South Carolina Basketball Dismantles Tennessee to Round Back into Tournament Form
South Carolina basketball fans were starting to think that the 2016-2017 season was going to end just like the previous year: with the Gamecocks sitting at home in March with a bitter taste in their mouths. Three straight SEC losses in February painted a bleak picture of what was to come. However, they righted the ship when the Rick Barnes-led Tennessee Volunteers came to town.
In the season’s third-to-final regular season game, the Gamecocks got their groove back. In an absolute dismantling of the Volunteers, the Gamecocks outscored the Vols by 19 in the second half. The 27-point final margin seemed closer than the game felt, and it rekindled the fanbase’s hope in the postseason.