South Carolina Basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Thumbs Down 1: Shooting Efficiency
Dawn Staley's team did not shoot the ball well on Sunday.
Every Gamecock was below 50% as the team shot just 33% from the field and 25% from behind the 3-point line. They also shot below 70% from the free throw line. Even layups weren't kind to USC as the Gamecocks were 15-36 on shots at the rim.
Frankly, the bad shooting day might have cost South Carolina the game had they not dominated the offensive glass. 14 2nd chance points certainly were a major factor in the victory.
Even so, the Gamecocks still scored 76 points, a testament to how good they really are. In a bad game offensive, they still scored better than the average for any team in the SEC other than themselves, LSU, and Tennessee.
South Carolina Basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Thumbs Down 2: Fouls
Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell combined to shoot 16 free throws against the Gamecocks on Sunday because Carolina couldn't keep their hands to themselves at times. The whistles in the game didn't feel entirely even as USC players got smacked in the post repeatedly without calls, but there were not many "phantom fouls" that went against Carolina, either.
Kamilla Cardoso fouled out late, and four other Gamecocks had at least 3 fouls in the game. The 20 fouls in the game weren't an egregious number, but they are more than Carolina would like as the games are about to get tougher as March Madness gets underway.
South Carolina Basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Thumbs Down 3: Giving Up Runs
As the undisputed #1 team in college basketball, the South Carolina Gamecocks don't give up very many scoring runs to their opponents.
On Sunday, though, for just the second time all year, USC gave up a 10-0 run. From the end of the 3rd period through the beginning of the 4th, Tennessee cut the Carolina lead from 59-44 to 59-54. There were four other instances in the game in which the Lady Vols scored at least 5-straight points, as well.
It was a bit uncharacteristic for South Carolina basketball, but the defense was so good the rest of the afternoon that the runs didn't end up mattering in the end.