South Carolina Basketball: 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down from SEC Tournament win over Tennessee

South Carolina basketball won an instant classic over Tennessee on Saturday night in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

The game looked like it might get out of hand as the Gamecocks got off to a really strong start, leading 13-0 about 7 minutes into the game. In the early minutes of the 2nd quarter, Carolina led by 23 points. From there, the Volunteers dominated.

Outscoring USC 61-36 until the final second, Tennessee came storming back. They outrebounded Carolina from that point and got their best player (Rickea Jackson) going.

However, even with the Gamecocks struggles in the 2nd half, they had a chance to pull of the win and advance to the SEC Tournament final with a last-second shot.

That last-second shot found its way to the hands of Brazilian center Kamilla Cardoso, and in her first perimeter jumper of the season, Cardoso banked in the game-winner to turn a 2-point deficit into a 1-point win.

The celebration (both on the court by the Gamecocks and in the stands by the Cardoso family) was epic, and the momentum from that shot should help South Carolina basketball as they face off with the LSU Tigers in the SEC Tournament final on Sunday. The Gamecocks are playing to bring home their 8th SEC Tournament trophy in 10 years, and the game will tip off at 3:00 PM EST. The broadcast will be available on ESPN.

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