Stop calling them upsets: South Carolina basketball beats Tennessee in Knoxville

South Carolina Basketball vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Stats, Scoring, and Observations

South Carolina basketball continued to prove themselves as a big-time player in the 2023-2024 college basketball season with a win in Knoxville against the 5th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers 63-59 to move to 18-3 and 6-2 in the SEC.

Here are the stats from the game:

STATS

Tennessee

Points

Leader: Dalton Knecht with 31

Rebounds

Leader: Tobe Awaka with 8

Assists

Leader: Zakai Zeigler and Josiah Jordan-James each with 3

Steals

Leader: Santiago Vescovi and Josiah Jordan-James each with 2

Blocks

Leader: Jonas Aidoo with 2

Other

The Volunteers shot just 5-21 from the 3-point line and 12-20 from the free throw line

South Carolina

Points

Leader: Ta'Lon Cooper with 18

Rebounds

Leader: Josh Gray with 7

Assists

Leader: Meechie Johnson with 6

Steals

Leader: Collin Murray-Boyles and Myles Stute each with 2

Blocks

Leader: None

Other

The Gamecocks made 10 free throws and 15-18 from the free throw line

BOX SCORE

OBSERVATIONS

• Starters: Ta’Lon Cooper-Meechie Johnson-Zach Davis-BJ Mack-Collin Murray-Boyles
• Zach Davis again played today for the injured Myles Stute. For the second straight game, though, Stute warmed up and was available in a limited capacity if needed.
• Every bit of contact that resulted in a whistle seemed to go against the Gamecocks in the 1st half. Pat Adams' crew was on the game again (the same crew that called the South Carolina-Georgia game). It slowed tremendously later in the half, and Tennessee took zero free throws in the opening 20 minutes.
• The Gamecocks played tough defense in the 1st half (held UT to 26 points on 12-33/2-11), but the offense was a struggle. Ta'Lon Cooper and offensive rebounding were the only consistent sources of offense, but BJ Mack gave a 5-point burst in the opening minutes and a 4-point burst in the closing minutes.
• The slower-paced game was exactly the style the Gamecocks wanted to play. No Gamecock played too many minutes early, and only Meechie Johnson and Josh Gray had 2 fouls. Dalton Knecht was the only Volunteers who was able to provide much offense in the mucked-down game.
• Perhaps anticipating the need for his best players to play most of the way down the stretch, no Gamecock starter other than Ta'Lon Cooper played more than 14 minutes in the 1st half. BJ Mack played just 11.
• For the 3rd-straight half, Meechie Johnson was held scoreless. He scored the first bucket of the 2nd half with his patented 30-footer.
• Myles Stute played a rotational role in this one, and he knocked down 3-3 of his shots from outside and 4 clutch free throws late in the game.
• The game shifted to a much more foul-centered affair in the 2nd half. This helped keep the pace slow (a plus for the Gamecocks) but gave Tennessee more opportunities for free points (a plus for the Vols).
• Ta'Lon Cooper, Myles Stute, and Zach Davis did a great job defending Dalton Knecht until he got hot near the end of the game. The Tennessee wing made just 11-24.
• Tobe Awaka killed the Gamecocks on the offensive glass, finishing the 1st half with 4 offensive rebounds. For some reason, he barely played in the 2nd half.