South Carolina basketball gave Tennessee all they wanted for 25 minutes before Chaz Lanier caught fire and carried the Vols to a comfortable 75-65 victory. Lanier scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half to help Tennessee lock up a double-bye against South Carolina.
Here’s three quick takeaways
Rough Offensive Stretch To End First Half Leads To Tight Halftime Score
Tennessee basketball came out sharp and looked like it was going to cruise to a victory against the SEC’s worst team on Senior Day. The Vols led 7-2, 17-9 and eventually pushing its lead all the way to 23-13 in the game’s first 12 minutes.
The Vols had been solid on the defensive end of the court and particularly strong and efficient scoring the basketball on the other end. But then Tennessee’s offense went cold and things got icy for the Vols.
After Jordan Gainey made a mid range jumper with 8:43 left in the first half, Tennessee made just three shots from the field the remainder of the first half. The Vols scored only six points in a 7:59 stretch that allowed South Carolina to turn a 10-point deficit into a two-point lead.
Tennessee’s offense was a bit better in the final minute of the first half including on its last possession when Jordan Gainey connected with Cade Phillips on an and-one alley-oop. That tied the game at halftime as what looked like it would be an easy game for Tennessee turned hotly contested.
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Chaz Lanier Comes Alive, Sparks Tennessee’s Offense
Tennessee’s offense was decent in the opening minutes of the second half but hadn’t fouled a rhythm, especially in the first couple possessions after Zakai Zeigler went to the bench with three fouls.
But led by Chaz Lanier, that’s when Tennessee came alive and took control of the game. Over a 5:43 stretch, Chaz Lanier scored 16 points. Including a pair of triples and three points the old fashion way once. Ironically, the free throw line was the one place he struggled during the stretch. Lanier missed two free throws in that 5:43 and made all six of his field goal attempts.
Lanier had been quiet to that point in the game, scoring just three points on a lone triple at that point in the game. But that stretch showed just how quickly he can get hot and how significant that is for Tennessee.
Other players were good for Tennessee during that stretch, most notably Jordan Gainey who scored two points and assisted on a handful of Lanier buckets. That stretch was the game’s most critical as Tennessee went from down one to up nine.
Pair Of Bounce Back Games From Tennessee’s Front Court
Two of Tennessee’s top three front court players, Igor Milicic Jr and Cade Phillips, had been struggling for the Vols in their last couple games. But both bounced back with strong performances against South Carolina.
Cade Phillips had scored just seven points in Tennessee’s last five games and played just 12 minutes in the previous two games. But Phillips had a nice bounce back performance against the Gamecocks, scoring 15 points on five-of-six shooting while grabbing four rebounds and blocking two shots in 23 minutes. He was better than Okpara on a day the center struggled.
Milicic struggled hadn’t been as dramatic as Phillips but Tennessee also expects a good bit more from the Charlotte transfer and he’d largely been struggling since his strong performance at Kentucky.
But the power forward was much better against South Carolina, scoring 13 points and hitting a pair of early three-pointers. Tennessee would like to see more than five rebounds for Milicic but it was still a much needed bounce back.
With Tennessee having such a small rotation, the Vols need everyone playing well to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. Milicic and Phillips took steps in the right direction.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee is back in action on Friday when they begin play at the SEC Tournament in the quarterfinals after earning a double-bye. The Vols will either be a three or a four seed but their opponent is currently not set. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider this evening to see Tennessee’s official SEC Tournament draw.
