Tennessee basketball vs. South Carolina: Score prediction, scouting report
Tennessee basketball is looking to move to 3-0 in SEC play.
The No. 9 Vols (12-2, 2-0 SEC) play at South Carolina (7-7, 0-1) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.
Here is what to know about the matchup:
BACK: 'I feel great:' Inside Josiah-Jordan James' return for Tennessee basketball
Tobe Awaka keeps getting it done
Freshman forward Tobe Awaka had one of his most productive outings this season in UT's 87-53 win against Mississippi State on Tuesday. Awaka had nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes, his third game this season with at least 16 minutes.
Awaka leads Division I in rebounding percentage with 27.7%.
"He’s a rebounder," Vols coach Rick Barnes said. "He’s got a great knack to do it. But he loves to do it. I’ve used the word DNA a lot. It is in his DNA."
Awaka was a late addition to Tennessee's recruiting class. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound forward is averaging 3.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 8.3 minutes.
Tennessee has two five-stars from South Carolina playing at home
Josiah-Jordan James is back and healthy in time for the trip to Columbia. He is joined by freshman forward Julian Phillips as the two five-star prospects from South Carolina on UT's roster. James is from Charleston and Phillips is from Blythewood, which is north of Columbia.
"I am going to have a lot of family at the game that haven’t gotten to see me play yet this season," Phillips said Friday. "It is really exciting that I get to go home and play in front of the home crowd.”
Phillips had 11 points and seven rebounds against Mississippi State.
Freshman walk-on Kidd Brizek is from Powdersville, South Carolina.
GG Jackson is special
GG Jackson committed to North Carolina as a 2023 recruit, then ended up signing with South Carolina as a 2022 prospect. The five-star prospect is USC's best player, averaging 16.9 points and 7.5 rebounds.
The 6-9, 215-pound Columbia native is a matchup problem with athleticism and shooting ability. He has scored in double-figures in all of USC's games and has five games with at least 20 points.
"They look for him to do a lot of that and he gets out in the open court or he gets the ball — I’ve watched him obviously many years through high school and he’s an explosive player that can really get going," Barnes said.
It's tough sledding for Lamont Paris in Year 1
South Carolina hired Lamont Paris from Chattanooga after moving on from Frank Martin after 10 seasons, which included a 2017 Final Four appearance as the lone NCAA Tournament bid.
The Gamecocks have struggled throughout the first couple months, going 7-6 in nonconference play. They notched a key in-state win against Clemson, but have lost to multiple non-power conference opponents. Former Vols assistant coach Mike Schwartz and East Carolina topped South Carolina 64-56 on Dec. 17 in Greenville, South Carolina.
USC lost its SEC opener 84-79 in overtime at Vanderbilt on Tuesday.
Score prediction
Tennessee 83, South Carolina 54: Tennessee easily wins its third straight SEC game, rolling over the lowly Gamecocks behind a 20-point outing from Zakai Zeigler.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball vs. South Carolina: Score prediction, scouting report
