Tennessee basketball finishes the regular season with a 75-65 senior day win over South Carolina. The Vols earned their 25th win of the year, earned a double bye in the SEC Tournament, and will compete for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in the conference tournament.
The Vols also secured a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament, earning one of the four coveted double-byes in the conference tournament.
South Carolina made the season finale a close game despite its below-.500 conference and overall record. The Gamecocks were able to tie the game heading into halftime, but Rick Barnes made some adjustments, and the Vols pulled away with a double-digit victory.
The senior Vols were honored in front of a big home crowd to finish the year, and they rewarded the crowd with a 10-point win over an SEC rival. Barnes also made sure to give each senior a moment at the end of the game in front of the big crowd.
Fifth-year senior Chaz Lanier led the team in scoring with 23 points, a strong finish to the year after some rough stretches throughout conference play. Lanier finishes the year, shooting 42.7% and averaging 17.7 points per game.
Igor Milicic, Jordan Gainey, and Cade Phillips also finished the game with double-digit points to help the Vols overcome the Gamecocks.
Tennessee now moves on to the SEC Tournament, and the field will be set by the end of Saturday. The Vols already have a double bye in the tournament, and the rest of the Saturday slate will determine potential opponents for the Vols.