Clinging to their place in the top-25, the Tennessee Volunteers are staring down the final games of the regular season, and they are in desperate need of a get-right win, especially after back-to-back losses to unranked Missouri and No. 17 Alabama.
Now, the Vols face the South Carolina Gamecocks in their second-to-last game of the regular season, and it could (or, more accurately, should) be the perfect matchup for Tennessee and head coach Rick Barnes to smooth out some kinks.
Beyond the fact that the Gamecocks have struggled through the year and have quite simply failed to find their footing in SEC play, Tennessee can easily capitalize on these two weak spots in South Carolina's game play.
Turnovers and defensive rebounds plague Gamecocks' season
So far this season, the Gamecocks have forced a minimal 10.3 turnovers per game, a far cry from elite defense for South Carolina.
Yes, Tennessee averages 12.2 turnovers per game, but that has been a point of focus for Barnes and his players, and despite the Volunteers' turnover problem, they might be able to actually maintain possession against the lackluster defense coming out of Columbia.
Similarly, the Gamecocks have given up a whopping 15.2 second-chance points by opponents over the last five games. Tennessee dominates the offensive glass, and if the Vols can make the most out of their offensive rebounds, they could easily outscore South Carolina.
The bad news when it comes to this stat column is that star freshman Nate Ament is missing practice ahead of the matchup after going down hard against Alabama. When it comes to the game itself, his status is still entirely up in the air, which isn't exactly promising for the Vols.
Ament is one of the Vols who have been dominant in offensive rebounds, and his absence could knock the advantage down a peg, even with the South Carolina team continuing to struggle to bring down boards on the defensive end of the court.
On Tuesday, March 3, the No. 23 Volunteers and the Gamecocks are scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.