Volunteers Defeat Gamecocks, Secure Regular Season SEC Title

The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team defeated the No. 17 South Carolina Gamecocks 66-59 on Wednesday.

The win secured Tennessee’s regular season SEC championship. The Vols have not won the SEC regular season title since 2018, and they haven’t won the title outright since 2008.

alone at the top pic.twitter.com/OFFWfcqXyk

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 7, 2024

Knecht Dominates Again

Volunteers guard Dalton Knecht scored 26 points against the Gamecocks. That marked the third time he scored over 20 points in the last four games.

When South Carolina guard Myles Stute made a 3-pointer with just over three and a half minutes remaining in the first half, the Gamecocks were only down by two points, 24-22. However, Knecht’s three consecutive made shots from deep quickly gave the Vols an eleven-point lead. They carried that lead into the second half and didn’t look back, never trailing for the rest of the game.

https://twitter.com/brhoops/status/1765586552439402993

SEC Champs

The Volunteers have won seven games in a row and three in a row against ranked opponents. With a 14-3 SEC record, they have only one loss at Thompson-Boling Arena since the new year.

The Vols got their revenge on the Gamecocks, who were the only SEC team to defeat Tennessee at home. Tennessee heads into the final game of the season as the SEC regular season champs.

a few words from 3x SEC champion Rick Barnes pic.twitter.com/wdusGTiGzk

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 7, 2024

What’s Next

The Volunteers close out the regular season with a matchup against the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats (22-8). Kentucky will be looking to remain a top-four seed in the conference and retain a double bye in the SEC tournament. Every win for Tennessee makes securing a top seed in the March Madness tournament more likely.

With a 12-5 SEC record, South Carolina, Auburn, Kentucky and Alabama are fighting for the final three double byes in the SEC tournament. The first round of the SEC tournament begins on Wednesday.