Lamont Paris Talks Upcoming Showdown With No. 5 Tennessee, Dalton Knecht
Tomorrow night, the South Carolina Gamecocks will have a daunting task on their hands as they'll be battling the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers in Thompson-Boling Arena, a venue that the Gamecocks have not won at since January of 2017, a win that took place in the last season that the Gamecocks made the NCAA Tournament. On Monday, South Carolina's head coach, Lamont Paris, chatted with College Basketball Insider and Analyst Jon Rothstein on his podcast College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein about a bevy of different topics, including the Gamecocks' next opponent in the Volunteers.
As far as Tennessee's roster makeup is concerned, Paris hinted that the veteran leadership and increased play-making on the offensive end stand out the most.
"[They're] experienced guys, [and] not only experienced in the game of basketball. [Sebastian] Vescovi's been there for five years, which that's a rarity, right? So they're experienced in the game, but they're experienced in their system and what they wanna do and how they like to play," Lamont explained. "You got a guy like Dalton Knecht who's a highlight reel waiting to happen in all the right ways, not just dunks, but with just the ability to play basketball. So, you got a team that's traditionally been a defensive powerhouse, but now they've added some things offensively to make them more explosive on that side of the ball."
As I mentioned earlier, it's been over seven years since South Carolina last emerged victorious in Knoxville, and it's not just the Gamecocks who've struggled to win on the Volunteers' home floor, as Tennessee has only lost at home twice since the beginning of last season. Paris has only been in the SEC for a season and a half, but he knows from his time at Chattanooga and his short time in Columbia that the environment will be hostile, considering the magnitude of the matchup.
"You go to Rocky Top; that's a tough place to play. A lot of places and venues in this league are hard to play [at], but that's one where they really go crazy, especially when their team's in the top five."
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