Instant Reaction: No. 1 South Carolina thumps No. 22 Tennessee at home 69-48
Tennessee basketball has suffered a whirlwind of misfortunes in the past two days, and Sunday was no different for Kelli Harper and co.
Taking on the nation’s No. 1 team in their home gymnasium, the Lady Vols were unable to carry over their success from recent games.
Despite 18 points and 10 rebounds from Rennia Davis, Tennessee was throttled by the Gamecocks from start to finish, falling 69-48 at Colonial Life Arena.
No other Lady Vols scored in double figures and the tram shot just 35 percent.
Some quick takeaways from UT’s emphatic loss:
Gamecocks double Tennessee in total assists
Harper has preached the concept of playing team basketball since she took over the program less than a year ago.
You have to imagine she’s not happy with her team’s performance in that department right now.
South Carolina doubled the Lady Vols’ assist total 16-8 and as a result, shot nearly four percentage points better from the field.
There are better days ahead, but Tennessee certainly didn’t look like a team on the same page in Greenville.
Cooke is a problem
Of course, the lack of passing was far from the Lady Vols’ largest concern.
While she didn’t have her most efficient game in terms of shooting, freshman guard Zia Cooke took it to Tennessee from the opening tip.
Knocking down four of her eight attempts from three-point range, Cooke was a matchup nightmare on the perimeter no matter who was guarding her.
South Carolina may have an ace in its back pocket if it is able to keep her around for another couple seasons.
Playing from behind proved too difficult
Tennessee has hardly found itself playing from behind this season, particularly from double-digit deficits. That’s as evident from the start on Sunday.
The Lady Vols fell behind 21-9 at the conclusion of the opening period and were unable to pull within single digits from that point.
Playing in a hostile environment against the nation’s top-ranked team didn’t help, but Tennessee has proven that it is capable of playing with the country’s best.
UT upset Notre Dame in Southbend earlier this season, but that same intensity wasn’t present at Colonial Life Arena.
The good news is that Harper and her staff have plenty of time to grease the hinges before the postseason.
Photo courtesy of Tennessee Athletics