Tennessee made it a six-game sweep of its December nonconference men’s basketball schedule Wednesday night, turning back the University of South Carolina Upstate 80-60 inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
All six wins by the No. 8 Volunteers have transpired in Knoxville, and Knoxville is where players will stay over Christmas. Tennessee hopes to combat another COVID-19 outbreak similar to the one that shut the program down before the season and resulted in cancellations of games against the well-known likes of Gonzaga, Notre Dame and Virginia Commonwealth.
The delayed start to Tennessee’s season factored into Wednesday’s contest being its fourth in nine days.
“It’s important that we take care of our bodies and take care of our minds,” redshirt junior guard Victor Bailey Jr. said after scoring a team-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting. “It will be good to see our families but still stay safe. These days are very important for us.”
Tennessee’s downing of the Spartans transpired two days after the Vols football program announced it would be unable to play in the Liberty Bowl on New Year’s Eve due to multiple positive tests for players and staff, including head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Just hours before the Vols tipped off, South Carolina revealed a coronavirus outbreak would prevent the Gamecocks from opening Southeastern Conference play next Tuesday night at Kentucky.