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Lady Vols must slow down South Carolina’s high-powered offense to have a chance to beat the top-ranked Gamecocks

Rae Burrell takes the ball downcourt for Tennessee in a game against Connecticut on Jan. 23 in Hartford, Conn. / AP photo by Jessica Hill
Rae Burrell takes the ball downcourt for Tennessee in a game against Connecticut on Jan. 23 in Hartford, Conn. / AP photo by Jessica Hill Rae Burrell takes the ball downcourt for Tennessee in a game against Connecticut on Jan. 23 in Hartford, Conn. / AP photo by Jessica Hill

By Gene Henley 3 min read

KNOXVILLE – The 22nd-ranked Tennessee women’s basketball team will take on No. 1 South Carolina at 1 p.m. Sunday in Columbia.

The Lady Volunteers (17-4, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) will make their visit having won seven of their past eight games and six straight in league play. The Gamecocks (20-1, 8-0) have won 14 straight since losing 71-57 to Indiana on Nov. 28, with their most recent game an 87-32 victory Thursday at Ole Miss, where they led 18-0 after the first quarter and 32-2 at halftime.

Here are three keys for the Lady Vols to earn the road win:

photo South Carolina forward Victaria Saxton steals the ball from Ole Miss guard Mimi Reid during the first half of Thursday night’s game in Oxford, Miss. / AP photo by Rogelio V. Solis

1. Defend: The Gamecocks rank either first or second in the SEC in scoring (84.0 points per game, first), field-goal percentage (47.3%, second) and 3-point percentage (37.1%, second). They’ve scored at least 70 points in 13 straight games. Conversely, the Lady Vols rank in the top three defensively in each one of those categories and are 17-2 this season when they hold opponents to 70 or fewer points. Only one team – Stanford – has shot as well as 43% from the field against Tennessee, while the Gamecocks have shot at least that well 16 times this season.

2. Battle on the boards: Part of what makes South Carolina so good is its ability to rebound. This game will feature the top two offensive rebounding teams in the SEC, with the Lady Vols’ 15.2 offensive rebounds per game topped only by the Gamecocks’ 17.1. Tennessee is fifth in defensive rebounding, grabbing 71% of opponents’ missed shots. South Carolina is one of the few teams in the country that can match Tennessee’s size, so the Lady Vols have to find a way to be better on the boards.