USC Vs. No. 19 Tennessee: Vols Try To Bounce Back Against Kevin O’Neill’s Trojans

GAME NOTES: The 19th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will attempt to snap out of their current funk, as they welcome the USC Trojans to Knoxville for a non- conference battle at Thompson-Boling Arena this evening.

Bruce Pearl's Volunteers won their first seven games to start the year, with marquee victories over the likes of nationally-ranked foes in Villanova and Pittsburgh. However, after soaring so high, Tennessee has come crashing down to earth, with back-to-back losses to Oakland (89-82) and Charlotte (49-48) in the last seven days. The loss to the 49ers was the first time under Pearl that UT lost to a team with a losing record.

Kevin O'Neill's Trojans have had their ups and downs this year. The high point was an upset of nationally-ranked Texas back on December 5th, but earlier losses to Rider and Bradley have left the fan base reserved to say the least. The Trojans did almost pull off the unthinkable last weekend, as they nearly ended the nation's longest homecourt winning streak in Lawrence. However, USC was unable to preserve a lead down the stretch, falling to top-five foe Kansas, 70-68.

This is the seventh time these two teams have met on the hardwood. Tennessee holds a 4-2 series advantage, but it was USC getting the victory in last year's clash, 77-55 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

A win in Lawrence could have done wonders for the Trojans in the second half of the season, but it wasn't meant to be, as Kansas pulled out the two-point victory in the end. Trailing by 11 points at the half, USC shot a blistering .593 over the final 20 minutes to almost pull off the upset. The loss spoiled a terrific performance by Donte Smith, who came off the bench to pace the team with 20 points in 20 minutes of work. Alex Stephenson added 18 points, while Jio Fontan impressed in his debut with the team, with the Fordham transfer adding 15 points in the loss. Nikola Vucevic chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds and continues to lead the team in both categories with 16.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Maurice Jones (11.3 ppg), Bryce Jones (10.2 ppg) and Smith (10.1 ppg) provide plenty of scoring depth and the addition of Fontan to the party can only help.

It was simply a game that Tennessee would like to forget, as the team shot a miserable .349 from the floor, hampered by an .118 performance from behind the arc (2-of-17). The result was a season-low 48 points. Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris accounted for just over half of that output, with 13 and 12 points, respectively. The Volunteers have been much more productive at the offensive end over the course of the season, averaging 75.7 ppg on a decent .449 shooting. Hopson and Harris are a potent one-two punch in terms of scoring, averaging 16.1 and 15.0 ppg, respectively. Cameron Tatum (11.6 ppg) and Melvin Goins (9.3 ppg) provide adequate scoring depth, while the starting five is rounded out by the rugged play of center Brian Williams (7.1 ppg, team-high 8.0 rpg) in the middle.

The Volunteers have lost two in a row, but returning home has to be a good thing. USC has to be deflated with the narrow loss in Lawrence and it may be just the right time for Tennessee to catch the Trojans, who are much better than their record would indicate.

GAME NOTES: The 19th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will attempt to snap out of their current funk, as they welcome the USC Trojans to Knoxville for a non- conference battle at Thompson-Boling Arena this evening.

FACTS & STATS: Site: Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678) -- Knoxville, Tennessee. Television: FSN. Home Record: USC 5-1, Tennessee 4-1. Away Record: USC 0-3, Tennessee 0-1. Neutral Record: USC 1-1, Tennessee 3-0. Conference Record: USC 0-0, Tennessee 0-0. Series Record: Tennessee leads, 4-2.

Tennessee 73, USC 68