COLUMBIA, S.C. — The intensity couldn’t have been higher.
Hosting No. 22 Tennessee (16-6, 7-3 SEC) on a national CBS broadcast in front of a rowdy Colonial Life Arena crowd, the South Carolina men’s basketball team brought plenty of its own energy Saturday afternoon. But after playing the Volunteers tightly in a spirited first half, the Gamecocks couldn’t keep up in the second, falling to the Vols, 81-57.
The loss is the second straight for the Gamecocks (13-9, 4-6), who had won three in a row to get to .500 in SEC play. With a home matchup against No. 5 Kentucky looming on Tuesday, the Gamecocks are entering a critical stretch of their season.
