COVID-19 did not slow the No. 19 Tennessee on Wednesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. Nor visit South Carolina.
After spending three consecutive days on the coronavirus test after a false positive on Sunday, Vols dodged the COVID protocol and ran over the Gamecocks with a high-powered attack in a 93-73 victory.
Victor Bailey, after being eliminated 11 minutes off the season in the LSU loss, broke to a career record of 29 points in seven feats of 3 points for Tennessee (15-5, 8-5 SEC) and the John Fulkerson old returned with 19 points, the best of the season. Jaden Springer continued his recent scoring gap with 16 points – giving him 90 in his last four games – and Yves Pons added 10 points. Keon Johnson scored seven points while battling problems.
Josiah-Jordan James did not play with an apparent wrist injury. The sophomore guard put a band around his left wrist while he was sitting.
South Carolina (5-10, 3-8) scored 20 points from AJ Lawson, 15 from Keyshawn Bryant and 13 of TJ Moss.
Wednesday’s game was postponed a day by the SEC after Tennessee had a positive COVID test on Sunday. The Volts returned negative tests on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, however, considering Sunday’s test to be a false positive.
The only thing that got in the way of Tennessee was Tennessee. The advantage was 16 points just three minutes into the second half, before seven turns in less than 10 minutes helped Gamecocks reduce to just seven, in one Wildens Leveque bury with 9:25 left.
Bailey responded 19 seconds later with a corner three, fifth trey of the game. Johnson then found Fulkerson open for a dunk in the next possession. Then Fulkerson ended with a transition dunk on the next trip down.
Just like that, the leadership went back to 14 as Frank Martin it took a 7:50 timeout to finish. The advantage was extended to 20 with 3:18 remaining in a Pons dunk, with Bailey providing assistance.
South Carolina started the game 7-to-9 on the 3-point line, leading with 23-21 in the middle of the first half, after making six three three in a row. Eventually, Gamecocks cooled down. The Vols continued to score.
Springer landed a contested jumper at the top of the key when the halftime horn sounded, giving Tennessee the biggest advantage of the half, 50-39. Bailey won 4 of 7 from the 3-point line alone, scoring 14 points in the first half after playing the worst of the season 11 minutes at LSU on Saturday.
The Vols hit 53.1 percent of the field and 46.2 percent of the 3-point line, scoring 50 points before the break, just two weeks before scoring just 50 in Ole Miss’s two-point loss.
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Tennessee will be back at the Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday afternoon, hosting rival Kentucky at 1 pm Eastern time (TV: CBS). The Vols recovered from a 10-point loss with 12 minutes left at the Rupp Arena on February 6, winning 82-71.