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GAME NOTES: The 20th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers begin a brief two-game road trip this afternoon, as the invade Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in SEC action from the Colonial Life Arena.

The Volunteers are in third place in the SEC East at 7-4. The team ended landed back in the win column this week following back-to-back losses, with a 69-60 victory over Georgia.

The Gamecocks is even father down the divisional ladder with a disappointing 5-6 league ledger. South Carolina has lost two straight games and three of the last four, including Wednesday's 92-79 loss at Arkansas.

Tennessee has won 19 of the last 27 meetings with South Carolina to take a 32-23 lead in the all-time series. The Volunteers are seeking the regular- season sweep after routing USC on February 6th, 79-53.

The Volunteers lack any real explosive scorers, but as a whole, they are one of the better offensive teams in the SEC, averaging a solid 75.8 ppg, on .458 shooting. Center Wayne Chism leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg) and blocked shots (39) and is regarded as one on the top big men in the conference and the veteran center will be playing in his 131st career game, a school record. Guard Scotty Hopson (12.8 ppg) provides the perfect complement with his perimeter game. Bobby Maze (9.2 ppg) and J.P. Prince (8.4 ppg) give the team other offensive options. Tennessee distanced itself from Georgia in the second half of their contest, shooting a sizzling .563 from the field over the final 20 minutes. Chism led the charge with a double-double consisting of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Maze added 13 points, while Hopson chipped in with 10.

The Gamecocks have had consistency issues this year and the result is a sub par conference mark. As a whole, the team is averaging just 73.5 ppg and that comes on a pedestrian .421 shooting effort. South Carolina does possess star power in the form of standout guard Devan Downey. The 6-2 playmaker is a blur at both ends of the court, leading the conference in both scoring (23.0 ppg) and steals (73). Brandis Raley-Ross (11.2 ppg) and Sam Muldrow (10.1 ppg) provide balance. Downey was once again unstoppable this week in Fayetteville, as he erupted for 28 points and seven assists against Arkansas. However, he was also guilty of eight of the team's 18 turnovers. Muldrow poured in a career-high 23 points, but it wasn't enough in the road loss. Raley-Ross added 16 points to the cause, but the team was snake-bitten by the red-hot Razorbacks, who shot .545 from the floor and outscored the visiting Gamecocks 27-6 at the free-throw line.

The Gamecocks have knocked off some top-notch programs in Columbia this year, most notably being Kentucky. However, USC is struggling of late and it will be difficult to right the ship against the Vols.