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After thrilling SEC opener, Tennessee visits South Carolina

Jan 12, 2008 - 3:20 PM No. 9 Tennessee (13-1) at South Carolina (8-7) 8:00 pm EST

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Ticker) -- After handing No. 15 Mississippi its first loss of the season, No. 9 Tennessee looks to keep rolling when it visits South Carolina on Saturday.

Tennessee (13-1, 1-0 SEC East) opened conference play with its eighth straight win on Wednesday, handing Mississippi its first loss with a thrilling 85-83 triumph.

"I did not expect Ole Miss to dominate physically as much as they did," Volunteers coach Bruce Pearl said. "The crowd inspired us. People wanting tickets were turned away this afternoon. The building looked phenomenal."

Tyler Smith scored 21 points, including the game-winning layup with 4.2 seconds remaining. Smith, the team's third leading scorer at 13.5 points per game, has scored in double figures in all but two of Tennessee's games this season.

South Carolina (8-7, 0-1 East) is looking to snap a two-game losing streak after suffering a 80-73 setback against No. 12 Vanderbilt in its conference opener on Wednesday.

Devan Downey scored 22 points and Zam Fredrick contributed 21, but it wasn't enough as the Gamecocks committed twice as many personal fouls (18-9) as Vanderbilt and took just four free throws.