No. 23 Tennessee Basketball Faces South Carolina

Vols look to bounce back from back-to-back losses on the road against struggling Gamecocks

Mar. 3, 2026 at 5:23am

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No. 23 Tennessee basketball will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks on Tuesday evening. The Vols are coming off back-to-back losses and will be without injured guard Nate Ament. Tennessee has won 3 straight games against South Carolina, who has lost 9 of their last 10 contests.

Why it matters

This SEC matchup is important for Tennessee as they look to rebound from their recent losses and maintain their position in the conference standings. South Carolina has struggled this season, making this an opportunity for the Vols to get back on track.

The details

Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC) is coming off losses to Missouri and Alabama last week. They will be without guard Nate Ament, who suffered a right leg injury in the Alabama game. South Carolina (12-17, 3-13 SEC) has lost 9 of their last 10 games, with their only SEC wins coming against Mississippi State, LSU, and Oklahoma.

  • The game tips off at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
  • Tennessee has won 3 straight games against South Carolina, dating back to a 93-73 win in February 2021.
  • Tennessee's last loss at Colonial Life Arena was in February 2020.

The players

Nate Ament

Tennessee guard who suffered a right leg injury and will miss the game against South Carolina.

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What they’re saying

“He's going to do everything in his power to be around if he can be around, be back if he can be back. There's not very many kids that want this more. There's not very many kids that care about winning as much as Nate Ament does. So we are optimistic, but you know what, time will tell.”

— Amorrow Morgan, Tennessee Assistant Coach

What’s next

The judge in Ament's case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow him to play against South Carolina.

The takeaway

Tennessee needs to bounce back from their recent losses and take care of business against the struggling Gamecocks. Ament's injury is a concern, but the Vols have depth and will look to other players to step up in his absence.