Tennessee beat South Carolina 78-59, improving to 21-9 with Estrella and Okpara leading the way.

On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team defeated South Carolina 78-59 in a dominant performance, improving to 21-9 overall and 11-6 in the SEC. Despite missing star freshman Nate Ament due to a knee injury, Tennessee was led by redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella’s 22 points and Felix Okpara’s 20 points, with the Volunteers shooting 54.1% from the floor and recording 15 dunks. South Carolina, which shot 36.7% overall and 28.6% from three, fell to 12-18 and 3-14, extending their losing streak to 10 of 11 games. Meechie Johnson led the Gamecocks with 20 points, and Nordin Kapic added 13, but South Carolina couldn’t overcome an early deficit. The Volunteers secured their 13th win in 15 meetings with South Carolina since 2018.