Upset the Vols? There's a precedent

SEC Notes

ATLANTA — If you're thinking 2006 deja vu when it comes to today's Tennessee-South Carolina second-round matchup in the SEC Tournament, USC coach Dave Odom says think twice.

"This is probably as daunting a task as a team of mine has faced," Odom said.

Two seasons ago, the Gamecocks upset the Volunteers as they improbably went on to reach the tournament final before bowing to eventual national champion Florida.

So, yes, the scenario is the same entering today, with upset-minded USC playing a UT team that had a first-round bye. But good luck finding any on-floor comparisons, Odom said.

"Everything else is different," he said. "Their team is much, much better. Ours is not. This (USC) team isn't as good as it was at that particular point."

Odom said the ' 06 Gamecocks were much more experienced, having won the NIT the previous year with future NBA players Tarence Kinsey and Renaldo Balkman. That group went on to again win the NIT.

It was Tennessee's first year under Bruce Pearl. Chris Lofton was a sophomore, and the Vols didn't have much beyond him.

Now Tennessee, ranked fourth in the country after winning the SEC title outright, goes about 10-12 deep and averages a league-high 82.5 points a game.

Consider this: USC lost nine conference games by a total of 59 points. But it lost its two games to Tennessee by 57 combined points, including 33 on Sunday in Knoxville.

Working for USC, the Vols have been horrendous in this event. They haven't played in even the SEC semifinals since 1991. And, as it's often said, it's difficult to beat any team three times in a season.

Home for Holmes

After Thursday's win, Downey had the strongest words yet about how dire freshman Mike Holmes' midseason situation was.

A despondent, depressed Holmes played just 15 minutes in four games during mid-January, causing many to wonder about his future at USC. He's since rallied, scoring in double figures in seven of the past eight games, Thursday included.

"Maybe two months ago, he was going through some things," Downey said. "It's safe to say that people wanted him off the team. He was down on himself. Players were down on him. Coaches were down, fans. To come back like he has, it just shows Mike has grown up so much."

Holmes, from Bishopville, was named Monday as the SEC's freshman of the week. A day later, he was placed on the coaches' All-SEC freshman team.

Holmes scored a team-high 16 points and had four rebounds Thursday against LSU. In the teams' first game, he was held to four points.

Pass the rock

Downey and others were lauding the motivational touch added before Thursday's win by team chaplain Jack Easterby.

He had the players take a basketball, say something positive about a teammate and then pass the ball on to that player.

Downey's words of encouragement went toward Holmes.

"It's going to be the most powerful (devotional) all year," Downey said. "It was just to pass the ball to somebody and you tell them why you think they're a good friend, good person or what you admire about them."

Defense to rescue

Odom admitted after Thursday's game that defense hasn't exactly been a strong suit for his team.

But LSU's players and interim coach Butch Pierre certainly seemed impressed.

Odom rolled out a couple of new looks, including a 1-3-1 zone to keep LSU off balance for a span.

Fredrick said the team had slumped overall at times this year because the Gamecocks had let their offense dictate their defense. Thursday, he said, went the other way around.

"It feels good to know we could stop a talented team like that," Fredrick said. "We hadn't put the effort into it like that. We have the ability to, but we wind up focusing on making shots. We let shots dictate all other aspects of the game."

Coming back?

Some are wondering if a couple of those in the LSU program will be around the bayou next year: talented freshman post Anthony Randolph and Pierre, the interim coach who took over for John Brady in early February.

Pierre said he's confident and knows he'll "be coaching somewhere next year."

He said, ideally, he'd love it if he and Randolph, a potential NBA lottery pick, were back this fall.

"My gut feeling is I think he will be back, but I guess that evaluation process will go a couple of months," Pierre said. "He's got a lot to improve on mentally and physically. I guess it depends on what his family wants to do."

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com.