The stakes were already high. They’re even higher now.

Tennessee and South Carolina were set to clash in a top 20 showdown with SEC title ramifications on Wednesday but with Alabama’s loss at Florida Tuesday night, the No. 4 Vols are in position to win the league outright for the first time since 2008.

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It sounds easy enough. Pulling it off will be a much taller task for Tennessee, which is looking to avenge a Jan. 30 loss to the Gamecocks in Knoxville.

South Carolina isn’t just in the middle of a remarkable turnaround under second-year head coach Lamont Paris, the Gamecocks have their own conference championship aspirations.

Beating the Vols for a second time would give South Carolina a chance to at least share it with Tennessee if it can win its next two.

The Vols have already played in one de facto SEC championship game. Tennessee went on the road and pulled ahead late to down Alabama in Tuscaloosa and take sole possession of first place last Saturday.

It took a gritty performance from Tennessee’s veterans, who stepped up in a big way with superstar guard Dalton Knecht largely held in check for the first time in two months.

A defensive effort, spearheaded by Jahmai Mashack and Josiah-Jordan James as well as timely shooting were key down the stretch and will likely be needed again vs. a South Carolina team that also prides itself on physicality.

Here is everything you need to know about the match up.

Who: No. 4 Tennessee (23-6, 13-3 SEC) at No. 17 South Carolina (24-5, 12-4)

When: Wednesday, March 6 | 7 p.m. ET

Where: Colonial Life Arena | Columbia, South Carolina

TV: ESPN2 (Tom Hart, play-by-play; Jimmy Dykes, analyst)

KenPom Projection: Tennessee 72, South Carolina 67

Series: Tennessee leads, 52-29

POINTS PER GAME:

Tennessee 80.7, South Carolina 72.1

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE:

Tennessee 45.5%, South Carolina 44.1%

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE:

Tennessee 34.7%, South Carolina 34.2%

ASSISTS:

Tennessee 17.0, South Carolina 15.5

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee now has a chance to seal sole SEC title vs. South Carolina

REBOUNDS:

Tennessee 39.1, South Carolina 35.8

BLOCKS:

Tennessee 4.8, South Carolina 3.2

STEALS:

Tennessee 8.0, South Carolina 4.8

-- Tennessee is one of just three SEC teams in the last 20 years to end a season with four-straight games against top 25 teams. It is only the second time in program history that a Vols' team has played four consecutive AP ranked teams. Tennessee passed the first two tests with wins over Auburn and Alabama , marking first time since 2000 that the Vols have beaten AP top 15 teams in back-to-back games.

-- Tennessee took over the top spot in the SEC standings after beating Alabama, 81-74 last Saturday night. Despite Dalton Knecht being held to his lowest scoring output in nearly two months (13 points), the Vols found other avenues. Zakai Zeigler scored 18 and Josiah-Jordan James nabbed 14 rebounds while Santiago Vescovi had three steals. Jahmai Mashack's go-ahead 3-pointer and subsequent steal on the in-bounds pass midway through the second half was the difference.

-- Tennessee and South Carolina are both in competition for an SEC regular season crown, though the Vols can win it outright with a victory Wednesday night. It is also just the second time in the history of the series that both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25. The last ranked match up between the two programs was on Dec. 2, 1972 when the Gamecocks were independent. The Vols won, 55-45.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Everything Rick Barnes said about Vols' final road test at South Carolina

-- Tennessee moved up in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency rankings after holding the top offense in college basketball in Alabama to just 74 points. The Vols, who are now limiting opponents to just 91.6 points per 100 possessions, are ranked third nationally. In offensive adjusted efficiency, Tennessee ranks 18th, averaging 119.5 points per 100 offensive possessions.

-- South Carolina handed Tennessee its lone home loss this season after defeating the Vols, 63-59 at Food City Center on Jan. 30. Tennessee shot just 36.2% from the field and 23.8% from three-point range while missing eight free throws. Among the differences was the Gamecocks' success on the boards. South Carolina out-rebounded the Vols, 40-37, including 31 defensive rebounds.

-- South Carolina operates at a slower pace than Tennessee. The Gamecocks are 13th in the league in scoring, averaging just 72.1 points per game, though they hit shots when it mattered in their last outing against Florida. Leading scorer Meechie Johnson totaled a game-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from deep. His go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds broke a late tie to help South Carolina win, 82-76.

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