After clinching SEC title, Tennessee HC shares high praise for South Carolina's Lamont Paris

No. 4 Tennessee outlasted No. 17 South Carolina in a wild one on Wednesday, 66-59, clinching the SEC Championship. 

Following the Volunteers' massive victory, head coach Rick Barnes heaped praise on his counterpart, Gamecocks headman Lamont Paris. 

"I can't say enough about us coming in here winning because of the job Lamont has done here -- it's amazing, really, the turnaround that he's put here," Barnes said via Chandler Mack of WLTX. "What he's done is something he should be commended for, and I don't think there's any question -- and I told him this -- if I had a vote, I'd vote him National Coach of the Year." 

Barnes told reporters that he can't imagine the SEC being better than it's been this season, making what Paris has accomplished at South Carolina even more "remarkable." 

After taking the reigns in 2022-2023 following the Frank Martin era, success didn't come quickly for Paris at South Carolina. He went only 11-21 and 4-14 in the SEC in his first season. Ahead of the team's regular-season finale against Mississippi State on March 9, the Gamecocks are 24-6 and 12-5 in conference play. 

Paris and company came up short on Wednesday but gave the Vols everything they could handle. Tennessee led by 11 at halftime and by as many as 14 in the second half, but South Carolina cut the deficit to only three with a little over a minute to go. 

Ultimately, Tennesssee and guard Dalton Knecht, who led all scorers with 26 points, were able to hold off the comeback attempt for a seven-point win. 

For the Vols, it's the program's first out-right SEC title since 2008 and only its second since 1967. Meanwhile, at 24-6 (14-3) with one regular season contest remaining on March 9 against No. 15 Kentucky, Tennessee is still alive for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of what happens at the upcoming SEC Tournament.