Nothing could stand in the way of Tennessee on senior day in Knoxville. Not the Gamecocks and not daylight savings time.

Tennessee (28-3, 14-2 Southeastern Conference) beat South Carolina 89-56 despite coach Bruce Pearl being forced to change the first-half rotation after a few players arrived late for shootaround, likely because of confusion over daylight savings time.

Chris Lofton scored a season-high 28 points for Tennessee and fellow senior JaJuan Smith added 17.

The Vols, ranked third in the latest TNJN.com writer's poll, exploded in the second half, outscoring the Gamecocks 51-19 behind an incredibly balanced attack. Nine different players scored in the half for UT and 10 different players found the scoreboard overall.

South Carolina's second half shooting woes provided ample opportunity for Tennessee's seniors to exit on a high note. Both Lofton and Smith left the floor for the last time with trademark 3s as their final shots.

The Vols defense provided a stellar performance in holding the Gamecocks to 56 points overall and just 19 in the second half. It was the first time the Vols kept an opponent from reaching 60 points in exactly one month.

Tennessee looked lethargic in the early going and at one point late in the first half had gone just 2-for-14 from the field and committed five turnovers.

However, South Carolina (13-17, 5-11 SEC) failed to take advantage by turning the ball over 10 times in the first half. The team had entered the game averaging just over 10 turnovers per game.

The first half suspensions forced coach Pearl's son Steven into early action, and his first half layup finished what may have been the play of the night after Wayne Chism found him open with a spectacular behind-the-back fast-break pass.

In addition to picking up the win, the Vols set a number of milestones for the Tennessee basketball program Sunday afternoon.

They finished back-to-back home seasons undefeated and have now won 32 straight games at Thompson-Boling Arena, good for the third longest home win streak in college basketball. The Vols also added a school-record 28th win on the season.

Individually, Lofton passed Dale Ellis to become the fifth all-time leading scorer in Tennessee basketball history with 2,068 points.

Seniors Lofton, Smith and Jordan Howell were recognized for their contributions to the UT basketball program in the second of two pregame ceremonies.

South Carolina head coach Dave Odom was also honored before the game. Odom will retire following the Gamecocks' postseason run after 22 years as a head coach.

These two teams could meet again in less than a week when the SEC tournament is played in Atlanta. Tennessee has a first-round bye and will face the Gamecocks or LSU in the quarterfinals Friday at 1 p.m.

My Take

All three of Tennessee's seniors deserve a ton of credit for what Tennessee has accomplished over the last three seasons.

Lofton is going to get the bulk of that credit, and although Howell and Smith deserve love, it's hard to take anything away from Lofton. 

So often, people aren't what they seem, especially when they're as hyped and loved as the Maysville, Kent. native is.

But make no mistake. Lofton really is the humble, unassuming young man you see on television, and he deserves all the praise he gets.

A few players were late to shootaround this morning and that is unacceptable. I can understand though, as I forgot to spring forward as well. 

Nevertheless, the rest of the team followed Lofton's cue and took care of business.

As flashy as Tennessee can be at times, they continue to just win.

Everytime I watch this team I find myself thinking they could have played much better and today was no exception. The Vols played some of their worst basketball this afternoon and still won by 33.

Ordinarily, I might be concerned about an underperforming team, but not this bunch. Dealing with adversity nearly every night has given them the confidence to win no matter what they come up against.

Low scoring, high scoring, on the road, at home, no matter who's been hot or who hasn't the Vols have overcome it all.

Pearl and the Vols should have ample motivation to prove doubters wrong in this year's SEC Tournament, an event that hasn't been kind to even the best Tennessee teams. However, this team has higher goals than a conference tournament title.

The Vols, led by it's senior guards, have played with a chip on its shoulder the past three seasons, and they'll have to keep it despite their unprecedented success if they hope to reach the Final Four in San Antonio.