J.P. Prince made a statement when he slammed a rebound back through the net, and Tennessee made a statement by dominating South Carolina in Columbia to claim at least a share of the SEC East title and likely securing an NCAA bid in the process.

Prince, who blocked South Carolina's first shot and never let up from there, set the pace for the rest of the Volunteers. He finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to complement Tyler Smith's 22 points and seven assists, in a game where Tennessee dominated the boards and the fast break.

USC managed to keep up early with Tennessee's high-octane offense with the play of guards Zam Fredrick and Devan Downey. However once they cooled off, the Gamecocks were unable to match the Vols' blistering tempo as Tennessee ran away with the East title.

In what was a match-up nightmare for the Gamecocks, the Vols largely dominated inside, scoring almost at will from the paint and creating havoc for anyone trying to drive inside.

USC was outrebounded 44-22 in the contest.

Tennessee is widely considered one of the more athletic teams in the nation and they could be coming together at the right moment.

The Vols have a tendency to play to their opponent's level, but this could be an asset as they head to the NCAA tournament, where they will likely need to beat a one or two seed to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year.

The Volunteers finish their season Sunday at home against Alabama.