Tennessee has the same number of wins as last year's basketball team.

That's where the similarities end.

The 19th-ranked Vols (14-3, 5-1 SEC) defeated South Carolina 81-65 on Saturday in a game closer than the final score implies.

A crowd of 20,068 at Thompson-Boling Arena spent much of the game sitting on its hands waiting for something to cheer about.

Perhaps the most impressive Tennessee buckets prior to the second half were those utilized by the half-time entertainment, a makeshift drum corps called the "Bucket Boys.''

"I just thought we grinded this one out,'' said UT coach Bruce Pearl. "We did not play well in the first half, we did not shoot well, and we were disrupted by the things South Carolina was doing.''

And yet, the Vols were beating the Gamecocks 33-28 at intermission.

UT senior Andre Patterson, who recorded his third consecutive double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, noted how team chemistry holds this year's Vols together when adversity strikes.

"Last year, guys wouldn't talk to each other and go into a shell,'' Patterson said. "Now, everybody is doing whatever they have to do for the team.''

Chris Lofton certainly did in the second half. After missing his first six 3-point attempts, Lofton heated up, scoring 16 of his game-high 23 points over the final 20 minutes.

"I played awful in the first half,'' Lofton said. "I was really getting mad at myself missing open shots. I threw one over the goal, and I was embarrassed by that.''

So Lofton took it upon himself to stave off South Carolina's final rally, draining consecutive 3-pointers from the corner after the Gamecocks (11-9, 2-5) cut a 10-point deficit to 55-52 on Stephen McDowell's 3-pointer with 8:31 remaining.

South Carolina didn't get closer than six points the rest of the game.

"They were right on the verge, making their run,'' Patterson said, "then Chris hits two bombs like that, and it was tough mentally on them.''

Imagine how Gamecocks coach Dave Odom must feel.

"That is regrettable because anybody who saw the game knows it was not a 16-point game,'' Odom said, "but we still go home with that on our docket.

"The thing that is disappointing to me is I thought we played about as well as we could play for 37 minutes.''

UT, meanwhile, might not have played its best at any point in the game.

The Vols had nine turnovers at the half and suffered through their worst 3-point shooting effort in SEC action, hitting just 6 of 23 (26.1-percent) 3-point attempts.

UT canned 10 of 13 treys in the second half of its 76-69 win at South Carolina on Jan. 8, but just as Pearl said during Friday's practice, he needed to find a different way to win Saturday.

That way proved to be rebounding.

The Vols out-rebounded the Gamecocks 43-30, their largest advantage this season.

"The first time (at South Carolina), Andre had one rebound and was in foul trouble,'' Pearl said. "Andre was the difference today.''

Patterson's move into the starting lineup for the first time this season Wednesday against Mississippi State also has been a positive difference.

Not only has Patterson responded, but the player he replaced, Stanley Asumnu, has also picked up his game.

Asumnu had 10 points, four rebounds, and for the second consecutive game, no turnovers.

"I'm taking care of the ball, knowing when to attack, and when to kick it out,'' said Asumnu, who brought down the house with two thunderous dunks. "I just tried to get my teammates going it was a time when we needed emotion, and I tried to provide it.''

Pearl joked after the game that Asumnu is doing so well as a reserve that "he's playing his way right on the bench.''

It seemed an odd thing to say about a player who many believed lacked confidence throughout his UT career.

But that was as of last year.

This year, Asumnu left the arena laughing along with the Vols and their fans.

There's an obvious difference between 14 wins in January and 14 wins in March, and what a difference this year is making.

Saturday's crowd marked the first time since Thompson-Boling Arena opened in 1988 that UT has drawn three consecutive crowds of more than 20,000.

Special Visitor: Lance Storrs, a 6-foot-4 wing from Columbia (Ga.) High School was in on a visit. Storrs is a recruit for the Class of 2007.

Orange Slices: UT is 10-0 at home this season and has a 12-game win streak at home dating back into last season. Lofton matched his career high with five steals. Lofton's five free throws made and attempted were season highs. It's the Vols' first season sweep of South Carolina since 2001. Major Wingate played just 18 minutes, giving him 34 minutes played the last two games combined. Wingate played 35 minutes in the Vols' first victory against South Carolina. UT's 16-point win marks the Gamecocks' second-worst loss of the season; Clemson beat South Carolina by 19 on Dec. 3.