The South Carolina’s men’s basketball team has played in eight games since classes concluded on Dec. 6. Over that time, the team finished non-conference play and began Southeastern Conference (SEC) play just a few days into the new year.
The Gamecocks ended its out-of-conference campaign strong with seven consecutive wins and finishing with a 10-3 record.
In December, South Carolina defeated Boston College 73-51, East Carolina University 75-68, South Carolina Upstate 73-53, then-No.25 Clemson 91-88, Radford 74-48 and Presbyterian College 69-59, outscoring its opponents by a combined 90 points during the month.
Head coach Lamont Paris said the Gamecocks had a very successful non-conference season.
"...It did exactly what we wanted to do," Paris said. "I think we grew from it, took a couple of bumps, but I think we grew and got better.”
The Gamecocks have struggled so far playing against SEC opponents despite the team's success towards the end of non-conference play, suffering losses to No. 15 Mississippi State, No. 4 Alabama and No. 1 Auburn.
The Gamecocks opened SEC play on Jan. 4 with an 85-50 loss against then-No. 17 Mississippi State. Junior guard Zach Davis proved to be a spark off the bench, leading all scorers with 22 points. The Gamecocks dug themselves a hole too deep to get out of after the Bulldogs started the game on a 21-4 run and lead by 25 points heading into the halftime break.
The Gamecocks then returned home on Jan. 8 to take on then-No. 5 Alabama at Colonial Life Arena, falling to the Tide 88-68. Alabama showcased its star power on both sides of the floor, outpacing the Gamecocks in shooting efficiency and winning the turnover battle 15-11. The Gamecocks remained competitive in the second half, having four different players end the game with double-figure points.
Paris said the lack of defensive execution is a key issue during the team’s losing streak.
“In SEC games last year we gave up 70 points or more five times out of 18 games,” Paris said. “You give yourself a chance to win. We have to learn what that looks like to be able to do that.”
The Gamecocks continued conference play with a loss to then-No. 2 Auburn Tigers 66-63 on Jan. 11. Unlike its first two SEC games, South Carolina was able to retain a lead heading into halftime and stayed in striking distance the entire game. The second half was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, and eventually concluded with a missed three-point heave by sophomore guard Morris Ugusuk as time expired to lose by three.
SEC struggles
The Gamecocks have yet to find a victory in SEC play this season. South Carolina entered conference play ranked last in the SEC, despite finishing non-conference play with a 10-3 record.
South Carolina’s struggles can be partially explained by the strength of SEC basketball this season.
During the opening months of the season, the SEC dominated the rest of Division 1 opponents in historic fashion, as the 16 teams combined for a cumulative 185-23 record. The 88.9% winning percentage is the best by any conference since the ACC in 2003-04. Conference dominance was also shown early on in December during the ACC/SEC challenge, as the SEC routed the ACC 14-2 in a two-day series of matchups between the two conferences.
KenPom, a system ranking men's college basketball teams based on a variety of offensive and defensive statistics, has the entire SEC is ranked within the top 75 with South Carolina being ranked the lowest at No. 72.
Paris said it is important for the Gamecocks to remain competitive in conference play.
"We need to get wins on the board,” Paris said. “You have to turn the page and get to the next thing because (the SEC) is such a good league.”
South Carolina vs Clemson
The then-No. 25 Clemson Tigers traveled to Columbia on Dec. 17 to face the Gamecocks in front of a sold-out crowd at Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecocks defeated the Tigers 91-88 in an overtime game consisting of four lead changes and nine ties. The combined 179 points marked the highest scoring matchup between the rivals since 2008.
Despite South Carolina holding a 14-point lead in the first half, Clemson battled back in the second half to eventually send the game to overtime after a one-legged three pointer at the buzzer by Clemson graduate guard Chase Hunter.
Sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles led the Gamecocks with 22 points, while senior guard Myles Stute and graduate forward Nick Pringle notched 19 and 18 points respectively. The trio also shot the ball efficiently, shooting a combined 81% from the field.
South Carolina now sits with a 4-0-2 record against Clemson in the annual Palmetto Series in addition to the team’s first ranked win of the season.
“I definitely feel the pride and respect that this university has for this team,” Stute said. “So (I’m) just glad we’re able to kind of play our part, and go get those guys on the court today and make it a clean sweep.”
Jamarii Thomas notches 1,000 point-milestone
During the Gamecocks’ 69-59 victory against Presbyterian College on Dec. 30, senior guard Jamarii Thomas recorded his 1,000 career point in NCAA Division 1 basketball.
Thomas, who previously played at UNC-Wilmington and Norfolk State, transferred to South Carolina this past offseason. The guard appeared in 92 games while averaging just shy of 10 points prior to this season.
Since becoming a Gamecock, Thomas has averaged 12.3 points while starting in every game he has appeared in this season to seal the 1,000 point milestone.
Thomas suffered a right knee sprain during practice on Jan. 10 and is expected to miss the next 3-4 weeks.
"(I'm) still learning a lot of stuff being at a different level," Thomas said. "(I'm) just building my confidence each and every game and trusting my work."
What’s next?
South Carolina (10-6, 0-3 SEC) will visit the Vanderbilt Commodores (13-3, 1-2 SEC) on Jan. 15. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and will broadcast live on SEC Network.