What went wrong in South Carolina basketball’s 27-point road loss to Alabama
The scenario South Carolina feared most played out just two games into SEC play. The Gamecocks had blown out teams this season but hadn’t been blown out all year. In fact, USC’s only previous loss to Clemson was by just five points.
Until making the trip Tuesday to Tuscaloosa.
Despite trailing by just one point at halftime, Alabama’s offense exploded to take down the Gamecocks in their first road game in over a month, 74-47. For the second straight year, a player for the Crimson Tide scored over 30 points in a win over South Carolina. It was Brandon Miller last year and Mark Sears this year.
The loss snapped a six-game win streak for USC and dropped the Gamecocks to 13-2 (1-1 SEC). Alabama has won four straight and is 10-5 (2-0 SEC).
Gamecocks go cold
Two scoring droughts lasting over five minutes. Five made 3-pointers and 17 turnovers.
Try as South Carolina might, it couldn’t put much of an offense together in Tuscaloosa.
It didn’t take long for Alabama’s defense to figure out what USC was doing. And it didn’t help that Meechie Johnson and Ta’Lon Cooper were the only Gamecock to reach double figures. Eight of the 11 USC players who saw action scored under five points.
“We let some of our lack of successes impact our game,” head coach Lamont Paris told reporters afterward. “(Alabama) thrived on that.”
It took nearly seven minutes for South Carolina to score in the second half. Frustrations boiled over in the later half of the game, and Johnson ended up receiving a technical foul with eight minutes to go. Alabama outscored USC 44-18 after halftime.
USC was eventually going to have a low-scoring night — Paris predicted that. It didn’t help that it happened during their first SEC road game. It also doesn’t help that USC has another road game in four days.
“I don’t know why it was so contagious,” Paris said, “whether it was what’s riding on this game. I tell the guys that’s the beauty of this conference, is that every game counts.”
Paris has to find a way to regroup and refocus the Gamecocks to avoid any dip in morale. This might be one loss, but USC hasn’t had this large of a defeat all year.
It’s more uncharted territory for the Gamecocks to conquer.
Sweet home at Alabama
This type of loss isn’t an easy pill to swallow for USC. It was frustrating, disheartening or any other array of adjectives of that nature.
But playing against Alabama at Coleman Coliseum is hard.
The Crimson Tide is a collective 19-2 against the Gamecocks in Tuscaloosa. Alabama went undefeated at home during SEC play last year and is 6-1 there this year. USC’s visit to Coleman was the first chance for the Crimson Tide to defend their home court against SEC opponents for a second straight year.
Still, USC still hasn’t allowed more than 75 points this season. Against Alabama, which scores 91.8 points per game and had Sears scoring 31 Tuesday night, that’s still one positive note to take away.
First half hold off
Aside from Sears’ 15 first-half points, South Carolina’s defense held one the top scoring programs in the SEC conference to just 30 points at halftime. Despite being on the road, and having a slow offensive day, USC’s defense kept the Crimson Tide on pace with South Carolina’s 63 points allowed per game.
The Gamecocks came out with an extra jump in the opening minutes, taking an early lead they held until the last two minutes of the first half. Johnson and Cooper both had eight points in the half to lead the Gamecocks.
“The way that we started was the way that we wanted to,” Paris said. “It was almost the complete opposite of our last game, the Mississippi State game.”
Paris’ defensive setup forced Alabama to play physical basketball — something the Tide doesn’t regularly do. It worked for a while, and the Gamecocks earned a few rebounds.
Sears navigated the Gamecocks’ defense and was the catalyst in obtaining Alabama’s 30-29 lead at halftime. He was brought the extra spark his team needed to make that second half all about the crimson and white.
“He made plays, he’s a good player,” Paris said. “He was aggressive. It seemed like he was doing it all.”
Other notable stats
- Cooper’s 10 points against Alabama were the most he’s scored since facing Elon on Dec. 23, and his sixth game reaching double figures this season.
- USC’s eight assists were the lowest this season, and first time the Gamecocks haven’t had double-figure assists in a game.
- South Carolina’s 17 turnovers tied the season high from USC’s game against DePaul on Nov. 17 during the Arizona Tip Off.
Next four games
- Saturday at Missouri, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 16 vs. Georgia, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
- Jan. 20 at Arkansas, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Jan. 23 vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published January 9, 2024 at 8:52 PM.
