South Carolina MBB can’t escape SEC basement vs. struggling LSU team. 3 observations
If there was ever a game for the Gamecocks to get their first conference win, it was Tuesday night against LSU in a battle of the SEC cellar dwellers.
But that didn’t happen, as South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC) continued its SEC drought with an 81-67 loss to LSU on the road at Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The NET rankings suggested USC (No. 91) had a real chance against LSU (No. 82), the second-lowest-ranked team in the league.
However, LSU (14-12, 3-10 SEC) erased that theory with an explosive first half and an efficient game overall. LSU led for 38 minutes and 45 seconds of the game, and were up by as many as 21 points.
Losing a winnable game like this seemed to be more frustrating than usual for USC head coach Lamont Paris.
“What are you to do? I mean, I hate to say this: I can’t play. I would like to go out there. I’d like to,” he said in his postgame radio interview with 107.5 FM. “We have to be able to make normal plays.”
Jamarii Thomas led the Gamecocks with 23 points and five rebounds, while Collin Murray-Boyles notched a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Redshirt freshman Arden Conyers had nine points on three 3-pointers off the bench.
LSU torches early
LSU head coach Matt McMahon made sure his players knew the stakes. He asked his players before the game: Do you respect No. 1 Auburn? Do you respect No. 2 Florida? Well, USC almost beat them both. So, they’re more than capable of beating you.
That must’ve struck a nerve — or maybe a match — because the Tigers came out blazing.
They hit five of their first seven shots (71.4%), grabbing an early 12-9 lead. The fire didn’t die down, as LSU poured on six straight makes shortly after, fueling a 15-4 run to stretch the margin to 31-18.
“Maybe those guys had a propensity to make shots they don’t normally make. I don’t know,” Paris said in his radio interview.
By halftime, the Tigers had their highest-scoring half of SEC play this season — 41 points on 57% shooting — and led by 14.
LSU finished shooting 50% overall.
For USC ... the opposite
While LSU’s offense hummed, USC’s sputtered. The Gamecocks could barely string together buckets, turning nearly every make into a mirage as the next two shots clanked off the rim on the ensuing possessions. It’s hard to keep up with an opponents’ hot shooting when you can’t respond with your own shots.
It was even harder with the Gamecocks turning the ball over nine times before halftime. They finished with 18 turnovers — their third-worst mark this season — for 23 LSU points.
“That’s what’s bewildering to the old coach at times: That one day it’s turnovers, other times it’s rebounding, another day you can’t make a shot, another day you can’t stop anybody,” Paris told 107.5 FM. “Who are you at this stage in the game? Who are you? What do you stand for? What do you do consistently? Consistency is still so important in this game.”
Those turnovers, McMahon said, have been the reason these two teams have struggled this season. LSU (14th) and USC (15th) are toward the bottom of the league in turnover margin.
Second-half swings swatted away
USC came out swinging after halftime, trimming the deficit to single digits with a quick 7-0 run. But just as the momentum started shifting, LSU stiff-armed the rally with a 5-0 burst of its own.
Thomas tried again to inject life into the comeback, sinking a pair of 3-pointers that put a little bounce back in USC’s step. The lead shrank to single digits again.
Then, LSU hit the Gamecocks with a knockout punch — another 15-4 run that ballooned the lead to 20 and sealed USC’s fate.
The Gamecocks shot 57% in the second half to raise their shooting percentage to 47% overall.
Next four games
- Saturday: Texas, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 25: at Missouri, 9 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
- March 1: vs Arkansas, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
- March 4: vs Georgia, 6 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 10:53 PM.
