Heading home already? South Carolina ousted by Arkansas in SEC Tournament opener
The Gamecocks’ roller-coaster season has reached its final stop — unless the NIT extends an invitation.
South Carolina bowed out in the first round of the 2025 SEC Tournament on Wednesday, falling to Arkansas 72-68 at Bridgestone Arena.
“I told the guys in the locker room that I’m not sure what the favorite day of the season is,” South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris said. “There’s a bunch of candidates. First day, league game, all that, tournament time. I know what the worst day is — It has arrived.”
The Razorbacks (19-12, 8-10 SEC) led for over 33 minutes and stretched its advantage to as many as 20 points.
The game appeared to be over before the Gamecocks went on a 19-2 run — holding the Razorbacks scoreless for nearly seven minutes — and making it a 61-60 game with just under four minutes left.
With a chance to take the lead, USC had two empty trips down the court, and it was only a matter of time before the Razorbacks finally knocked down a shot: A DJ Wagner 3-pointer, then a Johnell Davis layup with 32 seconds left sank USC.
“We got behind in this game,” Paris said. “We dug too big of a hole ultimately as it turns out. Got the thing turned the way we needed to, had some opportunities, maybe ran out a little bit of gas at the end.
“The way the game was played was a microcosm of who these guys are as competitors and getting the game back to a manageable place to where we ultimately really believed that we would win the game.”
Collin Murray-Boyles led all scorers with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Jamarii Thomas added 16 points and two steals, while Jacobi Wright had 13 points and four assists.
Now, the Gamecocks (12-20, 2-16 SEC) await the NIT selection process, where they are projected by some pundits as a No. 4 seed under the tournament’s new criteria.
With the loss, South Carolina’s all-time SEC Tournament record drops to 22-33 since joining the conference in 1991-92. Third-year head coach Lamont Paris is now 1-3 in the event.
A flash of fortune ... briefly
The matchup itself seemed like a break for USC — one of the only two SEC teams it managed to beat this season.
The good luck extended beyond the bracket, too. The Gamecocks came out firing, knocking down their first three 3-pointers to take a four-point lead, their largest of the game.
Jordan Butler (five points) provided an early jolt off the bench after USC missed five straight shots. That boosted South Carolina to a crisp 7 for 13 (53.8%) shooting clip out of the gate .That kind of spark has been elusive all season — someone to keep things rolling when Collin Murray-Boyles, Nick Pringle or Jamarii Thomas needed a breather.
For a while, it looked like USC had cracked the code. The Gamecocks clung to a 21-19 lead midway through the first half.
Old habits, familiar results
Arkansas flipped the script with a 13-2 run, reclaiming control. Suddenly, USC’s early hot streak vanished.
The Gamecocks coughed up six first-half turnovers, killing their momentum. Worse, they missed their last six shots before halftime, allowing Arkansas to slam the door with an 11-0 run.
By the break, the Razorbacks were up 47-30.
A season of what-ifs
Year 3 under Paris felt a lot more like Year 1. South Carolina’s 26-win, NCAA Tournament run last season raised expectations, but this year’s squad never quite found its footing.
“I would say this record that we had doesn’t reflect the team that we had,” Murray-Boyles said. “This is a really, really good squad. Even rivals last year’s squad. This is a really good team. We just couldn’t figure out late-game situations. Especially in away games.
“I would say we wouldn’t be hanging our heads on this year. There’s a lot to learn from this year, especially going into next year.”
Blame the schedule? Maybe. The league was a gauntlet — 13 SEC teams are projected to make the NCAA Tournament, an all-time record. Fifteen of USC’s 18 conference games were against Quad 1 opponents.
Blame the close calls? That too. The Gamecocks had five losses by five points or fewer in a seven-game stretch early on in SEC play. None stung more than the buzzer-beating heartbreaker against No. 5 Florida — a game USC led the entire game before the last-second UF score.
Blame the transfer portal? Possibly. The additions of Jamarii Thomas (Norfolk State), Nick Pringle (Alabama) and Jordan Butler (Missouri) addressed roster needs but didn’t shift the tide.
“This is a resilient group to have a lot of close calls and not have the successes that they wanted to in terms of wins, and still know and believe that that’s a real thing for us,” Paris said. “Then to go to practice every day with that in mind, come out in the games and play the way they continued to play.”
Regardless of where the blame lands, the reality is simple: Changes need to be made to the roster for next season.
But for now, South Carolina’s season is over. Unless, of course, the NIT throws them a lifeline — and only if the Gamecocks accept an invite.
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 3:23 PM.
