South Carolina Basketball: Another Solid Road Effort Nets USC a Win against LSU

South Carolina basketball has not had the season they envisioned when they brought in new Head Coach Lamont Paris and five-star freshman GG Jackson. Coming into Saturday’s matchup with LSU, the Gamecocks had only two conference wins and owned the worst overall record in the conference. LSU, the only team with a worse conference winning percentage than Carolina, welcomed the Gamecocks to Baton Rouge as both teams were desperate to snag a win against another conference bottom dweller.

A 2022-2023 season oddity, South Carolina basketball has played significantly better on the road this season than at home, especially during conference play. The team’s only two victories in the SEC came at Rupp Arena against the Kentucky Wildcats and on the road in Oxford, Mississippi against the Rebels of Ole Miss. The team’s competitive effort on the road continued on Saturday against the Bayou Bengals.

The game began with a bit of a surprise as GG Jackson returned to the starting lineup in place of an injured Chico Carter, who leads the SEC in 3-point percentage. The move energized Jackson, and he was much more engaged in the game and with his teammates. He started the game off with a nice defensive play that eventually led to him getting the ball back for a transition three. The good start continued as Jackson knocked down another three, and Jacobi Wright followed his example with three big jumpers of his own.

The South Carolina lead swelled to twelve as the team scored seven baskets (six threes!) on seven assists. LSU went on a quick run by capitalizing on Gamecock turnovers and brought the score to 20-18. Back-and-forth scoring for the rest of the half saw the Gamecocks hold onto their lead as the clock expired. Headed into the intermission, Lamont Paris’ team led 36-31.

The second half began the same way the first half did: the Gamecocks made shots from deep. Meechie Johnson and GG Jackson each splashed home two deep three-pointers in the early going of the second period, including a 4-point play from Johnson. After Johnson’s play, LSU made a few buckets to cut into the lead, but the Gamecocks responded behind the efforts of Johnson, Jackson, and Hayden Brown to re-establish a solid 10-point lead at 70-60 with five minutes remaining.

The Gamecocks coasted to the final buzzer, but LSU could not cut into the lead as the CourtCocks continued hitting their outside jumpers. Meechi Johnson, GG Jackson, and Jacobi Wright were the leading scorers for the Gamecocks, and the team was an excellent 17-18 from the stripe. The major difference between the two teams came in the disparity from the arc and in setting up teammates. The Gamecocks finished the game 15-32 from distance (LSU was 7-21), and they also set up teammates with good looks, assisting on 20 of their 25 made baskets (LSU had just nine assists). The fifteen made threes are a season-high for South Carolina basketball.

The GG Jackson-Lamont Paris saga took an interesting turn on Saturday. The player and coach combination appeared much more friendly as Jackson played with much more intensity and effort. Perhaps the two men have put the past two weeks behind them.

The South Carolina basketball team will return home to take on the country’s current number-one Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team on Wednesday.