South Carolina Basketball: 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down from Ole Miss win

South Carolina basketball fans were a little more nervous than they would have liked this week. After two bad losses last week, the Gamecocks had five games left on the schedule, and all five have a chance to be considered Quad-1 opportunities. Tough games are needed for a team's NCAA Tournament resume, but with the Gamecocks scuffling a bit, some wondered if they were in danger of missing out on the Big Dance.

Those worries can be forgotten.

On Saturday, a road game against Ole Miss stood between the Gamecocks and getting back in the win column. Lamont Paris' team, even without wing Myles Stute who injured his knee at practice during the week, handled the Rebels with relative ease, controlling the game almost the entire 40 minutes and winning 72-59.

The shooting efficiency discrepency was stark: South Carolina basketball shot 44% from the field and 47% from behind the 3-point arc (despite getting blocked 11 times), while Ole Miss managed to hit just 33% of their attempts from the floor and a measly 19% from outside.

Other than some early offensive rebounds, Carolina dominated the rebounding battle, too. With four different players snatching at least five boards, the Gamecocks outrebounded the Rebels 44-34. Zach Davis set a career-high with 9.

Speaking of Zach Davis career-high numbers, the sophomore also scored 14 points, the most he has ever scored in garnet and black. He played a good game but took an ugly elbow to the head from Ole Miss guard Allen Flanigan. Flanigan was ejected (and likely will be suspended), but Davis was able to stay in the game.

After a slow start, BJ Mack led the team in scoring with 17 after scoring 14 in the 2nd half. Ta'Lon Cooper had a vintage Ta'Lon Cooper game with 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Meechie Johnson struggled with his efficiency (1-11 shooting), but he was hurt by what felt like a lot of missed calls that didn't go his way.

In the end, Carolina won big in a road SEC game against a team with NCAA Tournament hopes. They are now 22-5 and 10-4 in the SEC.

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