South Carolina basketball got smacked by Alabama at the beginning of this past week, but they finished the week on a winning note. In a road trip to the "other Columbia," the Gamecocks beat the Missouri Tigers in overtime to move to 14-2 on the season and 2-1 in SEC play.
Utilizing a brand new starting lineup (Collin Murray-Boyles was inserted for Stephen Clark), Carolina got out to a quick lead against the Tigers, but Missouri bounced back. A run from the Gamecocks cut Mizzou's lead to just 1 at halftime (the same margin as the Alabama game). Missouri held a small lead for most of the 2nd half before Ta'Lon Cooper tied the game in the closing seconds with a 3-pointer.
Lamont Paris' team controled the overtime period, but after a clutch jumper from Jacobi Wright, Mizzou still had an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead in the final seconds. A nice defensive possession from Cooper sealed the deal, and the Gamecocks escaped CoMo with a huge win in SEC play.
It was not a banner day for Meechie Johnson, and Coach Paris actually sat Johnson for the final few minutes of regulation and most of overtime because it just wasn't his day. However, the previously struggling BJ Mack had a really nice game on offense, scoring 21 points on 7-13 shooting from the field and 6-6 from the free throw line.
Solid performances from Ta'Lon Cooper and Jacobi Wright plus nice moments from Collin Murray-Boyles and Myles Stute helped the Gamecocks do just enough to win.
It was the type of game that last year's South Carolina basketball squad (and likely several of the years before that) would have found a way to lose, but this year's USC team is good. The 'Cocks did enough to win 71-69.
South Carolina Basketball vs. Missouri Tigers
Thumbs Up 1: Bounce Back BJ
There's no denying that BJ Mack has not been at his best for a while. He had not shot better than 50% since December 1st and was averaging under 10 points per game on more than 10 shots per game during that same stretch. Saturday looked much different.
Mack had 21 points on 7-13 shooting (including 6-8 from inside the arc) and shot a perfect 6-6 mark from the free throw line. He also scored most of his baskets in isolation as no Missouri Tiger could match his strength and footwork combination. If he can continue to play like this, the Gamecocks will continue winning games in the SEC.
South Carolina Basketball vs. Missouri Tigers
Thumbs Up 2: Clutch 'Cocks
In the last 1:04 in regulation, the Gamecocks had two players step up in a big way. Josh Gray pulled down an offensive rebound, drew a foul, and hit two free throws (!!!!!) after subbing in for BJ Mack, and then Ta'Lon Cooper hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in regulation. Cooper then had a marvelous defensive effort to stop Sean East, utilizing the Gamecocks' final "free" foul and then forcing a bad shot for a miss at the buzzer.
Then, in overtime, Jacobi Wright made a tough, contested jumper to put the Gamecocks ahead with 13 seconds left in the game. On Missouri's final possession, Zach Davis played such tight defense that Noah Carter's shot from the top of the key had no chance of going in, sealing the Gamecocks' victory.
South Carolina Basketball vs. Missouri Tigers
Thumbs Up 3: Extra Energy from the Freshman
Collin Murray-Boyles got his first start on Saturday, taking over for Stephen Clark in the opening 5. He didn't light up the box score (6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists), but he did a little bit of everything for the Gamecocks. He also provided a lot of juice as a defender who could battle down low and challenge players on the perimeter. When USC got out to its early lead, much of it was because of CMB as he scored a basket, assisted on another, and caused problems with his athletic and aggressive defense.
South Carolina Basketball vs. Missouri Tigers
Thumbs Down 1: Meechie Johnson
Meechie Johnson had a bad game against Missouri. He only got off 6 shots and scored 5 points, and he gave the ball away with 5 turnovers. Coach Paris didn't feel comfortable playing his star much late in the game because of his struggles.
However, a huge positive from this negative was seen on Saturday. Even after his "benching," Johnson was actively involved in every huddle, encouraging his teammates and helping coach up the guys on the floor by sharing what he was seeing from the sideline. It was a beautiful show of his leadership of the Gamecock basketball team.
South Carolina Basketball vs. Missouri Tigers
Thumbs Down 2: Turnovers
The Gamecocks had 16 turnovers in CoMo, significantly more than they typically do. Making matters worse, 11 of them were live ball turnovers that led to 15 points for the Tigers. Meechie Johnson and Myles Stute combined for 8 of them, and the USC starters had 12. They also had a few more non-turnovers that were basically turnovers when they dropped rebounds out of bounds or fumbled would-be steal opportunities. Because of the more deliberate style of offense that Coach Paris likes to play, Carolina cannot afford to give away so many possessions.
South Carolina Basketball vs. Missouri Tigers
Thumbs Down 3: Over-Helping on the Perimeter
A bit of a nit-picky thumbs down from the Missouri game came inside the Gamecocks' perimeter defense. For the most part, Carolina played solidly near the arc, especially in the 1st half when they held the Tigers to just 1-12 shooting from 3-point land.
However, when Missouri started knocking down shots (4-10 from behind the arc after halftime), the Gamecocks started getting too aggressive helping their teammates on the perimeter. On several possessions in the 2nd half, Carolina defenders prematurely went for traps, came from down low for unnecessary and late closeouts, or struggled in ball-screen defense by arriving too late. It wasn't a terrible problem, but it is something that will need to be cleaned up a bit moving forward.