South Carolina men's basketball took down No. 25 Clemson in Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday night, and it was not just a win over a ranked opponent but a big win over an in-state rival. After falling to two ranked opponents earlier in the season, South Carolina needed a big win, especially before heading into what could be the toughest SEC play in a long time.
It was a tough battle throughout the entire game, and the Gamecocks came out on the winning side of it all, but it wasn't just from the play they had on the court. Even after finals were over and graduation had taken place, fans poured into Colonial Life Arena and filled it full of Garnet and Black.
Not only were there families there, but more importantly, the student section was packed full of students who were either in town or even made the trip back for the big game. The crowd was electric throughout the entire game, especially when the Gamecocks were hot and on runs, but also when the players needed energy up after Clemson would get on a run.
Head coach Lamont Paris and his team knew they had a lot of help from the crowd in the game against Clemson, and he made sure to let them know just how big it was to have as many people there as they did.
"Our community was here and showed up, that was inspirational to the guys," Paris said in his postgame press conference. "So many pivotal plays, and to think that those aren't impacted at all by a crowd, a good crowd, and that is for us and for them, would be naive."
South Carolina and Clemson took the game to overtime, which gave fans some free extra basketball, and they certainly showed up for it. On the biggest plays of the game, the arena absolutely erupted and not only did Paris feel it, but the players felt it as well.
"Shoutout to all of the fans that were here supporting us," forward Collin Murray-Boyles said in the postgame press conference. "They really kept my energy high and I feel like they kept the team's energy high. Just getting late in the game, I think that is what kept me and the rest of the team going."
The Gamecocks will be back in action on Sunday, December 22, in Colonial Life Arena to take on Radford at 2:00 p.m. EST. This is one of the final two non-conference games that South Carolina will play before they head into the gauntlet that is SEC play.