Oklahoma Set for Battle With South Carolina in Desperate Need of a Win

The Sooners have lost four games in a row, and Tuesday's game against the Gamecocks feels like a must-win for Porter Moser and company.

Oklahoma forward Derrion Reid drives against Alabama. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — There are no easy games in the Southeastern Conference.

But Tuesday’s game against South Carolina is about the closest thing to that.

Through the first two-and-change weeks of conference play, every SEC squad is ranked in the top 100 of the NET rankings, which are used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to choose which teams make the field. South Carolina is second-to-last in the NET for SEC schools at No. 92.

For an Oklahoma team that has won just once in conference play so far, Tuesday’s contest feels like a must-win.

The Sooners are 11-7 overall and 1-4 in SEC play. OU opened its conference slate with a home win against Ole Miss before losing games against Mississippi State, Texas A&M, No. 19 Florida and No. 18 Alabama in a row.

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How to Watch Oklahoma Sooners at South Carolina Gamecocks

Location: Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, SC)
Date: Jan. 20
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 107.7 FM The Franchise

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The most recent of those consecutive defeats was Oklahoma’s 83-81 loss to the Crimson Tide on Saturday. The Sooners displayed offensive poise that was absent in their three prior conference losses, but ultimately, they blew an 11-point halftime lead to become one of just three SEC squads with a 1-4 conference record.

South Carolina is one of the other teams that is off to a rocky, 1-4 start to SEC play.

The Gamecocks are losers of their last three contests, and their only conference win came against LSU, which is also 1-4 in league play. South Carolina also failed to win a game against a power conference opponent during their non-conference slate, as the Gamecocks faltered against Clemson, Virginia Tech, Butler and Northwestern.

South Carolina’s offense is among the SEC’s worst, averaging only 78.5 points per game. The Gamecocks are the fourth best in the conference in terms of scoring defense, allowing just 71.8 points per contest, but they are 13th in opponent field-goal percentage (43.6 percent) and 16th in steals per game (5.3).

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Really, the only area of South Carolina’s game that sticks out in a positive way is its free-throw shooting — the Gamecocks are shooting an SEC-best 78 percent from the line.

Individually, guard Meechie Johnson is South Carolina’s key player. He is eighth in the conference in assists per game (4.2) and is also averaging 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest.

Johnson is a quality player, but he isn’t a game changer. 

South Carolina is on par with Mississippi State, which is ranked No. 95 in NET and defeated the Sooners in Starkville. The difference, though, is that the Gamecocks don’t have a difference maker like MSU’s Josh Hubbard, who leads the SEC in scoring and dropped 30 points against the Sooners.

The Gamecocks have been the SEC’s bottom-feeder for two seasons now, as they went 2-16 in league play a year ago. 

Between South Carolina’s lack of an identity and Oklahoma’s dire position, the Sooners can’t afford to leave Columbia without a victory.

Tuesday’s game will begin at 6 p.m.