Takeaways From Another SEC Loss
The South Carolina Gamecocks haven't put it together in conference play. After the Missouri Tigers pulled away late in the contest on Tuesday night, Lamont Paris' squad officially lost their eighth consecutive SEC game dating back to January 14th. It's a stretch of games that has seen the Gamecocks show minor trends that have held them back in the final minutes.
What were some of the takeaways from their loss to Missouri? Did some of these aforementioned trends continue?
Varied Pressure Got To Carolina Guards
The toughest loss that the Gamecocks have had to swallow up to this point is the Georgia loss. This game saw South Carolina up by double digits with just 12 minutes left, only to lose grasp of the lead late due to the constant full-court press defense Georgia began to throw at Carolina. Tuesday night unfolded in a similar tune. The Gamecocks could never grab the lead and maintain it due to Missouri running different defense's that caught South Carolina's backcourt off guard.
These sudden changes stylistically got to the Gamecocks' guards, who either wound up in jump ball situations, tried to thread the needle in airtight windows, or make cross-court passes that weren't feasible due to their ongoing situation, leading to 14 turnovers and 18 Tiger points.
Started Hot, Then Went Ice Cold
One reason this loss may sting more is that up until the ten-minute mark, Carolina shot an incredibly efficient 63.8 percent from the floor. It would have been Carolina's best offensive outing all season if maintained.
Down by one with 10 minutes to go, they began to miss at the worst possible time. Carolina made only one of its final fourteen shots, allowing Missouri to get more into a flow with their transition offense and run away with the victory at the end.
Jackson Responds Well
GG Jackson was benched to start the game after his postgame social media rant on Saturday. He handled the punishment well, communicating with his teammates, giving good effort, and finishing with 23 points on 66 percent shooting from the floor.
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