Can the Gamecocks Right the Ship Following 95-48 Loss to Florida?

South Carolina suffered a 47-point loss at the hands of the Florida Gators. Where do the Gamecocks go from here?

Jan 28, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Mike Sharavjamts (55) attempts to drive around Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

South Carolina suffers its worst defeat of the season as they fall to the Florida Gators by 47 points, 95-48. The Gamecocks have just one win in the last five games and have fallen by an average 27 points in those four losses. At 11-10 on the season, and 2-6 in conference play, where does Lamont Paris' squad go from here?

What Happened?

Florida really dominated this game from the open tip. Five Gators scored in double digits on Wednesday evening and outrebounded the Gamecocks 45 to 24. As a team , Florida shot over 62 percent from the field, over 42 percent from three, and over 71 percent from the free throw line. South Carolina could not stop Florida on defense.

On the flip side, the offense was no where to be found for the Gamecocks. As a team they scored a total of 48 points on 25.86 percent shooting from the inside the arc, 15 percent from three, and over 88.24 percent from the free throw line. South Carolina's 48 points throughout the game matched Florida's total in the first half alone. Meechie Johnson (10) and Eli Ellis (13) were the only two Gamecocks in double digits last night. Together they shot 6-22 (27 percent) on that end of the floor.

What's Next?

Jan 28, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Elijah Strong (31) attempts to driver around Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

This is the worst loss of the season for the Gamecocks and is coming off a 23-point loss at the hands of Texas A&M. A game in which South Carolina was out shot from the floor and outrebounded (43-30) once again. What's immediately next is a home Saturday matchup with the LSU Tigers, who had a tough loss of their own on Wednesday.

However as far as the outlook for the season goes, it's pretty bleak. At 11-10 the chances of a tournament run are all but gone, unless the team can manage to pull together a string of wins to end the season and go on a run in the SEC tournament. If that doesn't happen, the heat on Lamont Paris' seat may get hotter by the loss.

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