Just one week ago, the South Carolina men’s basketball team was playing some of its best basketball in recent memory. The Gamecocks were riding high, having won seven consecutive games, including a marquee win over then No. 9 Iowa State.
Things have quickly changed, though.
Seven days later, that same South Carolina team (9-5, 0-2) received a reality check of sorts following an 0-2 start to SEC conference play after losing a close game against Florida (72-68), and getting outplayed in a 65-49 defeat on the road against an Ole Miss team that nearly upset No. 1 Kentucky.
“As connected as we were a week ago today, we are as disconnected,” South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said after his team’s loss to Ole Miss. “The complete opposite.”
Martin acknowledged that his team had a tough week, while also noting that perhaps his guys had become too confident during their winning streak.
“Everybody else is excited about league play, and our guys think that they’ve arrived because we’ve beat some other teams,” Martin said. “It’s frustrating.”
After losing consecutive games to Charlotte, and Akron in November, South Carolina was able to rattle off seven wins in a row, but it will be much tougher for South Carolina to bounce back from this losing streak now that the Gamecocks are in conference play.
Nevertheless, Martin’s team will try to get back to its winning ways against their upcoming opponent Alabama.
Unlike the Gamecocks, the Crimson Tide enters its trip to Columbia having played well as of late.
Alabama started off conference play with a pair of impressive double-digit victories over Texas A&M (65-44), and Tennessee (56-38).
Like South Carolina, Alabama is a team that prides itself on its defense.
The Crimson Tide has allowed opponents to shoot just 41.2 percent against them, second best in the nation.
“They guard you,” Martin said. “They don’t get out of the way. They don’t turn it over, so it allows their defense to always be in the way.”
In order to get back on track against the Crimson Tide, South Carolina will need for sophomore shooting guard Duane Notice to snap out of a mini-funk.
The Woodbridge, Canada native averaged 17.85 points per game during South Carolina’s seven-game winning streak, but Notice has failed to score in double-digits in both of the Gamecocks’ conference games while shooting only 23.5 percent.
“I just got to keep my confidence up, and stay in the gym, and stay on top of my game in terms of game planning, and playing within the system,” Notice said.
Also, sophomore small forward Sindarius Thornwell, one of South Carolina’s go-to players on offense, has been held in check so far in conference play, averaging only seven points per game through two SEC contests.
Meanwhile, the Gamecocks, who are giving up just 59.6 points per game, will look to continue their tough play on defense against a Crimson Time squad that has struggled to score at times.
Alabama is shooting only 44.7 percent from the field while making just 29.7 percent of its three-point shots.
Senior shooting guard Levi Randolph leads Alabama with 15.3 points per game.
South Carolina defeated Alabama 67-66 in the only matchup between the two teams last season.
South Carolina will host Alabama (12-3, 2-0) in Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday at 9 p.m (ESPNU/WatchESPN).