South Carolina looks to avenge January loss to Gators in Gainesville
For the South Carolina basketball team, the mantra this season has been improving as the season progresses.
After a 0-4 start to SEC play, USC (9-11, 1-5 SEC) finally showed some progress with a 56-54 upset win over Alabama one week ago. However, Saturday the Gamecocks took another step backwards with a 66-62 loss on the road at Ole Miss.
Heading into tonight’s game in Gainesville, Fla., against Florida (17-4, 5-1 SEC), coach Darrin Horn is still confident that his team is improving.
“Our focus has continued to be the same thing,” Horn said. “Let’s keep getting better. We definitely made progress on the road at Ole Miss, we had a chance to win the game. That’s what you want to do in league play on the road. We missed a free throw and credit their kid for making a shot.”
Tonight will mark the second time USC has faced the Gators this season. In the last meeting at Colonial Life Arena, USC started the game hot and took a 41-40 lead into halftime before faltering in the second half, eventually losing 79-65. Florida burned the Gamecocks from behind the arc, making 12 of 24 3-point shots.
“We have got a very dangerous Florida team coming up,” Horn said. “They’re essentially leading the country in 3-point shooting. I think if you say that you have to go in and shut down their 3-point shooting, well that isn’t going to happen — they put up 26 a game. Some are going to drop in. I think what we have to do is eliminate some of the easy ones that come off of our mistakes where we have a bad turnover and it leads to a transition 3.”
Despite shooting guard Damien Leonard’s prolonged shooting slump, Horn has decided to keep him in the starting lineup, citing his work ethic and effort in practice.
“I just want to win,” Leonard said. “I just want to go out there and play hard and do what the coaches want me to do.”
USC is no stranger to playing ranked teams this season, and after tonight’s game the team has just two days to prepare to face No. 1 Kentucky at home Saturday. It will be the fourth meeting versus a top-five team for USC this season. This is something that Horn says is beneficial to his team, despite the challenging nature of the short turnaround against top teams.
“This is a team that has continued to build confidence,” Horn said. “We have practiced that way and played like it on Saturday against an Ole Miss team that has been very good at home. Our focus has got to be to continue to play that way and put ourselves into position to win one of these games on the road.”
The Gamecocks will need Damontre Harris to stay out of foul trouble tonight as he was limited to just 16 minutes on the court against Ole Miss, which hurt USC in more areas than one.
“His presence is huge for us in a lot of ways, specifically as it relates to his athleticism around the basket,” Horn said. “He can grab a few rebounds, block some shots and keep guys away from the rim. When he is not out there, we really don’t have anyone else like him.”