Trying to keep their heads up after losing by 20 points Tuesday will be difficult as the Gamecocks continue on in their next away game.
South Carolina will take on Vanderbilt for the first time this season in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Commodores (12-10, 2-7 SEC) recently won against Florida 67-61 with the home court advantage. Vanderbilt has a winning record of 10-3 in their home games which is exceedingly more than the Gamecock’s away record of 1-4.
The Gamecocks (11-10, 2-7 SEC) will continue their trip on the road after losing to Arkansas 75-55, marking their worst loss this season. Even though South Carolina kept up the score by half time, the Razorbacks quickly took the lead leaving the Gamecocks in the dust.
Even though the Gamecocks lost by a large amount, head coach Frank Martin was proud of his team's defense, but respects the opposing team and their head coach as well.
“I thought defensively we fought. I can't fault our players' effort. But we got too loose with the basketball,” Martin said. “Mike has a fun team to watch. Always are. And as a friend I'm real proud of the program he is building here.”
Sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell, who scored 16 points in the game, says Arkansas “capitalized on our turnovers” throughout the game. The Gamecocks marked a season high in that department, finishing with 20 turnovers.
South Carolina put its best effort forward with only nine healthy players available due to multiple injuries on the team. Sophomore guard Justin McKie and sophomore forward Demetrius Henry were forced to sit out against Arkansas because of concussions or concussion-related symptoms. Freshman guard Shamiek Sheppard was also out because of fluid in his right knee.
Vanderbilt has no problem with shooting averages of over 10 points per game. Sophomore center Damian Jones and freshman guard Riley LaChance average 15.1 and 12.5 points, respectively.
The Gamecocks also have a few players with averages of 10 points or more per game this season. Those players include sophomore guards Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice, both averaging about 11 points per game. Senior guard Tyrone Johnsonhas brought an average of 10 points per game this season.
Even though the Dores have players with more prolific scoring averages, the Gamecocks only fall behind in average points per game by two points. Vanderbilt scores 69.7 points per game while South Carolina owns an average of 67.7 points per game.
Men's basketball does't having a win in Nashville since 2010, so South Carolina will put their best efforts forward to break this losing streak in Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym at 9 p.m.