Final score: Georgia 74 South Carolina 62
What does it mean?
With the loss, South Carolina (17-16) is now eliminated from the SEC tournament. Georgia will go on to face No. 21 Arkansas in the semifinals on Saturday. The defeat was South Carolina’s first against Georgia this year after going 2-0 against the Bulldogs during the regular-season. It also snapped a three-game winning streak for the Gamecocks.
Despite the loss, it’s unclear whether or not South Carolina’s season is officially over, though.
While it’s very unlikely that the Gamecocks will earn a bid to the NIT, South Carolina could possibly participate in the CBI (College Basketball Invitational), which is something head coach Frank Martin said the Gamecocks would consider.
Turning point: With South Carolina trailing 67-62 in the final minute of the game, Georgia sophomore guard J.J. Frazier heaved a desperation three-pointer with the shot clock running out. It went in to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to eight points with 41 seconds remaining. That deficit would prove to be too much for the Gamecocks to overcome.
Key player
Marcus Thornton (Georgia) — Although Thornton missed Georgia’s first matchup with the Gamecocks back in January due to a concussion, he caused problems for South Carolina on Friday night. Thornton’s 6’8”, 235 lbs proved to be too much to handle. Shooting4-7 n from the field, Thornton led Georgia with 15 points while pulling down eight rebounds.
Key stat: After holding Missouri and Ole Miss under 40 percent shooting, South Carolina allowed Georgia to make 47 percent of its shots from the field.
Analysis: One night remove from a crazy victory over Ole Miss, signs of fatigue stood out in the Gamecocks’ loss to Georgia. Playing in its third game in as many days, South Carolina faced its toughest challenge of the tournament against the well-rested Bulldogs, who hadn’t played since last Saturday.
While South Carolina had its way with the Bulldogs earlier this season, a healthier Georgia team was ready to play and the Gamecocks struggled to defend Georgia. South Carolina played in a zone defense for much of the first half, perhaps to save energy, but Georgia was able to handle it without many problems and led 33-26 at halftime.
Nonetheless, South Carolina came out re-energized in the second half and the Gamecocks, who once trailed by as many 12 points, fought back.
After a basket by junior forward Laimonas Chatkevicius with 11:40 in the second half, South Carolina led 44-43.
Sophomore guard Duane Notice led the Gamecocks with 20 points as he made four of his seven three-point shots.
Chatkevicius and sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell also scored in double-digits, with each player adding 10 points apiece.
Ultimately, Georgia’s depth and the Gamecocks’ tiredness did South Carolina in.
With Thornton leading the way, Georgia had 34 points in the paint, and the Bulldogs out-rebounded South Carolina 34-29.
On offense, South Carolina made just 37 percent of its shots and only one of its final nine attempts from the field.