NCAA Basketball: Tennessee, Baylor, Illinois rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
19. South Carolina (21-5)
It’s been an outstanding season in South Carolina, with these Gamecocks taking the SEC and the nation by storm with some of their brilliant play. A few really nice wins in late January really put the Gamecocks on the map, part of a sustained streak of brilliance. Unfortunately, they’re coming off what’s certainly their worst week of the season, seeing their 7-game winning streak silenced in an instant.
Things were far from pretty on Wednesday, losing 101-61 at Auburn in a troubling blowout. Meechie Johnson had 22 points and Collin Murray-Boyles scored 19, but the defense and bench were both very ineffective. The blowout was really bad, but Saturday’s loss stings just as much, as the Gamecocks lost 64-63 at home to LSU. B. J. Mack scored 18 points and had 9 rebounds, though the result was another disappointment.
South Carolina was off to a torrid start this season but fell off hard this week. It’s not the end of the world and the Gamecocks clearly need to shake this off in an instant. They’re still sitting well at 9-4 against a strong SEC but there’s no easy game left this season, beginning next weekend at Ole Miss. Can we reasonably expect a bounce back from this team before the postseason begins?