Gamecocks Fall to Georgia, Securing Last Place in SEC Standings
COLUMBIA – The wait for a winning streak will have to continue.
South Carolina’s hopes of securing back-to-back SEC victories were dashed by Georgia in a 73-64 defeat on March 4, spoiling Senior Night and cementing what had been in motion since Jan. 4, when the Gamecocks began their 13-game losing streak. The loss ensures USC will finish last in the SEC during what has been the conference’s strongest season, locking them in as the 16th seed for next week’s SEC Tournament.
USC will open the tournament at 1 p.m. on March 12, facing the ninth seed and needing an improbable five wins in five days to secure an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. It’s March Madness, where dreams and chaos collide, but the Gamecocks’ Cinderella story seems far-fetched.
At 12-18 (2-15 SEC), USC would need a miracle run—though before entertaining that thought, they must first drastically improve their performance from the Georgia loss.
Much like their 71-60 defeat in Athens on Jan. 28, Georgia’s sharp shooting and defensive presence proved too much. However, this time, USC limited turnovers to just five, a small improvement that ultimately wasn’t enough.
The Bulldogs’ 11-point halftime lead shrank to two when Nick Pringle converted a three-point play with 9:24 remaining. The Colonial Life Arena crowd, though sparse, tried to drown out a vocal Georgia contingent, as USC searched for the home-court spark that had delivered their only two SEC wins this season.
But then, Blue Cain struck. After Georgia missed its first five three-pointers of the second half, Cain drilled a three, then another just 38 seconds later. Suddenly, the lead ballooned to 10, and while USC fought to stay in the game, they never got back within a possession.
The same issues haunted them again—outshot, outrebounded, and outmatched. With Georgia (19-11, 7-10 SEC) aiming to strengthen its postseason resume, the Bulldogs were simply too much for the struggling Gamecocks to handle.
