MEN'S BASKETBALL
. DECEMBER 1, 2022

Gamecocks Fall at George Washington, 79-55​

Gamecocks shot just 32.3 percent compared to 50.8 percent for the Colonials

Not much has come easily for the South Carolina men’s basketball team in its first season under Lamont Paris — and the same held true in USC’s first road test of the season. Facing off against George Washington at the Charles E. Smith Center, the Gamecocks clearly left whatever offensive progress they had made back home in Columbia. The Gamecocks lost to the Colonials 79-55 on Wednesday, struggling to hit shots from the opening tipoff. USC (3-4) never held a lead against the George Washington (5-2), which thrilled the lively hometown crowd with a barrage of dunks and 3-pointers.

After the game, Paris pointed to his own team’s lack of competitiveness as a key reason for the loss. “They were more competitive than us, and I don’t have a magic play for that,” Paris told The State. “We got our butts kicked. We got some guys that have to learn how to compete, honestly. And that’s me being real. We’ve got a couple of guys that just don’t compete very at a high level.”

Simply put, the USC offense was anemic Wednesday. The Gamecocks opened the game by making just two of 12 field-goal attempts, prompting Paris to take an early first-half timeout. But it didn’t get any better. At one point, the Gamecocks had made just four of 22 field goals, and they finished the first half shooting at an 8-for-33 clip, benefiting from a last-second 3-pointer at the tail end of the half.

Paris has talked often about his defensive-first mindset and the specific principles he asks his players to follow — many handed down from former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. One of the goals of Paris’ defense is to make the opposing team feel uncomfortable, yet the Colonials couldn’t have looked more comfortable on the offensive end. The very first play of the game was a wide-open dunk by George Washington center Hunter Dean, and the ease of that score set the tone for the remaining 40 minutes.

INJURY UPDATES
With

all the turnover from last year’s squad, we already knew this year’s USC team wouldn’t be deep. But a string of early-season injuries haven’t helped. In good news for the Gamecocks, both guards Chico Carter Jr. and Meechie Johnson were available Wednesday after dealing with ankle injuries that sidelined them in the team’s win over USC Upstate. Carter started for the Gamecocks while Johnson — whose injury was more severe — played off of the bench. In bad news for the Gamecocks, promising freshman Daniel Hankins-Sanford didn’t make the trip to Washington due to an illness. His status is unclear for Saturday’s game.

NEXT USC MBB GAMES

  • Saturday: at Georgetown, 12 p.m. (FS1)