Yahoo Movies What went wrong in South Carolina’s 28-point loss to Arkansas
Whatever spark the South Carolina men’s basketball team found in its 21-point win at Georgia on Saturday didn’t make it on the ride home.
Of course, it didn’t help that the Gamecocks hosted one of the hottest teams in the Southeastern Conference.
Riding a streak of nine-straight SEC wins, No. 12 Arkansas (20-5, 12-4 SEC) secured a 10th straight conference win at Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday, defeating the Gamecocks, 101-73.
With the loss, Frank Martin’s team fell to 6-13 (4-11) on the season with just one game — a Saturday trip to Kentucky — remaining on the regular season schedule.
3 Observations from USC-Arkansas
1. Can’t stop Moody
A common trend from the South Carolina defense this season has been an inability to stop an opposing team’s top guard. In recent weeks, guards like Ole Miss’ Devontae Shuler (31 points) and Mississippi State’s D.J. Stewart (29 points) have put up career-high totals against the Gamecocks.
While South Carolina was effective in bottling up Georgia star point guard Sahvir Wheeler on Saturday, the Gamecocks had no such success against Arkansas freshman Moses Moody.
The long 6-foot-6 guard showcased his natural scoring ability from the get-go, slicing through the South Carolina defense to score near the rim while also making four 3-pointers. He tied his career high with 28 points.
2. Hogs excel from deep
While South Carolina held its own inside the paint, the Gamecocks allowed a bevy of open looks on the perimeter, and the Razorbacks took advantage repeatedly.
South Carolina came into the game ranking 13th in the 14-team SEC and 270th in the country in 3-point field-goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot at a 35.4% clip.
The Razorbacks sunk 10 3-pointers in the first half alone, making half of their attempts, which allowed them to build a commanding 17-point lead.
Given their lead, the Hogs took fewer shots from deep in the second half but still finished with 15 3-pointers on 33 attempts.
3. Shots don’t fall for USC
The Gamecocks kept pace with Arkansas early in the game, forcing turnovers on the defensive end and scoring on the fast break. Then the Razorbacks started nailing 3-pointers, and USC couldn’t answer.
The Gamecocks shot a paltry 28% in the first half and made just three of 13 3-point attempts.
Leading scorer A.J. Lawson eventually started hitting shots in the second half, making four 3-pointers and finishing with a team-high 18 points, but he was the only Gamecock who could consistenly score from the perimeter. The Gamecocks finished with six 3-pointers compared to 15 for the Razorbacks.
Next USC basketball game
Who: South Carolina (6-13, 4-11 SEC) at Kentucky (8-14, 7-8)
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
When: Noon Saturday
Watch: ESPN
