5 things to know about the South Carolina Gamecocks

At 7 p.m., Kentucky will look to get back in the win column vs. a South Carolina team that’s 7-8 on the season, 0-2 in SEC play. Brandon Ramsey broke down the Gamecocks in exquisite detail for you earlier today, but if you want the quick hitters before tip-off, this is the post for you.

1. Their head coach is Lamont Paris

It was a busy offseason in the SEC, with five new head coaches coming into the league and one switching schools (Mike White). Lamont Paris replaces Frank Martin, who was fired in March and ended up at UMass. Paris spent five seasons at Chattanooga, leading the Mocs to an 87-71 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022. Chattanooga led No. 4 seed Illinois until the final minute before losing 54-53.

Prior to taking the job at Chattanooga, Paris was on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs at Wisconsin from 2011-17, playing a key role in recruiting and developing players like Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, Nigel Harris, and Ethan Happ. Drew Franklin has more on what you need to know about Paris’ background with the Badgers, which will probably make you root against him some more.

2. That win over Clemson may have been fools gold

South Carolina’s roster features eight new players, four transfers and four freshmen. The Gamecocks were picked to finish last in the SEC but turned some heads two games in with a 60-58 win over instate rival Clemson. On his 48th birthday, Paris became the first first-year head coach in South Carolina history to beat Clemson since Dave Odom in 2001. From there, the Gamecocks lost three straight, falling to Colorado State, Davidson, and Furman in the Charleston Classic.

In fact, aside from Clemson (No. 52) and Western Kentucky (No. 150), South Carolina hasn’t beaten a team in the KenPom Top 150 this season. The Gamecocks are 0-2 so far in SEC play, losing by five in overtime at Vanderbilt and by 43 (!) to Tennessee in Columbia, their worst loss in a decade. Depressingly, KenPom projects them to lose all of their remaining games this season.

3. GG Jackson is the star (but went scoreless vs. Tennessee)

In July, five-star power forward GG Jackson backed off his pledge to North Carolina and committed to his home state South Carolina Gamecocks, becoming the highest-ranked recruit in program history. So far, he’s mostly looked the part, leading South Carolina in scoring (15.7 PPG) and rebounding (8.1 PPG); however, he turned in a dud vs. Tennessee, going scoreless on 0-8 shooting and recording just a single rebound and four turnovers in 22 minutes. He scored 13 points vs. Vanderbilt but was 0-7 from the three-point line.

The rims at Rupp can be kind to certain opponents. If they don’t help Jackson break out of his slump, they made yield to Chico Carter Jr., who is shooting 50.0% (33-66) from three and hit the game-winner vs. Clemson. Carter had 24 points, including four threes, in South Carolina’s loss to Vandy on Jan. 3.

4. Their shooting percentages are BAD

If you think Kentucky is struggling on offense, check out South Carolina’s stats. The Gamecocks are averaging 64.3 points per game, which ranks 311th in Division I, on 39.6% shooting, which ranks 335th. They’re making 31.1% of their threes, 45.5% of their twos, and 62.8% of their free throws. That last stat ranks 345th in the country. If you thought the Cats were bad from the charity stripe this season, the Gamecocks are worse.

All those misses may be the reason South Carolina is so good at offensive rebounding. The Gamecocks average 11.3 offensive rebounds a game, which ranks 22nd in the country. (Kentucky is fourth at 12.7 — thanks, Oscar!)

5. It’s the easiest game left on Kentucky’s schedule

The one thing you really need to know about tonight’s game? Kentucky should win, and in a relatively easy fashion. This is the easiest game left on the schedule. The Gamecocks are No. 215 in KenPom. Kentucky doesn’t play a team ranked outside the KenPom Top 100 for the rest of the regular season. The Cats desperately need to regroup after getting blown out by Alabama. They should do that tonight, even if it may not mean much heading into a daunting road trip vs. No. 5 Tennessee.