South Carolina outmatched in paint by Butler in first loss of season

This has been the concern since the beginning. All offseason, South Carolina’s guard play had been talked up as undergoing major improvements, which it has. Its paint presence is a different story.

It wasn’t much of an issue through the first four games, which it shouldn’t have been against lower mid-major teams. But Friday was the first real test against a quality opponent, and well, it’s a bit more of an issue now.

The Gamecocks struggled to keep up with Butler down low as they suffered their first loss of the year, losing 79-72 in the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.

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Right from the start, it became clear that South Carolina (4-1) might have a tough time defending the glass against a Butler team with a lot of size. As a result, the Gamecocks fell behind by double digits by the eight-minute mark. They were able to cut the deficit down to two with under two minutes to go until the break, but the Bulldogs added to their lead with a 7-2 run in the final 90 seconds.

That lead only grew as Butler came out of the gates strong in the second half. After cutting the deficit down to six, the Gamecocks went nearly five minutes without a made shot, and by that point, they were down by double figures.

Meechie Johnson was a big part of why South Carolina was able to stay in it, even cutting the lead down to single digits. He led the way with 24 points on 8-of-19 shooting with a trio of made threes, three rebounds, and two assists.

However, the aforementioned trouble down low near the basket proved to be a hindrance that kept the Gamecocks from regaining the lead. Butler dominated in the rebound battle, outgaining them 48-29. 15 of those rebounds were on the offensive glass, helping the Bulldogs to 23 second-chance points. They also had 42 points in the paint compared to South Carolina with 32.

The Gamecocks utilized their two 7-footers off the bench, like Jordan Butler and Christ Essandoko, to try to counteract this problem. However, they combined for only six points and seven rebounds in 25 total minutes of floor time.

Offensively, the team shot 40.3 percent from the field and failed to reach the 80-point mark for the first time this season. It was once again another tough day from three-point range as they went 7-for-26.

Besides Johnson, Mike Sharavjamts and Eli Ellis were the only other players to finish in double figures. Sharavjamts had 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while Ellis also went for 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

Up next: South Carolina will be back in action at The Greenbrier on Sunday when it faces Northwestern. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.

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