South Carolina lost 78-63 at Missouri last night in a game that the Gamecocks never had control of.
South Carolina couldn’t do anything without freshman AJ Lawson. Hassani Gravett started over Lawson and played well, but the rest of the team couldn’t get anything going.
The Gamecocks never held the lead and have now lost three straight games.
Gravett was the only player for the Gamecocks who could make a three-pointer. He finished with 20 points and three assists. The biggest issue for the Gamecocks was Chris Silva only played 15 minutes because he fouled out. Silva finished with 12 points, but didn’t have a single rebound.
Freshman Keyshawn Bryant finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, but it still wasn’t enough to win. Tre Campbell and Maik Kotsar struggled to shoot and the Gamecocks didn’t have enough depth to make anything happen.
If the Gamecocks want to make it to the NIT, they will need to win the next two games. Right now, South Carolina would be a middle to lower seed team in the NIT. If they make a run in the SEC Tournament, it might help their chances, but at this point it’s either NIT or bust.
The biggest challenge will be going forward without Lawson, who has a high ankle sprain and will be out for at least two more games.
We’ll see if South Carolina has a little magic left in order to make a postseason run.