Lamont Paris after Mississippi State loss: 'If it doesn't break you, it'll make you stronger'

South Carolina remained winless in conference play this weekend with each of their seven losses either being blowouts or, even worse, by just a possession or two.

Following the latest one at 65-60 in overtime to Mississippi State on Saturday, Lamont Paris said the Gamecocks continue to fight, though, through their longest losing streak since two seasons ago.

“Well, if it doesn’t break you, it’ll make you stronger, um, and it hasn’t broken our guys,” said Paris.

South Carolina is the only winless team in the SEC at 0-7 with an average margin of defeat of 12.4 points. However, while losing at Mississippi State, Alabama, and at Oklahoma by an average margin of 25, they’ve also lost to Auburn, at Vanderbilt, Florida, and Mississippi State again by a total of just a dozen combined. That includes this week where, in two home games, they led the Gators from start to finish before a game-winning layup with five seconds left and then, after making a 14-point comeback against the Bulldogs, lost in OT.

That’s as bad of a start as it is demoralizing for the Gamecocks with Paris feeling for them until they find a way to get one in the win column.

“These games have been, you know – we’ve had a stretch of games that have been against super high quality teams. Really close, down to the wire, nitty-gritty-type scenarios and all have not gone our way and in a lot of different ways that they have,” said Paris. “So, um, I told the team after the game that – I said I felt bad. I felt bad for ’em but I was happy with, with how we competed and how we fought, and I do believe our day is coming.”

“When I say that, I don’t mean our day to win. Obviously, it would entail some of that. But I think our day where we recognize what it is that really prevents us from handling some of these games in a way where we win,” Paris said. “When that really happens, when we really acknowledge and figure that out as players then, then, really like what our group is.”

Paris also thinks he does have the team and the players to do it despite now being at .500 this season.

“We’ve got a good group of guys. They continue to play extremely hard. They want to win badly, you know. We just – there were just two handfuls’ worth of plays that we just didn’t make. It’s not for lack of effort or a guys’ head is in the wrong place or his motives are not with the team. There’s none of that. That happens at times. It’s not that,” Paris said. “I just, you know – we have to play better at times.”

South Carolina has not won since the turn of the calendar with some of the losses being more frustrating than the last. Still, there are two more opportunities for them this week to get their first win in league play in trying to not lose each game in their first half of the schedule.

“I feel for them for that one but we’ll get back to business tomorrow and, like I said, our day is coming,” said Paris. “I believe that wholeheartedly with these guys. We get our guys all back healthy and continue to try and get better.”