Gamecocks overcome struggles to get hard-fought road win
After a loss to Alabama on the road, the Gamecocks were in for another difficult test when they traveled to Missouri. Road games in SEC play have proved to be a challenge for head coach Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks.
But when South Carolina needed to step up the most, it was able to do so and leg out a win on Saturday.
“It’s super hard, it’s hard in any league in the country,” Paris said. “It’s hard to go on the road and get a win.”
Despite entering the game 0-2 in SEC play, Mizzou players brought the heat and a stadium packed full of fans.
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The attendance at Mizzou Arena Norm Stewart Court in Missouri against the Gamecocks was 11,135. All things considered, the fans did not make it easy for South Carolina to get a win on the road.
“It’s just the crowd, the crowd here was great,” Paris said. “They responded to everything, I heard a couple funny things before the game from them about a couple of our players.”
Aside from being in a new unfamiliar environment, road games also pose a challenge for traveling and the focus of players.
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Finding confidence on the road can be a difficult task at times. Guard Meechie Johnson could not lock in or adjust to Mizzou, scoring just five points and four rebounds. He also had five turnovers.
“It’s hard to lock in and tone things out. It’s hard to focus, it’s hard to recover,” Paris said. “That’s what’s really hard on the road, it’s hard to recover from something you did that led to something negative. Our guys did a really good job of doing that; it’s just very difficult.”
As South Carolina moves to 2-2 on the road this year, they will look to grow and adjust to other environments. Last season, South Carolina fell to 4-8 on the road, including losses to SEC opponents like Tennessee and Georgia.
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Winning on the road means a little bit more in terms of confidence building and momentum as a difficult schedule continues.
“We covet any win certainly but the road wins are something all together,” Paris said.
The Gamecocks will look to build some momentum at home against Georgia (2-1 in SEC play). They will again hit the road Jan 20 to take on Arkansas (0-3 in SEC play).
