Lamont Paris shares thoughts on upcoming Clemson game and how it can prep South Carolina for SEC play

Lamont Paris admittedly hadn’t started his prep for USC Upstate this weekend. He planned to get around to studying his new opponent on Wednesday night, but he can’t help but know what game comes after this next one.

After South Carolina plays the Spartans on Saturday, the focus will shift to the marquee matchup of the non-conference slate — the one that holds a little extra meaning in this state. Especially coming off a big win in football not too long ago.

With the Gamecocks up 3-0-2 in the Palmetto Series, Paris knows his team has a chance to create a little more separation when No. 16 Clemson comes to Columbia next Tuesday.

“With some of the Gamecock performances this year against the ole Tigers,” Paris said on ‘Carolina Calls’ with Derek Scott on the Gamecocks Sports Network, “we feel like we gotta hold up our end of the bargain.”

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Each of the first two games that Paris has coached in this rivalry have been thrilling to say the least. In only his second game as the program’s head coach, which happened to come on his birthday, Chico Carter Jr. hit a go-ahead jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining.

Then last season, one year removed from South Carolina’s 60-58 win, the Gamecocks blew a late second-half lead at Littlejohn Coliseum to allow Clemson to pick up a 72-67 comeback win.

Now this year, with both teams coming off great seasons — South Carolina reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years and the Tigers advancing to the Elite Eight — the stakes are sure to be high come Tuesday night.

“They’ve been good games. No reason to think this one won’t be either,” Paris said. “It’s a good game for us. Good game for them. Fun for the state to be able to rally around.”

Clemson has picked up right where it left off from last season by winning nine of its first 10 games. The lone blemish on the schedule has been an 84-71 loss on the road to Boise State last month. Otherwise, it’s been a tremendous start for the Tigers with their signature win coming against No. 5 Kentucky in the SEC/ACC Challenge last Tuesday.

Paris said, without mentioning what exactly, he notices “some similarities stylistically in some of our foundational beliefs.” Clemson no longer has PJ Hall or Joseph Girard III, its two leading scorers from a season ago. But the Tigers do return key contributors like Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin, who have already been impact players so far this year.

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Meanwhile, South Carolina has been playing a lot better basketball recently, rattling off three straight wins heading into Saturday’s game with Upstate. The Gamecocks have already beaten two other ACC opponents this year and seem to have put some of their early losses behind them.

And this rivalry game gives them a chance to get right back in the mix for the early postseason hunt. With a win, it would also serve as a building block as the team gets ready for a grueling SEC schedule after the new year.

“If you took our conference schedule as it stands right now, we have 15 of our 18 games are Quad I. 15 of our 18 games are Quad I. That’s crazy. That is just silly,” Paris said. “And some of that is you’re on the road and at Vandy, which would make it a Quad I. Whereas, if that game was a home game, maybe it’s a Quad II.

“The way the cards shook out with the schedule, I told them it was a hard schedule before the season. I look pathetic now. It’s 15 out of 18 games being Quad I. That’s ridiculous.”

South Carolina will face Clemson next Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Colonial Life Arena. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on SEC Network.

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