Live updates/game thread: Auburn at South Carolina
South Carolina hits the court Saturday afternoon trying to avoid its second three-game losing streak of the season.
The Gamecocks (8-10, 1-4 SEC) host an Auburn team on a four-game winning streak and creeping into the top 15 of the KenPom rankings. South Carolina is coming off consecutive double-digit losses while the Tigers (15-3, 5-1 SEC) are coming off an 18-point win at LSU.
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GamecockCentral is on hand to provide full analysis of the game, where South Carolina’s football team will be honored at halftime.
Follow along with live updates here.
Lamont Paris talks GG Jackson inconsistency, getting the freshman going again
by Collyn Taylor
Lamont Paris knew GG Jackson would hit a freshman wall at some point. And it seems the Gamecocks’ forward is in the midst of it.
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South Carolina’s five-star freshman has struggled for consistency in SEC play, putting up consecutive inefficient performances to Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
With 13 regular season games to go, the Gamecocks need to get Jackson going and that comes by getting back to work this week.
“Maybe get in the gym a little more and let’s dissect what you’re doing with your shot. Is it coming down to your footwork? I don’t like to do laser surgery on a guy’s shot mid-season,” Paris said. “But are there small things we can pinpoint you can easily change? The preparation, the depth of your shot, the overall quality of your shot. Those are things we can do: spend more time in the gym. Some of that’s on him.”
For Jackson, it’s been a tale of where the Gamecocks have played in league play.
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Jackson’s averaging 14.5 points and five rebounds per game in two road games–at Vanderbilt and Kentucky–while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 2-for-9 from three in 37.5 minutes per game.
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Compare that to the three home games since conference games started where Jackson is averaging 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He’s shooting just 17.1 percent from the field and is 2-for-18 from three.
Jackson finished with 15 points in a loss Tuesday. But he did it on an inefficient 5-for-20 shooting to pair with seven boards and three assists. Most of that, though, came late in the game with South Carolina down double digits.
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Paris has tried to run a few different kinds of sets for him, and it’s still a struggle for him to consistently see the ball go in, especially at home.
“I try to run some stuff and get him to spots. I’ve tried to get him in a ball screen, I’ve tried to get him in naked situations where he can attack with not much help, I’ve tried to get him jump shots. I’ve tried to get him mid-range post-ups, I’ve tried to get him threes,” Paris said.
“We’ll continue to try to get him in some situations where he can be aggressive. Some of it you just have to get in the gym and see it go in. when you see it go in, you’ll believe it goes in. when you believe it goes in, it’s going to go in even more.”
