South Carolina at Oklahoma: Three things to watch for, scouting the opponent and injury report

South Carolina has now lost two straight conference matchups by a three-point margin. It will be hoping to break that streak on Saturday afternoon.

The Gamecocks (10-7, 0-4 SEC) are hosted by Oklahoma in a weekend contest. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. on ESPNU.

Here are three things to watch for, an opponent scouting report on the Sooners, plus the latest injury report.

Will South Carolina find an offensive identity?

With South Carolina’s latest three-point loss, it’s officially been three weeks since they’ve scored 70 points in a game. The Gamecocks are averaging 61.0 points per game in four SEC games this season, all losses.

The past two games have been without lead guard Jamarii Thomas. The Norfolk State transfer was averaging 12.3 PPG before suffering a knee sprain. He’s sidelined for a few more weeks. 

In the meantime, a struggling offense is looking for answers and points from anywhere on the court. Star forward Collin Murray-Boyles posted 25 points against Auburn, and Morris Ugusuk with 20 in the loss to Vanderbilt.

Oklahoma allowed 42 combined points to Texas guards Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope on Wednesday night. That could spell good fortune for Ugusuk or Jacobi Wright on Saturday. 

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Figuring out a new rotation 

Since the injury to Thomas, (and the absence of Myles Stute) Lamont Paris has tweaked the Gamecocks rotation and added new contributors. Arden Conyers is averaging 25.3 MPG over the past three games. That’s almost exactly the amount of time spent on the court by Stute this season.

Ugusuk forced his way into the starting lineup after Thomas went down. However, he had recorded 20-plus minutes every game since a November tilt against Xavier. In the past two games, he’s averaged 30.0 minutes per game in a small sample size in the starting lineup. That includes his 20-point outing against Vanderbilt. 

Despite the loss of Thomas, Cam Scott has not yet seen a major increase in minutes. He tallied ten minutes against Mississippi State, eight against Alabama, and 13 minutes on the court against Vanderbilt. 

As the team adjusts to life (temporarily) without Thomas and Stute, Lamont Paris and the Gamecocks will continue to iron out a new normal. 

Frontcourt depth needs to show up on the road

Of the four true “big men” on the Gamecocks roster, Murray-Boyles and Nick Pringle have recorded the most time in action. Murray-Boyles is second on the team with 30.2 MPG. Pringle is close behind with 24.9 MPG. 

But Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk is averaging 5.3 MPG and Jordan Butler is at 4.6 MPG. Bosmans-Verdonk has seen a slight increase (7.0 MPG) in conference games. He’s also forced jump balls and made hustle plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet. But the duo is a combined 0-for-12 from the field since Dec. 3.  

That type of offensive production, or lack thereof, isn’t enough to supplement Murray-Boyles and Pringle. One of two of BBV or Butler will need to step up offensively if either of the two starting big men get into foul trouble. 

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Scouting the opponent

The Sooners are led by fourth-year head coach Porter Moser. Moser may be best known for leading Loyola-Chicago to the Final Four in 2018. He also took the Ramblers to the Sweet Sixteen in 2021. 

Moser, however, hasn’t yet achieved the same success in Norman. In his three full seasons, the Sooners have not made the NCAA Tournament. After starting this season 13-0, Oklahoma stumbled to a four-game losing streak once SEC games started. The Sooners are one of three (Arkansas, South Carolina) SEC teams without a win in the 2025 calendar year. 

Freshman Jeremiah Fears has made an immediate impact in Norman. The Joliet, IL, native is second on the team in PPG (16.8) and leads the Sooners with 4.2 APG and 1.9 SPG. Earlier this season, the 6-foot-4 guard had a clutch four-point play to lead Oklahoma over Michigan.

Forward Jalon Moore is leading the Sooners in PPG with a 18.1 mark. The one-time Georgia Tech transfer is in his second year in Norman. He’s averaging 20.0 PPG against ranked opponents this year, and although South Carolina is very much not in that category, Moore is the man that the Gamecocks need to focus on stopping defensively. 

High Point transfer Duke Miles is the third Sooner in double-figures this season. The fifth-year senior isn’t the tallest, standing at 6’2”, but he’s hitting threes at a 43.9% clip. That’s better than any mark on South Carolina’s roster. 

Oklahoma is elite at preventing opponents from hitting perimeter shots. The Sooners are allowing just a 27.9 three-point percentage to opposition. That ranks 8th in D-I, and South Carolina is connecting on just 33.2% of their long-distance attempts. That mark puts the Gamecocks at 213th nationally, and it isn’t a stat that necessarily bodes well.

One area that the Sooners aren’t the best at is in the battle of the rebounds. Oklahoma is averaging just 32.8 RPG, 323rd nationally and last in the SEC. South Carolina is 10th with 36.4 per game. Murray-Boyles and Pringle could be in line for a big day on the boards.

Injury report

Once again, South Carolina will be down two starters. Stute (blood clot) and Thomas (right knee sprain) are out. Stute will continue to be out indefinitely, while Thomas’ return timeline will likely stretch a few more weeks.

Oklahoma will have all its players available for Saturday’s game.

Game details

Who: South Carolina (10-7, 0-4 SEC) at Oklahoma (13-4, 0-4 SEC)

When: Saturday, Jan. 18 at 4 p.m.

Where: Lloyd Noble Center (11,528)

How to watch/listen: ESPNU/107.5 The Game

ESPN gives South Carolina a 26.3 percent chance to win

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