A look back at what happened the last time South Carolina and Clemson met at Colonial Life Arena
7.8 seconds. That’s all the time that was left in the game as the 2022-2023 versions of South Carolina and Clemson found themselves tied, 58-58. The men’s basketball edition of the Palmetto State rivalry had been a tight one all night as neither team ever pulled ahead by too much. A game with seven ties and five lead changes, as one might expect, came down to the final shot.
Just before the clock read 7.8 seconds, though, Clemson had scored seven straight to tie the game. Brevin Galloway made a 3-pointer, assisted a PJ Hall bucket, and then canned two clutch free throws to draw the tally even.
Lamont Paris, in what was just his second game as the head coach in Columbia, took a risk. He did not call a timeout during Galloway’s trip to the foul line. Then, he didn’t call one after he made both shots. Instead, he trusted his guys on the floor. You can watch what happened below.
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Freshman phenom GG Jackson inbounded the ball to veteran guard (and Columbia native) Chico Carter. Jackson and guard Meechie Johnson positioned themselves as trailmen as Carter drove the length of the floor. However, as the Gamecocks’ most efficient scorer on the day, Carter knew the last shot was his.
Despite great defense from Galloway, Carter dribbled to the baseline on the left side of the basket, maneuvered back a little to the middle of the floor, used his left shoulder to create just a smidge of separation, and fired up a 15-foot fallaway jumper. The only sound heard in Colonial Life Arena was the quiet murmuring of thousands of sharp breaths taken all at once. Then, pandemonium.
As former Gamecock Hayden Brown, a player who was on the floor for the final shot, told GamecockCentral, “Chico took matters into his own hands and made a big-time play when we needed it.”
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When Carter’s shot fell through the cylinder, Clemson called its final timeout with 0.3 seconds remaining. By the letter of basketball law, 0.3 seconds or less means no full shot (only a tip-in attempt) can be taken without the clock expiring. Galloway attempted to catch a pass, dribble, and fire up a shot. It was far too late, and South Carolina took the rivalry game, 60-58.
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Both South Carolina and Clemson basketball look different these days. Most of the rosters from those two teams have moved on since then. Both the Gamecocks and the Tigers followed up that 2022-2023 campaign with one of their best seasons ever in 2023-2024.
Now, in one of the final games before the calendar officially flips to 2025, the rivalry continues. Clemson won last year’s meeting in the Upstate, but Gamecock coach Lamont Paris joked during recent media availability that he and Tigers coach Brad Brownell agreed that the home team will win the rivalry each year. South Carolina fans hope that trend continues.
South Carolina and No. 25 Clemson will meet on Tuesday night inside Colonial Life Arena for the first time since Carter’s shot. The contest will begin at 7:00 p.m. SEC Network will broadcast the festivities. The ESPN app will make it available for streaming.
