Collin Murray-Boyles was awesome, but there was one other key to South Carolina basketball's first SEC win
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As is often the case, sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles was the start of the show. The Columbia native went off for a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double, including 16 points and seven boards in the first half of play. Adding to his big performance, CMB tacked on three blocks and three assists, too. Had it not been for some strange officiating that saw him log five fouls in 11 minutes in the second half, Murray-Boyles would have put up even bigger numbers.
As good as No. 30 was, he wasn’t the only reason South Carolina earned a “1” in the win column. Against Texas, the Gamecocks logged just eight turnovers for the game. USC’s five perimeter players who got minutes Saturday (Jamarii Thomas, Jacobi Wright, Zach Davis, Morris Ugusuk, and Arden Conyers) combined for just five turnovers in about 124 total minutes on the floor.
Eight turnovers isn’t an overly dominant number (though, it is a good one), especially coming from a team that was one of the SEC’s best at not giving the ball away last season. However, Lamont Paris’ team has struggled mightily at times this year to hold onto the pumpkin. Eight was a welcome change.
The eight turnovers marked just the second time in 14 SEC games that South Carolina won the turnover battle. In a loaded Southeastern Conference, winning games while losing the turnover battle is extremely difficult.
On the season, the Gamecocks have eight games in which they’ve turned the basketball over less than 10 times. In those contests, USC owns a 5-3 record. Considering the team is 11-16 overall and 1-13 in league play, that’s a solid record. Conversely, in games with double-digit giveaways, Carolina is 6-13 overall and 0-10 against SEC foes.
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If there is any hope at all that the Gamecocks can finish strong this year to build momentum for the 2025-2026 campaign (or even a run in this year’s SEC Tournament), keeping the turnovers down will remain a key.
Win tickets to USC-Clemson baseball (Sunday game in Columbia)
South Carolina basketball will look to start their first SEC winning streak of the season on Tuesday night. The Gamecocks will travel to “the other Columbia” for a date with the Missouri Tigers. Dennis Gates’ ranked Mizzou squad has lost just one game at home all season.
The Gamecocks and Tigers will tip off at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday. ESPNU will broadcast the contest, while the ESPN app makes it available for streaming.
