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

Lamont Paris’ South Carolina basketball team remains winless in SEC play. Now sitting at 10-14 on the season and 0-11 in league play, the Gamecocks have had their heart broken repeatedly this season. As things stand, USC has seven losses by one or two possessions this season, six of them in SEC contests.

Ironically, Carolina’s next opportunity to move past the heartbreaks comes on the day after Valentine’s Day. On Saturday, South Carolina (10-14, 0-11) will travel to Gainesville to take on the No. 3-ranked Florida Gators (21-3, 8-3). The SEC rivals will tip off at 8:30 p.m. in the O’Connell Center on the SEC Network.

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

Playing for pride? Revenge?

South Carolina has not had a good season on the court this year. But the Gamecocks are not nearly as bad as their record indicates. With so many close losses and could-have-been wins this year, frustration is high. Many teams in similar situations have (essentially) quit, but that hasn’t happened despite the circumstances.

So, at this point, what is there to motivate the Gamecocks?

A sense of personal pride and commitment is paramount in a situation in which the 2024-2025 Gamecocks find themselves. If there is any shot whatsoever of the team making a run in this year’s SEC Tournament, they have to keep playing hard and working to fix some things.

Saturday’s game also presents an opportunity for some on-court revenge. South Carolina fell by one point at home to the Gators in January. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the Gamecocks gave up the lead to a Will Richard layup and didn’t get off a quality look by settling for an unnecessary 30-foot jumper with two seconds still left on the clock. Carolina outplayed their opponent that day, but turnovers (especially against the press) allowed the Gators back in it, and a poor finish forfeited the outcome.

Can South Carolina come out ready to play for 40 minutes on Saturday?

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An unfriendly road

As much as South Carolina has out-performed its overall record at home this season, the Gamecocks have been flat-out bad on the road.

In seven contests in unfriendly environments this season, USC is 1-6. The only road win came over a putrid Boston College in the SEC/ACC Challenge back in early December. In the six defeats, South Carolina has lost by 16, 35, 3, 20, 11, and 23. That averages to a point differential of -18 in those defeats. 73 points (against BC) is the team’s high-water mark on the road this year. Florida has scored at least 73 points in every home game of the season.

To have a chance on Saturday against the No. 3 Gators, South Carolina must buck more than a couple trends. However, in a strange twist of irony, the Gamecocks have won three of their last four games at the O’Dome.

Saturday’s game against Florida also is the first in a three-out-of-four stretch away from Colonial Life Arena.

Who actually will play for Florida?

At the risk of overlapping with the injury report, Florida’s rotation is certainly worth watching, primarily because it is so up in the air right now.

On Friday, the Gators announced the return of 2023-2024 starter Micah Handlogten. The 7’1″ big man hasn’t played since late last season when he broke his leg.

However, two other Florida post players will not play, according to head coach Todd Golden. Both starter Alex Condon and rotational player Sam Alexis are “out” on the SEC-mandated availability report.

Starting guard Alijah Martin hasn’t played in about two weeks. The 15-points-per-game scorer has been dealing with a hip issue. His official designation is “probable,” but his status is a little more up in the air as Golden called him “questionable” on Friday.

Even with all of those personnel questions, Florida is a very good basketball team. Thomas Haugh is one of the best bench forwards in the country, and he could slide into the starting lineup. If not, then it’s likely Handlogten, a player with over 60 college starts.

Still, with Collin Murray-Boyles as South Carolina’s best player, Florida’s thin frontcourt depth could give the Gamecocks a helping hand. In his two previous career games against UF, CMB has missed just five total shots from the field, logged a double-double in one game, and dished out a career-high eight assists in the other contest.

Scouting the opponent

For a full look into Florida, click here to read Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina basketball’s next opponent, the Florida Gators.

Injury report

For South Carolina: Myles Stute is OUT (blood clot).

For Florida: Alex Condon is OUT; Sam Alexis is OUT; Alijah Martin is PROBABLE

Game details

Who: South Carolina (10-14, 0-11 SEC) at No. 3 Florida (21-3, 8-3 SEC)

When: Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8:30 p.m.

Where: O’Connell Center (10,133)

How to watch/listen: SEC Network/107.5 The Game

ESPN gives South Carolina an 8.2% chance to win.

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