South Carolina continues to move up in latest AP poll ranking
As a massive week gets underway, things got off to a good start for South Carolina on Monday afternoon.
The Gamecocks (24-5, 12-4 SEC) moved up to No. 17 in this week’s AP poll.
The higher ranking comes after they beat Texas A&M on the road then overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to knock off then-No. 24 Florida. The wheels are back in motion as South Carolina has now won three straight games.
In the NET rankings, not much has changed. The Gamecocks moved up one spot to No. 47. And in KenPom, they’re ranked 43rd. But in hindsight, these rankings don’t hold much weight compared to the AP poll. And ultimately, there are bigger goals in mind than being ranked.
Looking ahead, South Carolina has a chance to lock down the SEC regular season title with two wins this week. But it won’t come easy. The Gamecocks are at home against No. 4 Tennessee on Wednesday at 7 p.m. And then, they’ll travel to Starkville for the regular season finale against Mississippi State on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Meechie Johnson helps South Carolina to victory with explosive second half
By: Peyton Butt
South Carolina bounced back from a rough first half to secure an 82-76 win over the Florida Gators on Saturday. Junior guard Meechie Johnson was responsible for the Gamecocks charge to victory in the second half.
Going into the second half, Johnson and the Gamecocks proved their adaptability and changed their style of play to slow Florida down. Johnson led the charge, scoring 21 points in the second half compared to just four in the first.
“No credit here to me on my part that’s for sure,” head coach Lamont Paris said. “He played well, and you can see it, he got into a couple situations and he finished them.”
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Later on, Johnson found his footing thanks to his teammates setting him up for shots and success.
“Late in the game I just wanted to do whatever I could to help my team,” Johnson said. “Whether that was scoring, getting my teammates involved, getting stops on the other end, getting rebounds whatever I needed to do I wanted to do it to help us win.”
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In the first half, Johnson went 1-for-5 from the field and 0-for-2 from the three-point line. However, his confidence soared in the second half, going 9-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from three-point range.
“My teammates believed in me, my coaches believed in me. It was a slow start and like I said I just do whatever I can to help my team win,” Johnson said. “I put a lot of work in and trust my work so all glory goes to God to be able to have a performance like that.”
In addition, Johnson showed his versatility as a player with four rebounds and three assists. Furthermore, his teammates were able to feed of off Johnson’s confidence and accuracy to help South Carolina get the win.
RELATED: South Carolina-Florida Box Score
When it mattered most, Johnson found the net. In the final minutes, Johnson hit a massive three-point shot to extend the lead to five.
“100 percent, I knew that was a big play, I knew we needed to get something,” Johnson said. “Thats a blessing to be able shoot the ball like that. Because they don’t know whether I’m going to drive, whether I’m going to shoot, that just felt good.”
