UAB's fast pace proves to be too much for South Carolina

After picking up back-to-back wins, things looked up for South Carolina. But what came next was a big road test against the UAB Blazers.

While the Gamecocks tried to keep the game close, it was never enough, losing 84-70 Tuesday night. This was the Blazers’ second win over South Carolina in five tries.

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How it happened

The Gamecocks (5-5) struggled to contain Blazers senior guard Jelly Walker early on. Without much help, he went on a 10-0 run to open the game, hitting three straight shots from beyond the arc.

Walker, who leads the country in scoring, eventually slowed down and wouldn’t make another three-point shot until the end of the first half. South Carolina went on an 11-1 run to inch closer, even tying the game at one point. But that would be about as close as it would get to take the lead. UAB controlled the game and didn’t let the Gamecocks come near its lead again.

By halftime, South Carolina found itself trailing by double-digits, partially due to a questionable flagrant foul call.

GG Jackson had a nightmarish first half, which contributed to the team’s lackluster start. The freshman forward went 2-for-9 with five points and missed the net on a pair of shots. However, he picked up the pace and played better after the second half began. He finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting.

With momentum in UAB’s favor entering the second half, the Gamecocks couldn’t find many baskets. This allowed the Blazers to jump out to a 20-point lead, which they wouldn’t let down the rest of the way.

South Carolina started to find its stride, hitting multiple shots down the stretch to trim the deficit. But any time the Gamecocks made a shot, the Blazers answered right back. And that was the case due to 14 team turnovers.

There weren’t many bright spots in the game, but Chico Carter Jr. looked to find his rhythm again. After single-digit outings in his previous two games, he went 4-for-4 from three-point range, finishing with 13 points.

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Two observations

The slow pace didn’t do any good—South Carolina doesn’t play fast, while that’s the name of UAB’s game. There were times when the offense looked sluggish moving down the court. More than 18 minutes into the game, the Gamecocks were called for a 10-second violation. There’s no problem with playing at your own pace and looking for the best shot. But when the opposition is scoring freely, it becomes an issue.

Picking up too many fouls—The Gamecocks allowed the Blazers to head to the free-throw line on many occasions. On the night, they were 16-of-17 at the line, a 94.1 percent clip. Especially in the first half, this was how UAB was able to get out to big leads. Players weren’t afraid to drive to the hoop and get fouled. This is one of the better-scoring teams in the country and giving them free points is a recipe for disaster.

Key stat

Points in the paint—UAB finished the game with 40 points down low compared to South Carolina’s 26. It’s even more concerning when the Gamecocks allowed that many points without any contribution from senior Trey Jemison. The 6-foot-8 center only scored three points, all of which came from free throws.

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Turning point

With the first half winding down, UAB redshirt junior forward Javian Davis was met at the rim by Hayden Brown. Brown couldn’t block the shot and was called for the foul. Davis hit the floor hard and laid facedown while the trainers headed toward him.

After slowly getting up, the officials walked over to Lamont Paris to notify him that a flagrant foul would be called. Since Davis stepped out of the game, Walker took both free-throw shots and made them. By rule, the Blazers got the ball back and Walker proceeded to make a three-pointer to make it a 14-point game. Instead of potentially trailing by single digits, the Gamecocks went into a tough situation because of a questionable call.

Up next

South Carolina has a few days off before heading to Greenville to take on East Carolina Saturday afternoon. Tip-off begins at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

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