Georgia flew straight from Texas to South Carolina in full business mode looking to make a strong closing argument for an NCAA Tournament bid at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (17-11, 6-10 SEC) arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, on a two-game win streak after upsetting then-No. 3-ranked Florida and Texas on the road last week. UGA has two more SEC games before the conference tournament in its bid for the program’s first March Madness appearance since 2015.
Georgia handled South Carolina 71-60 in Athens earlier this season, but the Gamecocks (12-17, 2-14) have been a tough out at home, despite their conference record.
South Carolina earned its first couple of SEC wins in its past two home games. The Gamecocks beat fellow NCAA Tournament bubble teams Texas and Arkansas at Colonial Life Arena.
Like Georgia, South Carolina also came one possession short of taking No. 1 Auburn to overtime at home earlier this season. The Gamecocks also came up two points short of upsetting Florida at home, which the Bulldogs did last week.
Other Top 25 teams in Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Ole Miss all escaped Columbia with wins by five points or less.
South Carolina imposes a physical brand of basketball, led by sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles. The 6-foot-7, 245-pounder is coming off a career-high 35-point game against the Razorbacks.
“His teammates do a good job of allowing him to be the focal point playing around them,” White said after the Texas win. “They run good actions. They guard the crap out of you. They’re really solid and physical.
“It’s another tough test, extremely difficult place to play in on the road in the SEC. South Carolina is no different.”
Murray-Boyles also enforces South Carolina’s physical nature on the boards, where he pulls down 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Gamecocks are near the bottom in nearly every offensive category of the powerful SEC besides free throws. South Carolina finds success when it lets its veteran big men attack the paint and fight their way to the foul line.
The Gamecocks beat Arkansas shooting 17-of-21 from the free-throw line and shot 34-of-45 against Texas.
Georgia was able to hold Murray-Boyles to 18 points and five rebounds earlier this season. Superstar freshman Asa Newell outdid him in the paint, totaling 17 points of his own with 10 rebounds.
Newell and fellow 6-11 freshman Somto Cyril will be charged with containing Murray-Boyles and South Carolina’s physical guards in the paint. Cyril and Newell have been Georgia’s top two shot blockers this season, but Appalachian State transfer Justin Abson also has seen increased minutes at the center position in recent games.
The Bulldogs hope red-hot Silas Demary Jr. can lead the offense again. Demary has averaged over 20 points in UGA’s past six games, including a career-high 26 points Saturday.
When Georgia beat South Carolina earlier this season, the Bulldogs shot 7-of-15 from 3-point range. Demary and Dakota Leffew both made a pair of 3-pointers in the win.
The Bulldogs have shot better from 3-point range since their off-week two weeks ago. UGA has made 25 of its 62 3-point shots in its past three games, good for a respectable 40%.
Georgia is 59-64 against South Carolina all-time. The Bulldogs won their last trip to Columbia by a 74-69 count.
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