Georgia will host South Carolina on Tuesday in Athens, Ga., as both teams look to snap their current losing streaks in Southeastern Conference play. Georgia (14-6, 2-5 SEC) entered the Top 25 for the first time in 14 years on January 13 after a pair of impressive wins over then-No. 6 Kentucky and then-No. 17 Oklahoma. However, the Bulldogs have since dropped four consecutive games, including a heartbreaking loss at Arkansas last Wednesday, where they squandered a 15-point lead. Saturday’s 89-59 loss at No. 5 Florida added to their struggles, with 18 turnovers standing out to head coach Mike White. “Turnovers have been a big factor in our losses,” White said. “Our decision-making, carelessness with the ball, lack of ball toughness, and poor reads have all been issues.” Blue Cain led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the loss to Florida, as Georgia failed to reach 70 points for the fourth game in a row. White is aware that South Carolina, despite being last in the SEC standings, is a formidable opponent and not to be taken lightly. “The SEC is having its best season in history,” White noted. “South Carolina has struggled in terms of wins and losses, but they’re a good team. We need to be better offensively and in all areas on Tuesday.” Asa Newell leads Georgia with 15.1 points per game, followed by Silas Demary Jr. (11.3) and Dakota Leffew (11.0).
South Carolina (10-10, 0-7) remains the only team in the SEC without a conference victory but has had several close calls. Four of the Gamecocks’ seven straight losses have been by five points or fewer, including Saturday’s 65-60 overtime defeat to No. 14 Mississippi State. “If it doesn’t break you, it’ll make you stronger,” said South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris. “It hasn’t broken our guys… I believe our day is coming.” Despite their competitiveness, offensive efficiency has been a persistent issue for South Carolina. They shot just 29.3 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc in their loss to Mississippi State. The Gamecocks have yet to score 70 points in a conference game and rank 15th in the SEC with a shooting percentage of 43.5 percent for the season. Collin Murray-Boyles leads South Carolina with 15.1 points per game, followed by Jamarii Thomas, who averages 12.8.
