Context is important.
At first glance, you might see this result as somewhat explainable. South Carolina was 9-7 in SEC play heading into this game, the SEC is rumored to have 8+ teams headed to the dance, and we had nothing to play for. It makes sense, right?
Not exactly. The Gamecocks had a horrific spell in non-conference play, and their recent three-game losing streak saw them completely dropped from the NCAA Bracketology picture. What’s more - they were severely hampered by injury and had just lost another significant contributor in AJ Lawson.
And with all that being said, they crushed us in Reed Arena, our sixth home defeat by 15 or more points this season.