Meechie Erupts in Second Half, South Carolina Defeats Florida

With just one week remaining in the SEC regular season, every conference matchup has extensive implications for the final standings. After being projected to finish dead last in the SEC, the South Carolina Gamecocks have turned heads across the country, and they did so again today after beating the Florida Gators by a score of 82-76. Despite finding themselves down by six at the break, the resilient Gamecocks were able to hang around through much of the second half before eventually taking a lead with five minutes left. Some timely shot-making and preventing the Gators from getting to the offensive boards late in the game sealed the huge win for South Carolina.  

South Carolina junior guard Meechie Johnson went nuclear in the second half, scorching the Gators for 21 of his 25 points in the final 20 minutes. He also hit a clutch three-pointer with just 44 seconds remaining to put the Gamecocks up by three. Freshman forward Collin Murray-Boyles recorded his first collegiate double-double, putting up 15 points (9/10 from the FT line) and 11 rebounds. The Gators were led by guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin, who dropped 20 and 18 points respectively to keep the squad afloat through the second half amidst offensive struggles. 

With the victory, the Gamecocks improve to 23-5, and 12-4 in SEC play. They have more or less secured a top-five seed in the NCAA tournament field but have much more to play for in the last two regular-season games. Their matchup on Wednesday in Columbia against Tennessee can elevate them to the top of the conference standings, one more step closer to securing the regular season championship. The Gators drop to 20-9, and 10-6 in conference action, which hurts their chances at a NCAA bid. They should be able to find their way in with a win against Alabama on Tuesday, a game that will be enormous for the SEC tournament standings as well.