With each team desperate to end losing streaks, Georgia hosts South Carolina in Southeastern Conference play on Tuesday in Athens, Ga.
Georgia (14-6, 2-5 SEC) entered the Top 25 on Jan. 13 for the first time in 14 years after wins over then-No. 6 Kentucky and then-No. 17 Oklahoma, but the Bulldogs have since dropped four in a row.
The Bulldogs followed last Wednesday’s loss at Arkansas — in which they blew a 15-point lead — with Saturday’s 89-59 defeat at No. 5 Florida. On an afternoon where little went right for Georgia, the 18 turnovers committed stood out to head coach Mike White.
“It’s been a big factor in all of our losses,” White said of the turnover problem. “It’s not a strength of ours. Our decisions, our carelessness with the ball at times, our ball toughness, our incorrect reads, they’ve all been problems.”
Blue Cain’s 10 points led the team in Saturday’s loss, as Georgia failed to reach the 70-point total in its fourth consecutive game.
In what’s been labeled as the best conference college basketball has seen in years, White knows his team can’t take the last-place Gamecocks for granted Tuesday.
“It’s such a unique time in the SEC. It’s the best conference in the history of college basketball,” White said. “I know we say (South Carolina) has struggled because of the win-loss column, but they’re really good. We’ve got to be better offensively and in every area on Tuesday.”
On the season, Asa Newell leads Georgia with 15.1 points per game, followed by Silas Demary Jr.’s 11.3 and Dakota Leffew’s 11.0.
South Carolina (10-10, 0-7) remains the only SEC team without a conference victory this season, but it’s certainly had its chances. Of the Gamecocks’ seven straight losses, four have been decided by five points or fewer, including Saturday’s 65-60 overtime loss to No. 14 Mississippi State.
“If it doesn’t break you, it’ll make you stronger,” South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris said. “It hasn’t broken our guys. … Our day is coming. I believe that wholeheartedly.”
In Saturday’s loss, South Carolina shot 29.3 percent from the field and 20 percent on 3-pointers. Offensive efficiency has continued to be a problem for the Gamecocks, who haven’t scored 70 points in a conference game and rank 15th of 16 teams in the SEC with a 43.5 percent shooting mark on the season.
Collin Murray-Boyles paces the team with 15.1 points per game, followed by Jamarii Thomas’ 12.8.
–Field Level Media
