COLUMBIA, S.C. -- After the whistle sounded for a first-half Alabama timeout — with the No. 2 Crimson Tide surprisingly behind — South Carolina star freshman GG Jackson turned to the crowd at Colonial Life Arena and screamed: “This is my city.”
The energy was always expected to be high Wednesday night, with one of the nation’s top teams coming to town and with two of the country’s top freshmen going head to head. But the noise reached ear-splitting levels when Jackson and the Gamecocks seized a lead over the mighty Tide midway through the first half.
Though the Gamecocks (10-18, 3-11 SEC) would fall short against Alabama 78-76, they showed one of the clearest examples yet of the growth they’ve made during a transitional year under first-year coach Lamont Paris. USC played the Tide (24-4, 14-1 SEC) closely for the entirety of the contest, leading by as many as seven points and pushing Nate Oats’ club to overtime.
Here’s what we learned.
Miller vs. Jackson
College basketball junkies have had the Alabama-South Carolina matchup circled for some time, if only to see the top USC freshman Jackson go toe-to-toe against Alabama freshman star Brandon Miller.
That matchup took on a much different tone in Wednesday’s game, one day after Tuscaloosa police testified that Miller brought a handgun to former Alabama teammate Darius Miles on the night the gun was used to kill a woman in January. Miller was not charged with a crime, and the school announced hours before Wednesday’s game that Miller “remains an active member of our team.”
Miller started for the Tide, as did Jackson for the Gamecocks, and the two forwards tangled for much of the game, with each player seemingly trying to one-up the other.
Boos rained down on Miller from the CLA stands every time he touched the ball. The energy became so rowdy at times that police escorted fans out of the arena multiple times.
From a pure basketball perspective, the Miller-Jackson matchup lived up to the hype. Miller led all scorers with 41 points, while Jackson led the Gamecocks with 19 points.
Fittingly, Miller made the game-winning layup in the final second of overtime, driving the lane to steal a stunning upset away from the Gamecocks.
Electric first half
For a team that hasn’t won a home game since Dec. 30 against Eastern Michigan, the Gamecocks looked sharp and connected from the opening tip.
Carrying over some of the momentum they built at LSU, the Gamecocks shot a sizzling 55.6% in the first half and made five of 10 3-point attempts.
Jackson paced USC in first-half scoring with 13 points, and Meechie Johnson added a pair of 3-pointers — including a buzzer beater to end the half. Even seldom used walk-on Eli Sparkman hit a go-ahead corner 3 at one point.
Riding the energy from an upbeat student section, the Gamecocks ripped off a 16-2 run midway through the half to seize a seven-point lead of the Tide, forcing Alabama to take a timeout and leading Jackson to turn toward the crowd and scream.
Wright steps up
Sophomore guard Jacobi Wright is developing into a fixture in the starting lineup after playing off of the bench for much of the season. Wright has started the last five games, first replacing Jackson in the lineup for three game’s after Jackson’s infamous Instagram live rant, then replacing Chico Carter Jr. (knee tendinitis) in the last two games.
In addition to being one of USC’s better perimeter defenders and ball-handlers, Wright has scored double-digit points in four of the five games he started, including some critical buckets in crunch.
Wright was a key reason why the Gamecocks pushed Alabama to overtime. He made two free throws with 46 seconds left to give USC a one-point lead. Then, with the clock ticking down to 14 seconds, Wright pulled up near the top of the key and made a jumpshot to give USC a 68-66 edge — just before Alabama forced overtime in the final seconds.
Wright would strike again in the final minute of overtime, making short floaters on back-to-back possessions to tie the game 74-74. The guard finished with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
