Three things to watch for as South Carolina goes on the road against Florida

South Carolina men’s basketball continues its road trip with a game against Florida on Tuesday night. The Gamecocks are in the midst of a season-long six-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Gators lead the SEC while sporting a five-game winning streak.

Florida is one game ahead of Arkansas for the conference lead with just a handful of games left to play. Tip-off from the Stephen C. O’Connell Center will be at 7 p.m. on SEC Network.

Here are three things to watch as the Gamecocks (11-14, 2-10 SEC) face off against the Gators (19-6, 10-2 SEC).

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You know what they say about history

South Carolina faced off against Florida quite recently. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, it didn’t quite go to plan. The Gators trounced them at home by a 95-48 margin, the worst loss of the Lamont Paris era. Oddsmakers aren’t so bullish about the Gamecocks’ chances this time, either. ESPN currently has Florida as 23.5-point favorites heading into Tuesday.

So what can South Carolina do to boost their chances against arguably the hottest team in the SEC right now? For starters, they’ll need to rebound. Last time out against Florida, the Gamecocks were killed on the glass, losing the rebounding margin 45-24. Florida’s starters outrebounded South Carolina’s entire roster by seven boards. That’s not a recipe for success against a ranked opponent, especially on the road.

Another lapse on the Gamecocks last time out was interior defense. Florida had a solid day shooting from behind the arc in Colonial Life Arena, hitting 9-of-21 threes. But that was nothing compared to their efficiency from two. The Gators attempted 40 shots inside the arc and made 29 of them. The 72.5 two-point percentage is the worst mark given up by South Carolina all year, and one of the worst two-point defense performances in the Paris era. The Gamecocks need to clean that up if they’re going to have a chance on Tuesday.

Opportunity Knox

Kobe Knox had a career game on Saturday against Alabama. The South Florida transfer tied a career-high with 21 points against the Crimson Tide. He added six rebounds, a team-leading six assists, and two steals to his box score. Though the effort came in a loss, it’s not isolated. Knox has quietly been one of the most productive players for South Carolina recently. That shouldn’t be a shock to those that have watched his role develop over the season.

Knox averaged 28.1 minutes per game in the non-conference portion of the schedule, third-most on the team. That number’s risen as of late. In the past 10 games, all started by Knox, he’s averaging 33.2 MPG, just seconds less than Meechie Johnson and second-most on the Gamecocks roster in that span. Despite standing at a listed 6-5, Knox leads the team in rebounds (5.6 per game) over the team’s last 10 games. Additionally, he’s causing havoc in passing lanes (1.3 steals per game) without turning the ball over (1.2 turnovers per game).

Last time out against Florida, Knox was the only Gamecocks player to shoot 50% or better from the field. He might not be first on the team in shot volume, (Knox is fifth with 7.0 field goals attempted per game) but he’s one of the most efficient shooters on the team. In the past five games, Knox is first on the team with a 59.5% true shooting percentage. He’s also second on the team with 12.4 points per game in that span. Among guards, he’s first on the team with a 52.9% two-point percentage.

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Which Meechie shows up in Gainesville?

Meechie Johnson truly had a tale of two halves in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. South Carolina’s leading scorer was held to just two points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half against the Crimson Tide. But he seemed to rediscover his magic in the second: Johnson scored 24 points in just 17 minutes of action. It marked his second 20-point second half of the season, after he accomplished that feat in the Texas game as well. It wasn’t enough for the Gamecocks to score the upset, but it was a valiant effort nonetheless.

If South Carolina is going to pull off the massive upset, it might take a game with Meechie having two halves of that caliber. His season-high came against Texas when he scored 35, but he also has a 33-point game against Southern Miss. In all, Johnson has eight games of 20-plus points. The bad news? Florida hasn’t given up a 20-point scorer in a game since prior to last time these two teams met. You’d have to go all the way back to January 24, when Keyshawn Hall scored 24 points in Auburn’s upset over the Gators.

The last time South Carolina beat Florida, Meechie Johnson was on the court for the Gamecocks. In fact, it was Johnson’s three that broke a late tie in that game, an 82-76 victory over the Gators at Colonial Life Arena in March 2024. He finished with 25 points, a game-high for either team. While South Carolina doesn’t have that same roster at its disposal, the Gamecocks could at least stand a chance if Johnson delivers a vintage Meechie game in Gainesville.

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