The South Carolina Gamecocks traveled to Auburn with hopes of wrapping up their regular season with another win over the top-15 Tigers. For a solid portion of the first half, the Gamecocks appeared well on their way to doing just that with a 14-point lead. But Bryce Brown shook off a shooting slump to lead Auburn to a 79-70 victory and the SEC regular-season title.
Turnovers killed the Gamecocks in this one, with South Carolina losing the ball a whopping 24 times to Auburn’s 12. Despite limiting Brown when these teams last met, the Gamecocks couldn’t contain the Tigers’ leading scorer this time around, as he poured in 29 points.
Frank Booker once again paced the Gamecocks, setting a new career high with 27 points, and Chris Silva logged another double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, though he fouled out with nearly four minutes left in the game. Wes Myers completed the double-figuring scoring for South Carolina, adding 11 points.
The Gamecocks finish the regular season 16-15 with a 7-11 mark in the SEC. They likely need to win two games in the SEC Tournament to garner serious consideration for the NIT.
Up next: The SEC Tournament begins Wednesday in St. Louis. The seeding and schedule hasn’t quite been sorted out yet, so the Gamecocks don’t yet know their opponent or how early they’ll play.