On January 9th, South Carolina suffered a 27-point defeat to Alabama to drop to 1-1 in conference play. In the post-game, head coach Lamont Paris sighted mental issues for the team’s performance, nothing more. Since then the Gamecocks have gone 5-1, with a home win over Kentucky and a road win at Tennessee. With two of the best wins in the conference, and currently sitting at second in the SEC, this looks to be the best South Carolina team since a 2017 Final Four appearance.