South Carolina MBB swept by Georgia in home-and-home series

Lamont Paris reacts to the Gamecocks' loss to the Bulldogs

Mar. 3, 2026 at 3:47am

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The South Carolina men's basketball team fell to the Georgia Bulldogs 87-68 on the road, marking a sweep in the home-and-home series between the two SEC rivals. USC head coach Lamont Paris discussed his team's struggles on both ends of the floor, including a lack of defensive intensity and poor decision-making that led to Georgia's dominance.

Why it matters

This loss drops South Carolina to 0-2 against Georgia this season, putting them in a tough position in the SEC standings. The Gamecocks have relied heavily on junior forward Elijah Strong to provide offensive production, but his foul trouble limited his impact in this game. Paris will need to find ways to get his team playing with more consistency and discipline on both ends of the court.

The details

Georgia made 12 three-pointers compared to just 6 for South Carolina, and outscored the Gamecocks 40-28 in the paint. Paris felt his team lacked "juice" on defense early on, allowing Georgia to get off to a hot start. A key moment came when USC missed two free throws that could have cut the deficit to 7 points going into halftime, instead allowing Georgia to extend their lead. In the second half, Paris said his team "just didn't play great" as the Bulldogs continued to dominate.

  • The Gamecocks lost 75-70 to Georgia at home on January 10th.
  • The rematch took place on Saturday, March 1st, 2026 in Athens, Georgia.

The players

Lamont Paris

The head coach of the South Carolina men's basketball team.

Elijah Strong

A junior forward for South Carolina who has been a key offensive contributor, but was limited by foul trouble in this game.

Mike White

The head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“I thought we did a good job withstanding the barrage that took place early on in the game. They made everything from beyond the arc specifically. We did a good job withstanding that. We fought back at the end of the half.”

— Lamont Paris, Head Coach, South Carolina

“In the second half, we just didn't play great.”

— Lamont Paris, Head Coach, South Carolina

“Mike is a tremendous coach, and they do some really good things, but a couple of those things, as I saw with my naked eye, we fell asleep. As a guy's moving from the baseline to the top of the key, we're way behind for no reason.”

— Lamont Paris, Head Coach, South Carolina

What’s next

South Carolina will look to bounce back in their next SEC matchup as they continue their quest to improve their conference standing.

The takeaway

This loss highlights the need for South Carolina to play with more consistent intensity and discipline on both ends of the floor, especially against top opponents in the SEC. Developing Elijah Strong's offensive game while ensuring he avoids foul trouble will be a key focus for Coach Paris moving forward.