If there was one play indicative of how this season’s gone for Keyshawn Bryant, it happened Wednesday night.

With the Gamecocks down single digits, Bryant rose up, displaying that freakish athleticism he’s become known for, only to miss the dunk and lead to a subsequent run out on the other end of the court.

That play—the flash of springiness, inches off from a spectacular play and the other team capitalizing off of it—epitomizes how much of a weird year it’s been for the oft-injured Bryant.

“He’s all over the place right now. I got no idea what he’s doing and I don’t think he knows what he’s doing," Frank Martin said. "I feel bad for him because he’s really trying. He hasn’t been able to be consistent with all his plethora of injuries this year. Every time he gets to a place where he’s at peace with what he’s doing he’s been hurt. He’s not been able to find consistency there.”

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Looking just at Bryant’s numbers tends to tell the story that he’s regressed, but there’s more to it than that.

The sophomore is shooting the ball a percentage point better from three but two percent lower from the field while averaging fewer points and fewer rebounds this season.

But for Bryant those numbers are indicative of what’s been a frustrating, injury-riddled second season for him.

A knee injury derailed what could have been a breakthrough sophomore season causing him to miss the first eight games of the season after what Martin called a “great” preseason.

He’d return and play eight full games before getting a concussion in the first three minutes against Texas A&M and having to essentially miss two full games. Then, his other knee flared up and he’s played through that hobbled, not looking right now like the guy he was as a freshman.

He’s only scored in double figures once since Jan. 25, a stretch of eight games, and his offensive rating in SEC play is 81.7, lower than his 84.6 mark last year.

“I just tell him to keep fighting and keep working. He knows that,” Maik Kotsar said. “I’ve told him that before. Just keep being aggressive and don’t give up.”

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Bryant’s struggles came to a head Wednesday night in a three-point loss to Mississippi State where he put up just six points on 3-for-9 shooting and had just two rebounds. He did have three assists and two steals but also fouled out.

“If we’re not going to make threes. I don’t think statistically he was very good—two offensive rebounds, two defensive rebounds, three of nine from the field and fouled out—if we’re not going to make threes, we need him to make impactful plays.”

The frustrating thing for South Carolina (16-10, 8-5 SEC) is the Gamecocks are entering a pivotal stretch for tournament purposes, needing as many wins as they can get to feel comfortable about earning an at-large bid.

They’ll need Bryant to be there for it and getting back to the way he played as a freshman and at times this year.

“It’s not for lack of effort. He’s really trying to find consistency. The problem is the guys that we play against don’t cooperate,” Martin said. “They’re good teams that are very well coached with good players. It’s hard to get your confidence back when you’re playing against the teams in this league.”