Vegas assumed South Carolina wouldn't fare quite as well on the road against the defending SEC Champion Alabama Crimson Tide, making the Gamecocks 11.5 point underdogs heading into tonight's matchup. At first, it seemed like South Carolina might prove the bettors wrong, with the Gamecocks taking their first deficit into any halftime yet this year, but at a respectable 30-29 difference after a solid 1st half performance that we've come to expect this season.

But then disaster struck. It took South Carolina 7 minutes of game time to score in the second half, and went 16 for 17 shots at one point, allowing the Tide to quickly pile on a double-digit lead and turning a hopeful start into a hapless finish. Even after the Gamecocks finally put some 2nd half points on the board, they only mustered 5 points in the first 10 minutes of the final period and a paltry 17 points total in the final 20 minutes.

The game totals really reflect this tough stretch with the Gamecocks having their worst night of the season on many fronts, with 17 turnovers, just 20% from 3 on 5-25 shooting, and an embarrassing 17-55 overall from the floor. Meechie Johnson did hover around his season average, with 16 points, and Ta'Lon Cooper had a respectable 10 points, but there was little help otherwise, albeit a solid defensive performance by BJ Mack and Collin Murray-Boyles.

Despite fighting hard on defense throughout the game, forcing 15 turnovers of their own, and holding Alabama well beneath their 90 PPG average, there's no reality where you can win on the road in a tough environment with the sort of offensive performance South Carolina showed in the 2nd half tonight.

Even with the solid defense, Bama's Mark Sears put on a bit of a one-man show, making tough acrobatic shots, and knocking down timely 3s. At times, Sears single-handedly carried the Tide in the first half, before some of his teammates started to see them fall as they pulled away in the second. Sears finished the game with an incredible 31 points on 10-13 shooting. He also made 6 threes.

Ultimately, losing on the road to Bama isn't something to panic about, but South Carolina will have to regroup and re-find the mojo they played with in the first half of this game so that perhaps the second half will soon look like a speed bump rather than a trend.

It'll have to happen quickly, as they have another tough road trip this Saturday at Missouri who are 8-7, but fought hard against #6 Kentucky tonight. That bout will tip off at 3:30 EST on SECN.

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