Heading into Tuesday Night, the LSU Basketball team was carrying the momentum from Saturday's win over Oklahoma into a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks who were yet to pick up a win in SEC Play. From the jump, LSU was clearly the team with more juice and they played with a swagger the entire night.
From the start of the game, the Tigers were different as Matt McMahon started a small ball lineup of Cam Carter, Vyctorious Miller, Dji Bailey, Curtis Givens, and Daimion Collins. The lineup didn't just give LSU space but, the Tigers seemed genuinely faster than their counterparts and the lack of size was balanced out by speed which helped LSU in getting to the rebounds first.
The Tigers speed and going 6 for 13 from three allowed the Tigers to take a 41-27 lead into the half. The Tigers have gone from never holding a lead at halftime in SEC play to leading at the break the last three games a clear improvement.
At the start of the second half, South Carolina went on a 7-0 run which put LSU in a spot where you wanted to see how they'd react. The Tigers quickly got to work led by two threes from Cam Carter, a three from Curtis Givens III, and a Dji Bailey jump shot which quickly left South Carolina in the dust. The Tigers never let off the gas pushing their largest lead to 21 points before Matt McMahon started to empty his bench.
Cam Carter once again led the Tigers scoring 17 points on 50% shooting from the field and 43% from three while grabbing 4 rebounds with a pair of steals. Mike Williams was incredible off of the bench scoring 13 points while knocking down 3 of 4 three point attempts. While his shooting percentages weren't great, Vyctorius Miller was a great fit alongside Cam Carter while scoring 12 points.
The player who deserves the most credit for the Tigers win is Daimion Collins who's playing through a serious shoulder injury and was asked to be the lone big man on the court most of the game. Collins finished the game with 8 points, 7 rebounds, and a pair of shots but, defensively he affected nearly every shot on the inside.
The Tigers have now moved to 14-12 on the season and 3-10 in SEC Play as these back to back wins have changed the vibe of the program's direction. The Tigers entered the day ranked 82nd in the NET Rankings and the Gamecocks only give LSU a Quad Three win but, it helps the Tigers moving forward. The final five games before the SEC Tournament are against Quad One opponents and if LSU can carry the momentum into this stretch leaving with a few wins they'll have an outside shot at making the NCAA Tournament with a run in the SEC Tournament.