South Carolina pushed second ranked Auburn to the brink of defeat Saturday afternoon in Columbia, but the Gamecocks did not score over the final 5:18 and the Tigers squeezed out a 66-63 victory for their eighth straight victory over the Gamecocks. After losing their first two SEC games in blowout style, the Gamecocks resembled the kind of team their fans and basketball pundits thought they would be, despite the absence of starters Myles Stute and Jamarii Thomas due to injuries.
They went back and forth with the Tigers and led 63-62 with 5:18 to play. That’s when the Gamecocks’ shooting turned ice cold. Collin Murray-Boyles missed a pair of shots inside. Jacobi Wright and Zachary Davis missed layups. And Morris Ugusuk missed a three pointer. However, Auburn’s shooting was just as off. The Tigers made only one of their last six shots. That make was a dunk by Dylan Caldwell with 1:32 to play that put Auburn on top 64-63.
The Gamecocks had a chance to retake the lead with nine seconds to play when Nick Pringle went to the line for two shots. But he missed both. The Gamecocks had to foul twice to get the Tigers to the line, and Tahaad Pettiford made a pair with four seconds left for a 66-63 lead…