Gamecocks-Bulldogs: South Carolina Slammed in Athens, Razorbacks Are Next

The University of South Carolina’s Men's Basketball Team needed a win against Georgia badly for its NCAA hopes to continue in 2010.

But the pesky Bulldogs denied the Fighting Gamecocks, 66-61, who fell to 5-5 in SEC play on Saturday.

This one hurt for the Gamecocks, who were in disbelief as the Bulldogs pulled a 13-0 run in the final minutes.

South Carolina led by 10 points with nine minutes to play in the game, but the Gamecocks let this one slip away.

“There was a lot of disbelief,” Brandis Raley-Ross said after the game.

Travis Leslie’s amazing athleticism and Georgia’s wide-open three-pointers kept the Gamecocks off balance, along with Devan Downey’s sore ankle.

“I just missed the shots,” Downey admitted afterward.

South Carolina hits the road Wednesday to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Gamecocks will have time to dwell on this loss, with the NCAA selections coming up in a month. Hopes are slim, but they are still alive for the Gamecocks.

“The season doesn’t end today,” Raley-Ross said.

South Carolina will face a tough schedule in the next month, which includes three ranked teams. The Gamecocks must win on the road to remain in the postseason hunt.

The bubble might have burst for South Carolina, and the team needs to remember the feeling of Saturday's loss and rally around it. If not, the Gamecocks are going back to the NIT.