NCAAB

North Florida Ospreys at South Carolina Gamecocks

· NCAA Men's Basketball
Final
74 - 71

Jaylen Smith rallies North Florida to 74-71 victory over South Carolina in season opener

Jordan Butler strokes a 3

North Florida trailed 36-31 at halftime and by five at 64-59 with 4:07 left to play after a layup by South Carolina's Jacobi Wright. But Smith made two free throws, Kamrin Oriol and Jasai Miles hit 3-pointers, and Smith followed with a layup to cap a 10-2 run and put the Ospreys up 69-66 with 42 seconds to go.

Nate Lliteras hit both ends of a 1-and-1 and Smith added a three-point play with 9 seconds remaining to help North Florida hold on for the victory.

Liam Murphy hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 off the bench, adding six rebounds for the Ospreys. Lliters finished with 13 points and five boards. Miles totaled 11 points and nine rebounds. Oriol scored nine on 3-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc.

Preseason All-Southeastern Conference selection Collin Murray-Boyles had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Gamecocks. Zachary Davis, Jamarii Thomas and Wright, a reserve, all scored 12. Freshman Cam Scott, a homegrown product and two-time Gatorade player of the year in the state, debuted with six points and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

The only other time North Florida opened its season against South Carolina was in 2014. The Ospreys lost 81-56 but went on to win the Atlantic Sun Conference championship.

South Carolina coach Lamont Paris, the reigning coach of the year in the SEC, falls to 2-1 in season openers.

How can I watch North Florida vs. South Carolina?

  • TV Channel: North Florida at South Carolina 2021 College Basketball, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
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Matchup Prediction

South Carolina: 96.2%
North Florida: 3.8%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2454.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUNF https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2579.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originSC
29-69 FG 26-56
42.0 Field Goal % 46.4
10-29 3PT 5-16
34.5 Three Point % 31.3
6-13 FT 14-25
46.2 Free Throw % 56.0
43 Rebounds 37
15 Offensive Rebounds 9
28 Defensive Rebounds 28
10 Assists 15
6 Steals 5
4 Blocks 8
9 Turnovers 10
0 Team Turnovers 0
9 Total Turnovers 10
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
9 Points Off Turnovers 15
15 Fast Break Points 25
34 Points in Paint 38
20 Fouls 14
5 Largest Lead 8

Game Information

Colonial Life Arena

Location: Columbia, SC
Attendance: 12,388 | Capacity:

2024-25 ASUN Conference Standings

TEAM CONF GB OVER
Eastern Kentucky 0-0 - 3-1
Austin Peay 0-0 - 3-2
Jacksonville 0-0 - 3-2
North Alabama 0-0 - 3-2
North Florida 0-0 - 3-2
Queens University 0-0 - 2-3
Lipscomb 0-0 - 2-4
Central Arkansas 0-0 - 1-3
Stetson 0-0 - 1-3
Florida Gulf Coast 0-0 - 0-4
Bellarmine 0-0 - 0-5
West Georgia 0-0 - 0-5

2024-25 Southeastern Conference Standings

TEAM CONF GB OVER
Florida 0-0 - 5-0
Georgia 0-0 - 5-0
Auburn 0-0 - 4-0
Kentucky 0-0 - 4-0
LSU 0-0 - 4-0
Ole Miss 0-0 - 4-0
Mississippi State 0-0 - 4-0
Tennessee 0-0 - 4-0
Vanderbilt 0-0 - 4-0
Oklahoma 0-0 - 3-0
Alabama 0-0 - 4-1
Texas A&M 0-0 - 4-1
Arkansas 0-0 - 3-1
Missouri 0-0 - 3-1
Texas 0-0 - 3-1
South Carolina 0-0 - 2-2
Full Standings