Collin Murray-Boyles helps South Carolina equal season wins record vs Arkansas in SEC Tournament

Collin Murray-Boyles scored 24 points as South Carolina basketball topped Arkansas, 80-66, Thursday afternoon in an SEC Tournament second-round game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Gamecocks (26-6), the tournament’s No. 5 seed, advance to face No. 4 seed Auburn in a quarterfinal game on Friday (3:30 p.m., ESPN).

Arkansas (16-17) earned a berth opposite South Carolina by outlasting Vanderbilt 90-85 in overtime in a first-round game on Wednesday. Arkansas coach Eric Musselman suffered the first sub.-500 finish of his career.

It was a considerably better day for second-year South Carolina coach Lamont Paris, who reportedly agreed to a new six-year deal that will pay him more than $4 million per year.

After going 11-21 last season, Paris’ team won its 26th game, tying for the most wins in a season in program history. The Gamecocks won an SEC Tournament game for the first time since 2018 and are a lock for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.

Sparked by Collin Murray-Boyles, who had 12 first-half points, the Gamecocks went on a 14-4 run to take a 17-15 lead on a 3-pointer by Miles Stute. The Gamecocks went into the half with a 38-35 advantage courtesy of a runner by Meechie Johnson at the buzzer.

The Gamecocks opened the second half with a 10-0 run to expand the lead to 13 and the Razorbacks never drew closer than six points the rest of the game.

Collin Murray-Boyles continued superb play

Murray-Boyles, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team on Monday, showed why on Thursday.

Murray-Boyles had 24 points in the win against Arkansas, making 11-of-14 shots from the floor. He has scored in double figures in 10 of South Carolina’s last 11 games and is shooting 69% over that span.

“You should always feel like nobody can guard you, and that’s how I felt tonight,” Murray-Boyles said.

Gamecocks flexed defense, dominant inside game

South Carolina’s inside prowess was evident on Thursday. The Gamecocks outscored Arkansas 52-38 in the paint and outrebounded the Razorbacks, 33-26.

South Carolina’s inside brawn also resulted in 19 second-chance points to just six such points for Arkansas. Murray-Boyles, who’s 6-foot-7, and 6-8 B.J. Mack combined for 16 rebounds and 43 points. Josh Gray, a 7-foot, 265-pound senior, came off the bench to contribute eight points, two rebounds and two assists.

The Gamecocks’ defense also was superb after a rough start and forced 14 turnovers.

B.J. Mack regained shooting touch at right time

Mack, South Carolina’s graduate transfer from Wofford, struggled in the Gamecocks’ final three games of the regular season, scoring in single digits in each game and totaling only 16 points in the three contests.

But he found the range on Thursday, scoring 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor. He made 2-of-4 shots from 3-point range and all seven of his free throws.

The team’s inside-out game worked to perfection.

“It’s crucial,” Mack said. “Him (Murray-Boyles) doing all the work on the inside, then me stretching the floor really opens up everything for us.”

Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina equals wins record, tops Arkansas in SEC Tournament