Excitement taking over as red-hot South Carolina heads into big SEC stretch
With good play comes excited and loud South Carolina fans and students ready to cheer on the Gamecocks. Meechie Johnson and the men’s basketball team have seen the effects of that this season.
The success of South Carolina so far this season has had a major effect on the attendance and excitement of games at Colonial Life Arena. The average fan attendance for this season has been 11,068.8 fans compared to just 10,470.2 fans last season.
The shift in energy from last season to this season has not gone unnoticed by Johnson and his teammates.
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“I just want Columbia fans to be able to experience that winning culture again and get back to the tournament,” Johnson said. “18 games left so it’s a lot of work to still be put in but man it’s been amazing being here and I’m excited for every game we have.”
Johnson has been a major component to the success on the court this season. Against Notre Dame, Johnson scored a season-high 29 points in 34 minutes. He has also developed into a veteran in the locker room.
The season has also been full of career-highs for Johnson including averaging 17.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
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And even after playing so many games in a Gamecock uniform, there’s still a special feeling that Johnson gets all the time.
“Everytime I come into the gym I get chills. I promise you, I get chills every time even when I’m just by myself,” Johnson said. “The arena is just so big, it’s beautiful and games from last year, this year against blowouts you just hear the crowd going crazy getting loud for no reason.”
With 18 games left in the season, the Gamecocks have already won more games than they did last season. South Carolina finished the 2022-2023 season 11-21, which left many fans disappointed. The Gamecocks enter SEC play 12-1, losing only to in-state rival Clemson.
South Carolina will first host Mississippi State on Jan. 6 at home before heading on the road to take on Alabama on Jan. 9.
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