The Arkansas Razorbacks trailed by 12 points to start the second half, but considering they had been colder than a Colorado Christmas, it could have been worse.
But the team that controlled Bud Walton Arena with relentless defense, forced turnovers and layups on offense wasn't Arkansas.
Pressure the pressure was South Carolina's battle cry, and with 15:05 to play, the Gamecocks led 56-29, and Mike Anderson was about to put his starters back in the game.
He had pulled them a few minutes earlier, after South Carolina outscored Arkansas 11-2 to start the second half, but it didn't matter who was wearing a white uniform: The Gamecocks were in complete control before the Hogs warmed up.
Anthlon Bell's first three-pointer of the game cut it to 56-32, but the Razorbacks didn't get back on defense and South Carolina scored an easy layup.
Bell hit another three, and this time the Hogs dropped back quickly. But the Gamecocks beat the shot clock with their sixth three-pointer. Most of the three-pointers were uncontested because of great spacing and ball movement by South Carolina.
A Dusty Hannahs steal led to a Moses Kingsley dunk, Bell hit another three, Kingsley scored again, and Hannahs converted a three-point play as the Hogs' top scorers closed it to 64-47 with 8:13 to play.
Hannahs buried back-to-back threes in 38 seconds to cut the deficit to 66-57, but as Anderson likes to say, it is a game of runs. The run that ignited the announced crowd of 14,548 hit a wall after a turnover, and South Carolina held on for a 76-61 victory.
Arkansas entered the regular season finale on a four-game winning streak, playing some of its best basketball. But the Razorbacks came out firing like it was an unimportant road game.
The Razorbacks missed long. They missed short. They missed free throws.
The only rebounds they got early seemed to bounce right to them, and South Carolina -- playing without senior Michael Carrera, who leads the Gamecocks in scoring and rebounding -- cruised to a 36-24 halftime lead.
Arkansas was a breezy 7 of 26 from the floor (26.9 percent), and Hannahs and Kingsley were the only guys with two field goals.
Perhaps in hopes of getting the Hogs some fresh legs for the SEC Tournament, Anderson played his bench almost eight minutes in the first half.
On senior day, the seniors had six points at the break.
South Carolina is a solid basketball team, but the Gamecocks looked like they were in for a very long Bud Walton afternoon after turning the ball over on their first four possessions.
Then, the Razorbacks' lack of defensive intensity started to show, and the Gamecock finished the first half 13 of 27 from the field along with a 27-10 rebounding advantage.
The Gamecocks tended to their knitting, playing hard, setting screens and moving the ball crisply to get high-percentage shots. They also buckled down on defense and took the crowd out of the game, which happens rarely.
The teams had been tied four times, and there were four lead changes with the scored tied at 14-14, but the Hogs went 4:22 without a score and the visitors were steady, using great ball motion.
Then came the second half, and it was South Carolina that set the tempo, survived a great run and got a rare victory in Bud Walton Arena.
Sports on 03/06/2016