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One man played the role of villain this week in Knoxville and his name is Myles Stute. The South Carolina guard dished out some disrespectful smack as Vols fans taunted him in the final moments of an intense SEC matchup.
He’d quickly back it up to give his team a massive college basketball win as it pushes for the postseason.
Tennessee entered Tuesday night’s contest ranked fifth in the country as it looked to secure its spot atop the conference rankings. Facing a team that it had beaten five times in a row, Tennessee was listed as a 14-point favorite.
Hopes were sky high for the home team after posting three straight double digit SEC wins, and Thompson-Boling Arena was absolutely rocking!
The crowd directed its hostility towards the visiting Gamecocks with much of the vitriol coming from the UT students’ section.
Unfortunately, those students would be very quiet come game’s end.
South Carolina took a 23-22 lead with 4:26 left in the first half. They’d never trail again.
Using a mix of stingy defense and clutch shooting, the Gamecocks escaped with a 63-59 win that was filled with late-game drama.
While the visiting squad led throughout, the Vols just simply wouldn’t go away. Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht, who scored a game-high 31 points, drilled back-to-back three-pointers in the final seconds to give his team a chance.
Myles Stute eventually answered in dramatic fashion.
Former Vanderbilt wing Myles Stute showing some flair as he silences the Tennessee student section and ices it for South Carolina in Knoxville. pic.twitter.com/EKJiItnMEJ
— Joey Dwyer (@joey_dwy) January 31, 2024
Looking to ice the game at the line, Stute glanced at the Volunteer students with his finger on his lips before draining a free throw to give his team a two-possession lead. He’d sink two more on South Carolina’s next trip to cement the upset.
Ice in his veins! Not bad for a guy that entered the game as a 63% free throw shooter.
MOOD pic.twitter.com/kbR8CYaxx6
— Justin King (@JustinKing) January 31, 2024
Those last four points gave Stute 13 on the night as he was lights out from the floor. On top of going 4-4 at the line, he was a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. He just couldn’t miss!
What’s most impressive, it wasn’t even a guarantee that he’d get playing time. Coming off a shoulder injury, head coach Lamont Paris wanted to work him back into the lineup slowly after not seeing action over the last two weeks.
“He had a couple of days of practice,” Paris said before the game. “He may play a few minutes.”
South Carolina is glad he did! Stute came off the bench in Tuesday’s matchup, but he certainly made his presence felt.
Will this win be enough for voters to finally rank the Gamecocks?! They deserve the respect.