South Carolina forward Malik Cooke overcame a gash over his eye to equal his season high with 21 points in the loss to Ohio State. Cooke went 9-for-10 from the line.
Cooke was hit by an inadvertent elbow and had to have the wound stitched then re-bandaged. The Gamecocks gave the Buckeyes (who were without Jared Sullinger for the majority of the game) a good tussle. Cooke plays his best when he is attacking the basket. The senior is averaging 13.1 points.