C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
--I'll get this out of the way first, but Houston is a very good team. They have a lot of athletic guards, a good big man and Kelvin Sampson has that program humming right now. There's a reason they went to the Sweet 16 and have won 64 games dating back to 2017.
This is not a bad loss, but that margin for error the next three non-conference games and SEC play is getting miniscule.
--For the most part Sunday I thought the Gamecocks played well defensively. They mixed up their looks, showing their staple man-to-man but pressing, trapping and doing some zone as well. They forced some turnovers and held Houston to 76 points, which is below the Cougar's average.
The biggest problem defensively was in transition where Houston was able to use its size and speed to get out ahead and get to the rim, which are easy points for them.
--South Carolina's offense still remains hot and cold, playing well for stretches and then going cold for long periods of time as well where they're inefficient and rush things. It looks like they're pressing too much and it's not working.
--I was shocked to see South Carolina not opt to go smaller during the game. AJ Lawson, Keyshawn Bryant and Jermaine Couisnard are the team's best three guards and those guys didn't share a lot of minutes together. That lineup provides some length and athleticism that could have countered some against Houston's size as well.
--I know it's not a novel concept but South Carolina's going to have to make shots if it wants to win. Defensively, teams can sit in a 2-3 zone and dare USC to shoot. Right now USC can't do that right now, hitting on just 32.3 percent of their shots Sunday and going 6-for-25 from three. Tehy also need to improve at free throws, hitting 10-of-16.
--Right now it's a team that can't seem to get out of its own way at times. They get a lot of good things to happen to them and build momentum but then they'll turn the ball over or make a bad defensive play that kills momentum. There were plenty of times over the course of the game when they got within around 10 points and couldn't seize any momentum.
--Athletically, the depth is there but when they get a combined 24 points from Lawson, Minaya and Bolden on 7-for-24 shooting, things will be stagnant. They were getting good looks but they just weren't knocking them.
This is not a bad loss, but that margin for error the next three non-conference games and SEC play is getting miniscule.
--For the most part Sunday I thought the Gamecocks played well defensively. They mixed up their looks, showing their staple man-to-man but pressing, trapping and doing some zone as well. They forced some turnovers and held Houston to 76 points, which is below the Cougar's average.
The biggest problem defensively was in transition where Houston was able to use its size and speed to get out ahead and get to the rim, which are easy points for them.
--South Carolina's offense still remains hot and cold, playing well for stretches and then going cold for long periods of time as well where they're inefficient and rush things. It looks like they're pressing too much and it's not working.
--I was shocked to see South Carolina not opt to go smaller during the game. AJ Lawson, Keyshawn Bryant and Jermaine Couisnard are the team's best three guards and those guys didn't share a lot of minutes together. That lineup provides some length and athleticism that could have countered some against Houston's size as well.
--I know it's not a novel concept but South Carolina's going to have to make shots if it wants to win. Defensively, teams can sit in a 2-3 zone and dare USC to shoot. Right now USC can't do that right now, hitting on just 32.3 percent of their shots Sunday and going 6-for-25 from three. Tehy also need to improve at free throws, hitting 10-of-16.
--Right now it's a team that can't seem to get out of its own way at times. They get a lot of good things to happen to them and build momentum but then they'll turn the ball over or make a bad defensive play that kills momentum. There were plenty of times over the course of the game when they got within around 10 points and couldn't seize any momentum.
--Athletically, the depth is there but when they get a combined 24 points from Lawson, Minaya and Bolden on 7-for-24 shooting, things will be stagnant. They were getting good looks but they just weren't knocking them.
