C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
South Carolina went on the road and beat Texas A&M 81-67. They're 10-7 and 2-2 in the SEC now. They travel to Auburn Wednesday.
--Coming off arguably the best win of the season, South Carolina looked like a completely different team compared to their performance against Stetson after beating UVA. They looked completely locked in, aggressive and ready to go.
With their top two bench guards out, Keyshawn Bryant out with an injury a few seconds in the the game and the majority of the team in foul trouble early, the Gamecocks went on the road in the SEC and pulled off a win against a team that's had its struggles but played better as of late.
--Justin Minaya's game has really, really rounded into form these last two games. He looks so much more confident than he did just two weeks ago. He's blocking shots, getting to the rim and knocking down threes at a much better rate than what he was doing when the team's offense was in a rut. It's no secret the offense was better when he's clicking.
The Gamecocks don't need him to average 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, but a solid nine points and six rebounds keeps the offense clicking. He came up with a few momentum-killing shots for A&M Saturday. He also had some huge offensive rebounds late to stop A&M from getting some run outs.
--This is more of the offense the Gamecocks wanted to run at the beginning of the year. The Gamecocks ran good half court sets, knocking down some timely threes and forcing a lot of turnovers. The defense was able to force a bunch of A&M miscues and it resulted in 11 fast break points. When the Gamecocks get those, it allows the Gamecocks to get back and set their defense.
--Jalyn McCreary still has a habit of fouling a little too much, but he's earning every minute he gets. He just brings a spark off the bench and gives the Gamecocks an injection of athleticism from that spot if Bryant is out for an extended period of time.
--AJ Lawson needs to figure his game out, and right now he's more of a liability right now with how many turnovers he's committing. He had three more Saturday and he's not giving the Gamecocks enough offense at times. He heated up late, hitting to threes over the final three minutes.
--It looks like time on the bench against Kentucky really helped Jair Bolden's mentality. He looked far more aggressive on the defensive end. He's was playing with a high motor on the perimeter, which led to a few loose balls. It translated to a lot of good offense from him too. When he's confident on the defensive end, then he's able to knock down shots. It was very similar to what the Gamecocks did against Virginia, too.
--The offensive changes made after the Houston game seem to be working and working well. It's looked probably the best it has the last two games. It helps they're knocking down shots, but the Gamecocks are spacing the floor a little better and it's resulting a lot of open looks from three. They made them Saturday. If they can do that, it's going to be a hard team to defend this year.
--He did commit a lot of turnovers, but Jermaine Couisnard is still very good at the point spot. He knocked in 17 points, his third straight game with at least 17 points and he is leading this team a lot better than a lot of other guys. If he can continue to do that, this team has a chance to be solid.
--Looking at the schedule, this was much needed. Gamecocks are now 2-2 in the SEC and play at Auburn Wednesday. The schedule lightens up a little after that, which means the Gamecocks' avenue to double-digit SEC wins is within reach and seems feasible.
--Coming off arguably the best win of the season, South Carolina looked like a completely different team compared to their performance against Stetson after beating UVA. They looked completely locked in, aggressive and ready to go.
With their top two bench guards out, Keyshawn Bryant out with an injury a few seconds in the the game and the majority of the team in foul trouble early, the Gamecocks went on the road in the SEC and pulled off a win against a team that's had its struggles but played better as of late.
--Justin Minaya's game has really, really rounded into form these last two games. He looks so much more confident than he did just two weeks ago. He's blocking shots, getting to the rim and knocking down threes at a much better rate than what he was doing when the team's offense was in a rut. It's no secret the offense was better when he's clicking.
The Gamecocks don't need him to average 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, but a solid nine points and six rebounds keeps the offense clicking. He came up with a few momentum-killing shots for A&M Saturday. He also had some huge offensive rebounds late to stop A&M from getting some run outs.
--This is more of the offense the Gamecocks wanted to run at the beginning of the year. The Gamecocks ran good half court sets, knocking down some timely threes and forcing a lot of turnovers. The defense was able to force a bunch of A&M miscues and it resulted in 11 fast break points. When the Gamecocks get those, it allows the Gamecocks to get back and set their defense.
--Jalyn McCreary still has a habit of fouling a little too much, but he's earning every minute he gets. He just brings a spark off the bench and gives the Gamecocks an injection of athleticism from that spot if Bryant is out for an extended period of time.
--AJ Lawson needs to figure his game out, and right now he's more of a liability right now with how many turnovers he's committing. He had three more Saturday and he's not giving the Gamecocks enough offense at times. He heated up late, hitting to threes over the final three minutes.
--It looks like time on the bench against Kentucky really helped Jair Bolden's mentality. He looked far more aggressive on the defensive end. He's was playing with a high motor on the perimeter, which led to a few loose balls. It translated to a lot of good offense from him too. When he's confident on the defensive end, then he's able to knock down shots. It was very similar to what the Gamecocks did against Virginia, too.
--The offensive changes made after the Houston game seem to be working and working well. It's looked probably the best it has the last two games. It helps they're knocking down shots, but the Gamecocks are spacing the floor a little better and it's resulting a lot of open looks from three. They made them Saturday. If they can do that, it's going to be a hard team to defend this year.
--He did commit a lot of turnovers, but Jermaine Couisnard is still very good at the point spot. He knocked in 17 points, his third straight game with at least 17 points and he is leading this team a lot better than a lot of other guys. If he can continue to do that, this team has a chance to be solid.
--Looking at the schedule, this was much needed. Gamecocks are now 2-2 in the SEC and play at Auburn Wednesday. The schedule lightens up a little after that, which means the Gamecocks' avenue to double-digit SEC wins is within reach and seems feasible.
