C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
South Carolina beat USC Upstate 78-60 on the opening night of the season.
--It wasn’t the flashiest win in the book, but a win is a win in what was a pretty workman performance from South Carolina. The Gamecocks struggled to get into a flow offensively but were able to string enough together to put up 77 points in their debut without Keyshawn Bryant and AJ Wilson. South Carolina had flashes defensively and looked like it had the makings of a really good rebounding team. As it stands right now, USC Upstate might not be the cherry on a potential tournament resume, but South Carolina did what it needed to do against the Spartans and pulled away late.
--Early on, it seemed the Gamecocks were still adjusting to having a bunch of newcomers on the roster and how to play together with the reinsertion of Jermaine Couisnard back into the starting lineup. The offense wasn’t necessarily crisp and found itself down near double digits early before things started to get a little better. The Gamecocks didn’t shoot a lot of high percentage looks early in the game and were content with getting in the paint and just trying to get something off, good or bad.
In the second half, things were better at times, especially inside, but the timing needs to be better and there was some stagnation for stretches. Going 4-for-19 from three will always make an offense not look as efficient as it needs to. Simply put, they need to take better shots and not turn the ball over. Passing probably needs to be crisper, too.
--It’s easy to see why Frank Martin and South Carolina think this can be a good defensive team. There’s size and a lot of length on this team plus three veteran guards who understand right now what the Gamecocks want to do defensively in James Reese, Erik Stevenson and Couisnard. South Carolina forced 20 turnovers. They need to be better about not allowing easy buckets but have some pieces.
--Ta’Quan Woodley wasn’t necessarily the first choice when guessing who the first guy off the bench would be, but gave South Carolina some very good minutes for a freshman still adjusting to the college game. Woodley finished with eight points and at one time led the team in scoring in the first half. He was near the rim more often than not and had some nice touch around the rim. He still needs to work on body control and protect the ball better, but it was a solid debut for the freshman.
--Point guard will still be a position that needs to grow for this South Carolina team. Jacobi Wright had some moments and Couisnard, the starter at that spot was up and down running the offense. Chico Carter Jr. also didn’t play much. Couisnard didn’t shoot the ball well but finished with a team-high 14 points and got better shooting as the game went on. He started 3-for-10 and finished 5-for-12, going 1-for-4 from the line and a perfect 3-for-3 from the line.
He did have seven assists to four turnovers and six boards. Productive in areas but the Gamecocks at times will need him to score the ball better and more efficiently than they did.
--From a roster makeup standpoint, South Carolina has a lot more size than it has in years past and Josh Gray is going to be a big piece of this year’s team. He’d haul in eight rebounds and score eight points. If he continues to improve, he’s someone who could maintain a starting spot and play significant minutes.
--One trademark of a Frank Martin team is the ability to get to the free throw line and the Gamecocks haven’t done that either in the exhibition or Tuesday night. They only shot 21 on the night, making 14, but need to have the guards get more to the line. Guards and wings combined for just nine free throws. Leveque had a whopping 10 attempts from the line, which is a positive sign for him.
--South Carolina needs more from Erik Stevenson from a scoring standpoint, who finished with nine points on 3-for-13 shooting, 1-for-7 from three. He did have a really solid game in other aspects and was one of the Gamecocks’ best defenders. He’d have three blocks, three steals and rebounds really well for a guard. He was brought in as a shooter and scoring threat and has the tools to be that. Also has a chance to be a really good leader as well. He did have a three late, so maybe that could kick start him.
--It’ll be interesting to see what this team stylistically looks like with Bryant and Wilson back in the fold and how much more efficient they are with those guys in there. Both are veteran players.
--It wasn’t the flashiest win in the book, but a win is a win in what was a pretty workman performance from South Carolina. The Gamecocks struggled to get into a flow offensively but were able to string enough together to put up 77 points in their debut without Keyshawn Bryant and AJ Wilson. South Carolina had flashes defensively and looked like it had the makings of a really good rebounding team. As it stands right now, USC Upstate might not be the cherry on a potential tournament resume, but South Carolina did what it needed to do against the Spartans and pulled away late.
--Early on, it seemed the Gamecocks were still adjusting to having a bunch of newcomers on the roster and how to play together with the reinsertion of Jermaine Couisnard back into the starting lineup. The offense wasn’t necessarily crisp and found itself down near double digits early before things started to get a little better. The Gamecocks didn’t shoot a lot of high percentage looks early in the game and were content with getting in the paint and just trying to get something off, good or bad.
In the second half, things were better at times, especially inside, but the timing needs to be better and there was some stagnation for stretches. Going 4-for-19 from three will always make an offense not look as efficient as it needs to. Simply put, they need to take better shots and not turn the ball over. Passing probably needs to be crisper, too.
--It’s easy to see why Frank Martin and South Carolina think this can be a good defensive team. There’s size and a lot of length on this team plus three veteran guards who understand right now what the Gamecocks want to do defensively in James Reese, Erik Stevenson and Couisnard. South Carolina forced 20 turnovers. They need to be better about not allowing easy buckets but have some pieces.
--Ta’Quan Woodley wasn’t necessarily the first choice when guessing who the first guy off the bench would be, but gave South Carolina some very good minutes for a freshman still adjusting to the college game. Woodley finished with eight points and at one time led the team in scoring in the first half. He was near the rim more often than not and had some nice touch around the rim. He still needs to work on body control and protect the ball better, but it was a solid debut for the freshman.
--Point guard will still be a position that needs to grow for this South Carolina team. Jacobi Wright had some moments and Couisnard, the starter at that spot was up and down running the offense. Chico Carter Jr. also didn’t play much. Couisnard didn’t shoot the ball well but finished with a team-high 14 points and got better shooting as the game went on. He started 3-for-10 and finished 5-for-12, going 1-for-4 from the line and a perfect 3-for-3 from the line.
He did have seven assists to four turnovers and six boards. Productive in areas but the Gamecocks at times will need him to score the ball better and more efficiently than they did.
--From a roster makeup standpoint, South Carolina has a lot more size than it has in years past and Josh Gray is going to be a big piece of this year’s team. He’d haul in eight rebounds and score eight points. If he continues to improve, he’s someone who could maintain a starting spot and play significant minutes.
--One trademark of a Frank Martin team is the ability to get to the free throw line and the Gamecocks haven’t done that either in the exhibition or Tuesday night. They only shot 21 on the night, making 14, but need to have the guards get more to the line. Guards and wings combined for just nine free throws. Leveque had a whopping 10 attempts from the line, which is a positive sign for him.
--South Carolina needs more from Erik Stevenson from a scoring standpoint, who finished with nine points on 3-for-13 shooting, 1-for-7 from three. He did have a really solid game in other aspects and was one of the Gamecocks’ best defenders. He’d have three blocks, three steals and rebounds really well for a guard. He was brought in as a shooter and scoring threat and has the tools to be that. Also has a chance to be a really good leader as well. He did have a three late, so maybe that could kick start him.
--It’ll be interesting to see what this team stylistically looks like with Bryant and Wilson back in the fold and how much more efficient they are with those guys in there. Both are veteran players.
