C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
--The Clemson game was a good win but this is by far the best win of the Gamecocks' season. Getting a win against a top 10 team on the road is huge and will go a long way on a tournament resume. They needed that after the Boston loss. They did it completely taking UVA out of its game from the jump.
--The first half way by far the best half South Carolina has played all season, and it was in large part because shooters were knocking down shots. Jair Bolden played out of his mind, hitting six of his nine field goals for 15 of the Gamecocks' 33 first-half points. They weren't doing anything out of this world crazy. Guys were making off-the-dribble shots and hitting off screens. The only change was periodically playing more four-out instead of three-out offensively.
--Trae Hannibal deserves as many minutes as he can get. He brings so much in terms of energy to the team and picked up a handful of points on a nice mid-range shot and a loose ball he forced turning into an easy bucket. He's developing a nice mid-range and that'll be trouble for opponents if he can hit that constantly.
--Virginia came in turning the ball over a bit in their games, and the Gamecocks exploited that. They did it forcing loose balls all over the court, primarily trapping on the baseline and pressuring the ball at half court. UVA didn't know what to do for the majority of the game. It created a lot of easy buckets for South Carolina in transition.
--The Gamecocks problem came in a five-minute stretch where they got sucked into the emotion of the game and made some mistakes offensively, something a team can't do if they want to beat a top 10 team on its home floor. UVA went on a 16-3 run to get right back into the game. Hannibal and Couisnard both committed offensive fouls and the Gamecocks couldn't get anything good off of it.
--Whatever happened to Jair Bolden before the Clemson game worked. Something's just clicked for him and he's playing a lot better. He obviously had the big first half and a somewhat quieter second, but he showed a lot of aggression and defended well for the majority of the game.
--It will likely go unnoticed on the stat sheet, but Maik Kotsar had an absolute presence on the court defensively Sunday. When he picked up his third foul and sat for a large portion of the second half, that's when UVA went on it's run with a lot of the offense going through the post and leading to threes. He came back in and USC went on a 18-7 run after UVA tied the game up.
--Justin Minaya, who's had a quiet start to the season offensively, was absolutely huge late. He had a big five points late in the game, hitting a floater and then a three to keep UVA at arm's length. None of it was flashy, but it was enough to get it done and kill any momentum UVA had.
--This Virginia team didn't look good from the jump, and that's probably in large part because the Gamecocks got them out of their style of play. They had to play from behind all game and because of it they took a lot of desperation shots earlier in the shot clock.
--The Gamecocks struggled to make shots late before the Clemson game and aren't right now. They've hit late shots and gotten big contributions from a lot of different places.
--Jermaine Couisnard had two absolutely massive plays, both at the end of halves. He had a block at the buzzer in the second half and then a put back layup in the second to squash a push from UVA. He's a big reason the Hoos didn't go on a run late.
--The first half way by far the best half South Carolina has played all season, and it was in large part because shooters were knocking down shots. Jair Bolden played out of his mind, hitting six of his nine field goals for 15 of the Gamecocks' 33 first-half points. They weren't doing anything out of this world crazy. Guys were making off-the-dribble shots and hitting off screens. The only change was periodically playing more four-out instead of three-out offensively.
--Trae Hannibal deserves as many minutes as he can get. He brings so much in terms of energy to the team and picked up a handful of points on a nice mid-range shot and a loose ball he forced turning into an easy bucket. He's developing a nice mid-range and that'll be trouble for opponents if he can hit that constantly.
--Virginia came in turning the ball over a bit in their games, and the Gamecocks exploited that. They did it forcing loose balls all over the court, primarily trapping on the baseline and pressuring the ball at half court. UVA didn't know what to do for the majority of the game. It created a lot of easy buckets for South Carolina in transition.
--The Gamecocks problem came in a five-minute stretch where they got sucked into the emotion of the game and made some mistakes offensively, something a team can't do if they want to beat a top 10 team on its home floor. UVA went on a 16-3 run to get right back into the game. Hannibal and Couisnard both committed offensive fouls and the Gamecocks couldn't get anything good off of it.
--Whatever happened to Jair Bolden before the Clemson game worked. Something's just clicked for him and he's playing a lot better. He obviously had the big first half and a somewhat quieter second, but he showed a lot of aggression and defended well for the majority of the game.
--It will likely go unnoticed on the stat sheet, but Maik Kotsar had an absolute presence on the court defensively Sunday. When he picked up his third foul and sat for a large portion of the second half, that's when UVA went on it's run with a lot of the offense going through the post and leading to threes. He came back in and USC went on a 18-7 run after UVA tied the game up.
--Justin Minaya, who's had a quiet start to the season offensively, was absolutely huge late. He had a big five points late in the game, hitting a floater and then a three to keep UVA at arm's length. None of it was flashy, but it was enough to get it done and kill any momentum UVA had.
--This Virginia team didn't look good from the jump, and that's probably in large part because the Gamecocks got them out of their style of play. They had to play from behind all game and because of it they took a lot of desperation shots earlier in the shot clock.
--The Gamecocks struggled to make shots late before the Clemson game and aren't right now. They've hit late shots and gotten big contributions from a lot of different places.
--Jermaine Couisnard had two absolutely massive plays, both at the end of halves. He had a block at the buzzer in the second half and then a put back layup in the second to squash a push from UVA. He's a big reason the Hoos didn't go on a run late.
