C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
--In what felt like as much of a must-win game as games can feel in January South Carolina got a big win against Georgia. South Carolina needed a game like this. Things didn't go right all the time (especially early with some terrible offense) but the Gamecocks found a way to get it done. This kind of game can only help a team's confidence and that's what it'll probably do as the Gamecocks get more practice time and more time together on the court. Georgia isn't one of the SEC's elite teams, but good teams tend to take care of an handle teams they're better than, and the Gamecocks did that Wednesday. It was just an all-around solid win after what could have been an ugly loss after the first few minutes.
--Keyshawn Bryant is turning himself into maybe the team's best player right now. Yes, the scoring is there, but Bryant is rebounding the ball at a high level, forcing turnovers and protecting the ball. He's playing much more in control than he was the previous two years and it's showing. The Gamecocks need him to continue to play this way. There are times this team doesn't have a lot of energy and Bryant's a guy who's brought that every minute he's on the court. He makes things happen on both ends, and his length is a problem defensively when the Gamecocks switch into zone, which they played a lot of Wednesday. If Bryant can continue to turn in nights like the one he had against Georgia, then the Gamecocks have a chance to compete against a lot of SEC teams.
--If there's one negative from the day, it's the Gamecocks' bigs weren't necessarily at their best. McCreary flashed but did struggle in his first game back in a few weeks, which was absolutely to be expected as he gets back into game shape, but Wildens Leveque continues to have a lot of ups and downs. He struggled even catching the ball. Georgia is a small team and it was a good matchup for South Carolina, but the Gamecocks need more consistency from their bigs to compete against other teams that are bigger. Leveque has the skill and athleticism to make an impact, he just needs to do it at a consistent level.
--Jermaine Couisnard's had some struggles this season, both personally and on the court according to Frank Martin, but he played Wednesday the way South Carolina needs him to play. He'd finish with 18 points but the biggest thing for him was doing it efficiently. He'd shoot 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from the field and go 3-for-8 from three. He played a lot more point guard, it seemed, and that probably helped him getting into the flow of the offense. He's someone that needs touches to really get going and into the flow of a game and got those Wednesday. The Gamecocks need more of that going forward.
--Point guard play was much better than the rest of the season. Trae Hannibal had a great end to the game but Seventh Woods played maybe his best game at South Carolina Wednesday night. He might not have showed it in the scoring column, but he was playing hard and forcing a lot of issues on the defensive end of the court. He also led a few fast break chances and corralled loose balls. The Gamecocks don't need him to put up 15 and five every night, but just play an efficient point guard role, facilitate and cause havoc guarding the ball. He did that much better than in games past, and it showed. Now if the Gamecocks get that from him on a nightly basis things might continue to improve.
--South Carolina's been bad defensively the last few games and, while Georgia isn't necessarily an offensive juggernaut, but things were much better than they were compared to the Auburn game. The Gamecocks played a few different variations with some trapping, man to man and press but settled more into a zone the majority of the game. It worked, and Georgia shot just 31.8 percent from the field and 12 percent from three. The Gamecocks have length and athleticism, which really helps in a zone system. Because guys are so similar, it allows them to switch onto different players with a little more ease. The on-ball defense was much, much better too.
--There were a few times where Georgia could have easily come back in the game but the Gamecocks answered every time with a bucket, more often than not a three-pointer. That goes back, to a degree, to the veteran nature of this team and guys not getting small in bigger moments and when momentum shifts happen. The Gamecocks got a lot of good offense when the game got tight and, most importantly, knocked down shots. If the Gamecocks can be consistent offensively, then it helps their chances for wins as the season progresses.
--This team is so good when it's forcing turnovers defensively and playing fast on offense (not rushing on offense, which are two different things). It gives the Gamecocks a lot of options in the open court and doesn't allow teams to really set their defense. If they can play like that every game, they'll be able to score.
--Keyshawn Bryant is turning himself into maybe the team's best player right now. Yes, the scoring is there, but Bryant is rebounding the ball at a high level, forcing turnovers and protecting the ball. He's playing much more in control than he was the previous two years and it's showing. The Gamecocks need him to continue to play this way. There are times this team doesn't have a lot of energy and Bryant's a guy who's brought that every minute he's on the court. He makes things happen on both ends, and his length is a problem defensively when the Gamecocks switch into zone, which they played a lot of Wednesday. If Bryant can continue to turn in nights like the one he had against Georgia, then the Gamecocks have a chance to compete against a lot of SEC teams.
--If there's one negative from the day, it's the Gamecocks' bigs weren't necessarily at their best. McCreary flashed but did struggle in his first game back in a few weeks, which was absolutely to be expected as he gets back into game shape, but Wildens Leveque continues to have a lot of ups and downs. He struggled even catching the ball. Georgia is a small team and it was a good matchup for South Carolina, but the Gamecocks need more consistency from their bigs to compete against other teams that are bigger. Leveque has the skill and athleticism to make an impact, he just needs to do it at a consistent level.
--Jermaine Couisnard's had some struggles this season, both personally and on the court according to Frank Martin, but he played Wednesday the way South Carolina needs him to play. He'd finish with 18 points but the biggest thing for him was doing it efficiently. He'd shoot 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from the field and go 3-for-8 from three. He played a lot more point guard, it seemed, and that probably helped him getting into the flow of the offense. He's someone that needs touches to really get going and into the flow of a game and got those Wednesday. The Gamecocks need more of that going forward.
--Point guard play was much better than the rest of the season. Trae Hannibal had a great end to the game but Seventh Woods played maybe his best game at South Carolina Wednesday night. He might not have showed it in the scoring column, but he was playing hard and forcing a lot of issues on the defensive end of the court. He also led a few fast break chances and corralled loose balls. The Gamecocks don't need him to put up 15 and five every night, but just play an efficient point guard role, facilitate and cause havoc guarding the ball. He did that much better than in games past, and it showed. Now if the Gamecocks get that from him on a nightly basis things might continue to improve.
--South Carolina's been bad defensively the last few games and, while Georgia isn't necessarily an offensive juggernaut, but things were much better than they were compared to the Auburn game. The Gamecocks played a few different variations with some trapping, man to man and press but settled more into a zone the majority of the game. It worked, and Georgia shot just 31.8 percent from the field and 12 percent from three. The Gamecocks have length and athleticism, which really helps in a zone system. Because guys are so similar, it allows them to switch onto different players with a little more ease. The on-ball defense was much, much better too.
--There were a few times where Georgia could have easily come back in the game but the Gamecocks answered every time with a bucket, more often than not a three-pointer. That goes back, to a degree, to the veteran nature of this team and guys not getting small in bigger moments and when momentum shifts happen. The Gamecocks got a lot of good offense when the game got tight and, most importantly, knocked down shots. If the Gamecocks can be consistent offensively, then it helps their chances for wins as the season progresses.
--This team is so good when it's forcing turnovers defensively and playing fast on offense (not rushing on offense, which are two different things). It gives the Gamecocks a lot of options in the open court and doesn't allow teams to really set their defense. If they can play like that every game, they'll be able to score.
