C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
Thoughts on South Carolina
--It can’t be understated how important getting AJ Wilson back will be for South Carolina in terms of natural fit in Frank Martin’s system. It’s no disrespect to Josh Gray or Ta’Quan Woodley (who’ve shown flashes) but Wilson gives the Gamecocks a veteran presence beside Leveque. He also has some athleticism and savvy about him and more of a round peg into a round hole the Gamecocks need there.
--The Gamecocks have really struggled against 1-3-1 zones this season—particularly against UAB and Western Kentucky—and have been working a lot to prepare for it after beating the Blazers. The key to beating a 1-3-1 will be getting the ball behind the middle line there and really using their bigs in the paint and the corner three. For instance, the big corner three against UAB from James Reese was against a 1-3-1 zone and needs to happen again if Wofford throws it at them.
--A lot has been talked about with Devin Carter, and I’ve been really impressed with him as well. He’s fifth nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (9.0) and averaging 10.3 points per game in less than 20 minutes per game. He’s been on the floor the last two games in crunch time, too, and has the potential to be a really good player this season.
--There’s no sugar-coating point guard play needs to be better with the Gamecocks turning the ball over on 23.7 percent of possessions this season (319th nationally) with Jermaine Couisnard averaging 5.3 turnovers per game. Martin seemed optimistic about where things stand with Couisnard—who was in and out of practice in the preseason—and said he had a really good day Sunday playing with tempo and pace in practice. Getting that position settled from a protecting the ball standpoint is big.
Scouting Wofford
Wofford is a pretty good mid-major program and another team projected to win over 20 games this season. It’s a team with a senior guard in the backcourt in Ryan Larson and a junior big man BJ Mack who’ve played a lot of minutes. It’s a team that had previously been known for hitting threes at a high rate, but Wofford is only shooting 30 percent from the field early on. They do take a ton though, attempting nearly 27 per game.
The Terriers are really good at not getting shots blocked (South Carolina’s really good at blocking them) and a solid defensive team inside (teams are shooting 39.4 percent from two).
This team’s played a lot of games together (73rd in the country in minutes continuity) and can present some challenges for South Carolina this year. KenPom gives South Carolina a 71 percent chance to win and predicts a 73-67 final score.
Numbers to know
102.9 and 92.5
Wofford is averaging 102.9 points per 100 possessions (No. 115 nationally) and South Carolina is 44th nationally allowing just 92.5 points per 100. The Gamecock defense has been really good this year and shutdown a potent UAB team so they’ll need to repeat a similar defensive performance against another good offense in Wofford.
4.7 and 15.2
Wofford is only getting 4.7 percent of its shots blocked (top 25 nationally) and the Gamecocks are blocking 15.2 percent of shots against, No. 26 in the country. Blocking shots and creating some momentum plays out of that could play a factor, and should be bolstered with Wilson’s return.
45.5 and 46.1
South Carolina’s offensive effective field goal percentage is sitting at 45.5, four points below the national average, while Wofford’s defense is forcing teams to shoot just 46.1 from an effective field goal rate. The Gamecocks are going to have to take and make smart shots against a Wofford defense that can force a lot of bad looks.
Keys to victory
Dictate the pace: Wofford likes to play slow, averaging 18.3 seconds per possession and 257th in adjusted tempo while the Gamecocks are pedal to the metal at 10th in adjusted tempo averaging 16.7 seconds per possession. The Gamecocks want to get out and run and get transition opportunities and take a lot of shots while Wofford likes to set up in the half court, protect the ball and limit those. Getting the ball off the Terriers and getting out in the open court will be a big key.
Defend the three-point line: Wofford loves to shoot from deep, 29th nationally in three point rate with 48.2 percent of their shots coming from three, and it’ll be up to South Carolina to defend the line, create some bad looks and force the ball inside against Leveque and Wilson and the Gamecocks’ size. South Carolina’s also been decent defending the three, 131st nationally with teams shooting 31.6 percent against the defense.
Offensive rebound the ball: Like Frank Martin teams of old, the Gamecocks are a good offensive rebound team, ranking 30th nationally rebounding 37.6 percent of their misses. Their size should help against a Wofford team whose tallest player of impact is Sam Godwin at 6-foot-9. Wofford’s been a solid rebounding team but getting on the glass and being physical to create second-chance opportunities could be a big factor.
--It can’t be understated how important getting AJ Wilson back will be for South Carolina in terms of natural fit in Frank Martin’s system. It’s no disrespect to Josh Gray or Ta’Quan Woodley (who’ve shown flashes) but Wilson gives the Gamecocks a veteran presence beside Leveque. He also has some athleticism and savvy about him and more of a round peg into a round hole the Gamecocks need there.
--The Gamecocks have really struggled against 1-3-1 zones this season—particularly against UAB and Western Kentucky—and have been working a lot to prepare for it after beating the Blazers. The key to beating a 1-3-1 will be getting the ball behind the middle line there and really using their bigs in the paint and the corner three. For instance, the big corner three against UAB from James Reese was against a 1-3-1 zone and needs to happen again if Wofford throws it at them.
--A lot has been talked about with Devin Carter, and I’ve been really impressed with him as well. He’s fifth nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (9.0) and averaging 10.3 points per game in less than 20 minutes per game. He’s been on the floor the last two games in crunch time, too, and has the potential to be a really good player this season.
--There’s no sugar-coating point guard play needs to be better with the Gamecocks turning the ball over on 23.7 percent of possessions this season (319th nationally) with Jermaine Couisnard averaging 5.3 turnovers per game. Martin seemed optimistic about where things stand with Couisnard—who was in and out of practice in the preseason—and said he had a really good day Sunday playing with tempo and pace in practice. Getting that position settled from a protecting the ball standpoint is big.
Scouting Wofford
Wofford is a pretty good mid-major program and another team projected to win over 20 games this season. It’s a team with a senior guard in the backcourt in Ryan Larson and a junior big man BJ Mack who’ve played a lot of minutes. It’s a team that had previously been known for hitting threes at a high rate, but Wofford is only shooting 30 percent from the field early on. They do take a ton though, attempting nearly 27 per game.
The Terriers are really good at not getting shots blocked (South Carolina’s really good at blocking them) and a solid defensive team inside (teams are shooting 39.4 percent from two).
This team’s played a lot of games together (73rd in the country in minutes continuity) and can present some challenges for South Carolina this year. KenPom gives South Carolina a 71 percent chance to win and predicts a 73-67 final score.
Numbers to know
102.9 and 92.5
Wofford is averaging 102.9 points per 100 possessions (No. 115 nationally) and South Carolina is 44th nationally allowing just 92.5 points per 100. The Gamecock defense has been really good this year and shutdown a potent UAB team so they’ll need to repeat a similar defensive performance against another good offense in Wofford.
4.7 and 15.2
Wofford is only getting 4.7 percent of its shots blocked (top 25 nationally) and the Gamecocks are blocking 15.2 percent of shots against, No. 26 in the country. Blocking shots and creating some momentum plays out of that could play a factor, and should be bolstered with Wilson’s return.
45.5 and 46.1
South Carolina’s offensive effective field goal percentage is sitting at 45.5, four points below the national average, while Wofford’s defense is forcing teams to shoot just 46.1 from an effective field goal rate. The Gamecocks are going to have to take and make smart shots against a Wofford defense that can force a lot of bad looks.
Keys to victory
Dictate the pace: Wofford likes to play slow, averaging 18.3 seconds per possession and 257th in adjusted tempo while the Gamecocks are pedal to the metal at 10th in adjusted tempo averaging 16.7 seconds per possession. The Gamecocks want to get out and run and get transition opportunities and take a lot of shots while Wofford likes to set up in the half court, protect the ball and limit those. Getting the ball off the Terriers and getting out in the open court will be a big key.
Defend the three-point line: Wofford loves to shoot from deep, 29th nationally in three point rate with 48.2 percent of their shots coming from three, and it’ll be up to South Carolina to defend the line, create some bad looks and force the ball inside against Leveque and Wilson and the Gamecocks’ size. South Carolina’s also been decent defending the three, 131st nationally with teams shooting 31.6 percent against the defense.
Offensive rebound the ball: Like Frank Martin teams of old, the Gamecocks are a good offensive rebound team, ranking 30th nationally rebounding 37.6 percent of their misses. Their size should help against a Wofford team whose tallest player of impact is Sam Godwin at 6-foot-9. Wofford’s been a solid rebounding team but getting on the glass and being physical to create second-chance opportunities could be a big factor.