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Men's pregame: USC at Baylor
Posted on 01.02.09
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WHEN: 5:30 p.m. today
WHERE: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
RECORDS: South Carolina 9-2, Baylor 12-1
COACHES: Darrin Horn (9-2 in first season at USC, 120-50 in six seasons), Scott Drew (69-81 in six seasons at Baylor, 89-92 in seven seasons)
TV: Fox Sports Southwest
RADIO: WNKT 107.5-FM
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
Baylor has several perimeter players who can shoot, which does not bode well for USC’s suspect perimeter defense. Horn said Baylor’s four perimeter players “are as good as there are in the country,” and he’s right: Led by leading scorer LaceDarius Dunn, the quartet averages eight 3-pointers a game.
Despite scoring 87 points against Clemson — and at least 70 points in every game so far — USC will look to shore up its half-court offense. Horn said the team had seven or eight consecutive “horrendous” possessions on Tuesday that led to Clemson’s first-half comeback.
The Gamecocks used all nine available players against Clemson, but three of them played seven minutes or less. As the team plays more challenging games, Horn will have to decide whether to keep spreading minutes around or settle on a shorter rotation. Tonight’s game is another test.
KEY PLAYER
F Evka Baniulis, USC
The junior disappeared on Tuesday, notching seven minutes and missing his only shot. If the rotation shrinks and center Sam Muldrow returns soon, Baniulis will again be competing for playing time. He needs to show he will perform every game.
STARTING LINEUPS
GAMECOCKS
| POS. | NAME | HGT | PPG |
| F | Dominique Archie, Jr. | 6-7 | 11.0 |
| F | Mike Holmes, Soph. | 6-7 | 13.0 |
| G | Devan Downey, Jr. | 5-9 | 20.6 |
| G | Zam Fredrick, Sr. | 6-0 | 15.5 |
| G | Brandis Raley-Ross, Jr. | 6-2 | 6.0 |
| POS. | NAME | HGT | PPG |
| F | Kevin Rogers, Sr. | 6-9 | 12.0 |
| C | Mamadou Diene, Sr. | 7-1 | 2.2 |
| G | Curtis Jerrells, Sr. | 6-1 | 16.3 |
| G | Henry Dugat, Sr. | 6-0 | 13.6 |
| G | Kevin Rogers, Sr. | 6-9 | 12.0 |
This will be as much of an uphill climb for South Carolina as the Clemson matchup. Baylor has height, experience and 3-point shooting. But the Gamecocks were a decent road team last year and won two years in Waco, so there’s a chance.
— Seth Emerson
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