Good, bad and a lot of ugly from South Carolina’s loss to Missouri

South Carolina is 0-2 in the SEC for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Those Gamecocks stumbled to an 11th-place finish in the league.

A loss Saturday to Vanderbilt, and USC will be 0-3 in the SEC for the first time since 2013-14. Those Gamecocks stumbled to a 13th-place finish in the league.

What’s the future look like for Frank Martin’s current bunch? After an uninspiring 79-68 loss to Missouri, it’s clear Carolina has a tough road ahead.

Here’s what we learned from Wednesday’s performance:

Beatty wasn’t coming in hot

Injuries to both Kory Holden and Hassani Gravett have increased David Beatty’s role of late. The freshman guard got 18 more minutes Wednesday, the most of any USC bench player.

He finished 2 of 11 from the field with six points. According to Ken Pomeroy, Beatty was the least efficient Gamecock against the Tigers.

Count Martin among those not surprised by the effort.

“David might have had the worst basketball practice any human being I’ve ever coached has ever had (Tuesday),” Martin said.

Beatty followed his career-high 16 points against Limestone with nine points in a career-high 33 minutes against Ole Miss last Sunday.

“Fans think that because he’s playing 30 minutes a game, he’s going to grow,” Martin said. “If you don’t compete, you don’t grow. You’ve got to compete. And competing’s not just when the lights come on. Competing’s every day. Competing’s coming into a practice with an edge to get better, to make your teammates better.”

Gravett could return soon

The junior point guard went through a light warm-up Wednesday, but the decision to sit had already been made. Martin said Gravett wasn’t moving well in the afternoon shoot-around.

Wes Myers, who again replaced Gravett in the starting lineup, was the second-least efficient Gamecock against Missouri, according to KenPom. Myers scored 10 points and had two assists.

“As frustrated as I get with some of Hassani’s decision-making, he’s learned to defend that ball,” Martin said of what Carolina is missing without Gravett.

Saturday’s game with Vandy (6-8, 1-1) tips at 6:45 p.m.

While Silva lives at the line, his frontcourt mate can’t get there

Silva took 10 more free throws Wednesday, giving him 115 attempts on the season. The next closest Gamecock (Gravett) has 36 FT attempts.

When Silva’s not bothered by his own foul trouble, he’s giving opponents those problems. The junior leads the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (9.9).

That’s all good news for USC. The bad is Silva is a one-man show in the frontcourt.

Maik Kotsar, all 6-foot-10, 260 pounds of him, hasn’t gotten to the line more than three times in a game since Nov. 11 against Western Michigan.

“He’s got to shoot free throws,” Martin said. “He can’t be that big and (we) put the ball in his hands as much as we do and not get to the line. But that’s on me. I’ve got to continue to figure out ways to create opportunities for him, so he can be a little bit more aggressive.”

Up-and-down nature to Booker’s shooting coming through in results

In South Carolina’s nine wins this season, Booker is averaging 12.6 points and shooting at a 51 percent clip. In USC’s five losses, Booker is averaging 8.4 points and shooting just over 30 percent from the field.

Booker, for the most part, has been a pleasant surprise for the Gamecocks. The graduate transfer from Florida Atlantic didn’t come to Columbia with a high scoring reputation, but he’s managed to give USC a needed perimeter threat.

Perhaps Booker’s skills have become too needed, however.

When he’s not hitting, the Gamecocks have struggled. Booker, who entered sixth in the SEC in 3s made per game, missed all three of his attempts against the Tigers.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Good, bad and a lot of ugly from South Carolina’s loss to Missouri."