‘You gotta play well or you have no chance.’ USC vs. Virginia: How, what to watch
Game info
Who: No. 3 Virginia (9-0) at South Carolina (4-5)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Colonial Life Arena
KenPom prediction: Virginia 72, South Carolina 62
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 107.5 The Game in Columbia area
Series: South Carolina leads, 13-6
Last meeting: March 13, 2002— South Carolina won 74-67 in Charlottesville (Postseason NIT)
STORYLINES
1. Can the Gamecocks score enough?
After playing the nation’s No. 3 scoring defense, South Carolina takes on No. 1. Virginia allows just 51.2 points per game. It’s finished in the top seven of Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings each of the past five seasons.
Tony Bennett’s famed Pack-Line defense can be suffocating in the half-court, but the unit also thrives on limiting transition opportunity. Fast-break points will be sparse in this game. Can USC’s young guards stay patient and execute sets?
“That’s gonna be the challenge,” Carolina coach Frank Martin said Monday.
2. Chris Silva’s encore
The Chris Silva of old showed up in Michigan with 18 points and 12 rebounds. With that kind of production from their most accomplished player, the Gamecocks hung with a Top 5 team for the better part of 40 minutes.
“I was just out there enjoying myself,” Silva said. “Was it the best game I’ve played (this season)? Probably. But I just love competition, that’s all.”
Some of the best moments in Silva’s career have come against Carolina’s toughest opponents. He scored 27 points in win over Kentucky last season. A week later, he went for 18 and 12 in a win at Florida.
Against Virginia, he’ll likely match up with Jack Salt, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound senior and three-year starter. Silva will also need to be on high alert for double-teams. The Cavaliers have rattled opposing big men over the years with aggressive post-traps, another Pack-Line staple.
3. Pace Watch
UVa is hardly one-dimensional. It ranks No. 12 in KenPom’s offensive efficiency rankings — that’s the best of any USC opponent this season.
The Cavaliers, led by a dynamic backcourt of Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy, are shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from 3. They’re No. 1 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. The success just all comes at a slowed pace.
Virginia is last in the nation in tempo, averaging 19.7 seconds a possession. USC is No. 20 in this category, averaging 15.1 seconds a possession. One team is undefeated, the other is trying to snap a two-game skid.
“You gotta play well,” Martin said, “or no have chance.”
VIRGINIA
Coach: Tony Bennett (297-119 in 13 seasons overall; 10th season at Virginia — 228-86)
Projected starters: G Ty Jerome (13.7 points per game), G Kyle Guy (13.4), G De’Andre Hunter (15.6), G Braxton Key (6.0), C Jack Salt (4.6)
Last game: Beat VCU 57-49 on Dec. 9 at home
KenPom ranking: 2 (No. 12 in offensive efficiency, No. 4 in defensive efficiency)
Notes: Freshman guard Kihei Clark, who’s started the past four games, had surgery to repair a fractured wrist on Dec. 10 and isn’t expected to play against the Gamecocks. ... Hunter, a redshirt sophomore, came in at No. 5 on The Athletic’s most recent list of top 100 prospects for the 2019 NBA Draft. USC’s A.J. Lawson is No. 49. ... Virginia is 61-62 all-time against SEC foes. In their last chance, the Cavaliers whipped Vanderbilt 68-42 in November 2017.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Coach: Frank Martin (234-149 in 12 seasons overall; seventh season at USC — 117-95)
Projected starters: G T.J. Moss (6.3), G A.J. Lawson (14.3), F Keyshawn Bryant (8.6), F Chris Silva (11.1), F Maik Kotsar (8.8)
Last game: Fell to Michigan on Dec. 9 in Ann Arbor
KenPom ranking: 108 (No. 161 in offense efficiency, No. 61 in defense efficiency)
Notes: In the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Gamecocks have been outscored by 27 points this season. They’re plus-47 in the other 30 minutes. ... After combining for 34 points against Wofford and Coastal Carolina, Hassani Gravett totaled 11 points in losses to Wyoming and Michigan. ... A former ACC member, South Carolina is 4-5 against the league during Martin’s tenure.
