Health, freshmen, Chris Silva among things to watch for USC as it enters SEC play
With a late January Big 12 Challenge matchup with Oklahoma State still left, South Carolina is 5-7 in nonconference games this season.
There’s more than a few ways to look at the record. Three of the losses have come against teams that have combined to go 35-3. Virginia is ranked by KenPom.com as the No. 2 team in the country, Michigan is No. 5 and Clemson is 34. Three other losses are to teams with a combined 32-11 record, including home downers to Wofford (No. 64 on KenPom) and Stony Brook (160).
And then there’s the 73-64 defeat at Wyoming, the worst of them all. The Cowboys are 4-10 and come in at 256 on KenPom, 276 in NET.
South Carolina’s best win, according to KenPom, is over No. 188 Coastal Carolina.
As many — including the USC coach — felt before it began, this was going to be the toughest non-conference slate of the Frank Martin era. That’s been proven mostly true, but the Gamecocks, rarely playing at full strength, haven’t helped themselves with a couple head-scratching results.
Starting Saturday night at Florida, South Carolina faces 18 SEC teams in 19 games. It’s another loaded year for the league. In his latest bracket projection, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has six SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament.
Here are five USC-related things to watch for over the next few months:
Getting healthy
Through the first 12 games of last season, South Carolina didn’t make a single tweak to its starting lineup. Hassani Gravett, Frank Booker, Justin Minaya, Chris Silva and Maik Kotsar started the opener at Wofford and the pre-SEC tune-up against Limestone.
Flash ahead a year and Martin’s already used four starting lineups. Silva and freshman guard A.J. Lawson are the only two Gamecocks to start every game this season. The inconsistency is a result of a variety of injuries.
Four USC players — Minaya (seven), Alanzo Frink (seven), T.J. Moss (three), Kotsar (two) — have missed at least two games. Frink (sprained ankle) might miss the Florida game, but is expected to be back soon. Minaya (knee) could be back by the end of the month. Moss (high ankle sprain) is exploring a redshirt possibility.
“(Martin’s) been playing for the better part of a month without really good players,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after the Tigers’ Dec. 22 win in Columbia. “These aren’t backups, these are starters. I just think we all need to be mindful of that. Injuries are very difficult things to overcome. Their kids are still competing their tails off.”
Freshman development
Silva put his arms around A.J. Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant and said, “I call them my kids.”
The scene played out during a news conference following South Carolina’s rout of Division II North Greenville on New Year’s Eve. Lawson and Bryant, on the brink of their first SEC season, have earned the respect of most USC basketball observers, most notably a senior All-SEC forward.
“They make me think about P.J. (Dozier) and I when I first got here,” Silva said. “It was that type of connection, get in the game and just enjoy the game, throwing alley-oops.”
Dozier, now a member of the Boston Celtics organization, averaged 8.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game as a freshman in nonconference play. Silva was at 6.3 points and 5.1 rebounds. At that stage of the 2013-14 season, freshman Sindarius Thornwell was at 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
Lawson leads the 2018-19 Gamecocks in scoring (13.8 ppg) and assists (3.4). Bryant is fourth in scoring (9.3) and fifth in rebounding (3.7).
“With a coach like Frank and players like Chris and some of our seniors,” Bryant said, “they kind of prepared us for SEC play, let us know what we need to do. … No jitters.”
Silva’s next step
Back in August, NCAA.com’s Andy Katz labeled Silva as a darkhorse SEC Player of the Year candidate. The 6-foot-9, 234-pounder returned to USC after testing the NBA waters, and was set up for big final college season.
Early struggles — combined with Carolina’s poor record — have likely crushed his POY candidacy, but opportunity still exists. Silva proved himself in league competition last season, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds.
Perhaps his new haircut has sparked a return to form. Over his last four games, Silva has averaged 17 points and 8.5 rebounds.
“He didn’t start off great,” Martin said Thursday, “and that was all my fault. Sometime after the Wyoming game, he and I sat down and we had great conversations. I think I’m doing a better job with him. I think he’s at peace and now we’re better as a team. So it’s allowing him to be who he is and he’s starting to really, really play well again.”
Glass improvement?
What has pained Martin the most about this season? The Gamecocks have been out-rebounded in half of their games.
“We’ve been one of the best offensive rebounding teams throughout my coaching career,” Martin said. “We’re not offensive rebounding right now. The rate in which we offensive rebound – which is what matters, it’s a numbers thing – it’s always been real good. It’s not good this year. That’s something that we’re pushing to get better at.”
According to KenPom, a Martin-coached USC team has never finished worse than 55th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. This year’s team sits No. 107 — and 12th in the SEC.
Aside from Silva, the Gamecocks haven’t received all that much from their frontcourt. Martin said Monday he’d start Minaya, if healthy, at the four-spot over Kotsar or Felipe Haase.
CLA opportunities
As it stands now, South Carolina will face four ranked opponents in SEC season. Three of them are coming to Colonial Life Arena.
No. 17 Mississippi State (12-1) is in Columbia on Jan. 8, No. 12 Auburn (11-2) is here Jan. 22 and No. 3 Tennessee (11-1) is here Jan. 29.
CLA was sold out last season for the Tennessee game, had 16,210 in the house for the win over No. 18 Kentucky and had 14,995 on hand for the win over No. 10 Auburn.
Local products Devontae Shuler (Ole Miss) and Tevin Mack (Alabama) will be at CLA on Feb. 19 and Feb. 26.
NEXT GAME
Who: South Carolina at Florida
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Florida
TV: ESPN2
