How to assess South Carolina’s ‘roller coaster’ season after a second top 10 win
The basketball hit glass and bounced in. It’s then when Frank Martin got off his seat, raised a fist and walked to greet John Calipari at midcourt. South Carolina’s coach shook hands with Kentucky’s, and at least one Gamecock was on to the next game.
“We got 15 more to play, man,” Martin said. “I get this new wave of how we do things where we over-celebrate everything. I get it. That’s not who I am.”
Don’t get it wrong: Martin was plenty pleased with how Wednesday went. South Carolina rallied from a 14-point second half deficit and upset the nation’s 10th-ranked team when Jermaine’s Cousinard’s 30-footer fell at the buzzer. The dramatic 81-78 victory snapped a three-game losing streak, gave the Gamecocks (9-7 overall) their first SEC win in three tries and improved Martin’s record against the Hall of Famer Calipari to 3-7.
All of this is good. But basking in all of this for too long is dangerous when you consider what happened after South Carolina’s last win over a top 10 team.
You might remember Dec. 22 in Charlottesville. That was the afternoon when USC shocked then-No. 9 Virginia. You might remember the narratives then — how Carolina had finally recovered from its early struggles and was now the team many around here expected it to be in the preseason. NCAA Tournament talk was back. The Gamecocks were back.
But then Stetson happened. And Florida happened. And Tennessee happened. The first loss was inexcusable, the second came not at full-strength and the third was heartbreaking. It was the kind of skid that made the Virginia win seem like a fluke. Maybe the Cavaliers weren’t that good (they’re 2-3 since the USC game) or maybe the Gamecocks peaked before Christmas.
Wednesday was a reminder that this roller coaster is still running. It’s creeping toward the top again as a Saturday trip to Texas A&M (8-7, 2-2) looms. The last South Carolina season that included wins over two different top 10 teams (1996-97) ended in the NCAA Tournament. Before shouting that history will repeat itself, let’s be patient. This last month has taught us as much.
“I feel like we just got to be more consistent,” Couisnard said. “We can’t just play down to the competition. We got to stay up high.”
Reasons for optimism that post-Kentucky will be better than post-Virginia start with Couisnard. The redshirt freshman from East Chicago has emerged as the Martin-approved “personality” on this team, the Sindarius Thornwell-type that can combine skill with toughness and be an extension of his hard-nosed coach on the court.
Couisnard flashed this potential at the end of the Tennessee game and was rewarded with his first career start against Kentucky. He took advantage by scoring 26 points — the most by any Gamecock in a regular season SEC game since Chris Silva’s 28 against the No. 1 Volunteers last January — and making a series of clutch plays down the stretch.
He was the sixth man at UVa. Now he’s the starting point guard, Martin’s third in 16 games. That position of frustration once seemed settled after A.J. Lawson took it over from Jair Bolden in early December and the Gamecocks beat Clemson and the Cavaliers. But poor backcourt performances against Stetson and Florida forced Martin to tweak again.
Couisnard isn’t your conventional point guard — his 22 shots Wednesday are the most by any Gamecock this season — but his natural, aggressive style sets the offensive tone Martin seeks.
“We try to make ourselves known as a fast-break team,” said sophomore forward Keyshawn Bryant. “We get up and down quicker and get more fast break points with him at the point.”
Couisnard on Wednesday led the way for a whole slew of new characters contributing to a top 10 win:
▪ Jalyn McCreary didn’t play against Virginia. He scored six points and had three rebounds in 12 minutes against Kentucky.
▪ T.J. Moss didn’t score against Virginia. He had 10 points and three assists against Kentucky.
▪ Alanzo Frink didn’t score against Virginia. He had six points and five rebounds against Kentucky.
▪ Bryant was in his third game back from injury against Virginia. In his eighth against Kentucky, he had a season-high 15 points.
On the flip side, Bolden, Lawson and Maik Kotsar — all heroes in their own way in Charlottesville — contributed five points against the Wildcats. Bolden, named SEC player of the week for his efforts at UVa, was a healthy scratch Wednesday.
The adjustments keep coming and there’s no telling which will stick.
“The season’s a roller coaster,” Martin said. “Too many people pass judgment after every day. We in that room, we’re not worried about that up and down stuff, that ride everyone wants to be on. We signed up to play 31 games. Our job is to be the best team that we can be when we will play game 31.
“I think we’re starting to figure that part out.”
NEXT
What: South Carolina at Texas A&M
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Reed Arena in College Station, Texas
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 107.5 The Game
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 1:56 PM.
