What to watch for as Frank Martin’s Gamecocks host first-place Alabama
There are no breaks on the South Carolina men’s basketball schedule — especially not with COVID-19 wiping away most of the team’s nonconference slate.
Coach Frank Martin and his squad have tried to shape a team identity and build structure in the midst of Southeastern Conference play. But it hasn’t been easy, and it hasn’t gone smoothly.
The Gamecocks have shown flashes of potential, such as in their road upset of No. 22 Florida on Feb. 3. At other times, they have seemed sluggish and disjointed, like in their loss to a Vanderbilt team on Jan. 30 that has only won four SEC games in the last three seasons.
Now, the Gamecocks (5-7, 3-5 SEC) will take on perhaps their toughest test yet when they welcome No. 11 Alabama (15-5, 10-1) to Colonial Life Arena at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Though head coach Nate Oats and Alabama are coming off their first conference loss on the road at Missouri, the Crimson Tide has been among the most talked-about teams in college basketball this year and has been projected as high as a No. 1 seed in recent NCAA tournament bracketology.
Martin’s USC teams have gone 3-8 against Alabama, but the bulk of that damage has come in Tuscaloosa, where the Gamecocks have gone 0-5.
3 storylines for USC-Alabama
1. Whose shots will fall?
One of the key reasons why South Carolina fell to Mississippi State on Saturday was a lack of success shooting the ball from outside. The Bulldogs loaded the paint with big men, daring the Gamecocks to take jump shots.
In all, USC missed 42 of 61 shots — a 31.1% field-goal percentage. Meanwhile, in a game where Martin said USC likely needed double-digit 3-pointers to win, the Gamecocks sunk only five of 25 attempts. Veterans Jermaine Couisnard and Justin Minaya combined to go 0-for-8 from 3.
The Gamecocks will undoubtedly need to shoot better from deep to keep pace with the Tide, who rank first in the SEC and third in the nation in 3-point attempts.
Alabama guards Jaden Shackelford and John Petty Jr. are the team’s two leading scorers and 3-point shooters, with Petty ranking second in the conference with a 40.2% success rate from deep.
With much of their practice time geared toward correcting defensive miscues, the Gamecocks have run a simple offense in recent games with Martin saying he rarely calls plays. That could soon change.
“Today we’re going to spend time on offense,” Martin said before Monday’s practice. “I thought our defense against Mississippi State was not bad. I didn’t think we were awful defensively. I thought that our missing shots, their screening, all of that kind of broke our spirit.”
2. Who can control the paint?
In addition to its 3-point prowess, the Tide also ranks third in the country in total rebounds and first in the SEC with 28.8 defensive rebounds per game.
With a frontcourt thinned out by COVID-19 issues, the Gamecocks have had to lean on smaller, more guard-heavy lineups, and teams like Mississippi State have taken advantage with more physicality inside.
Martin said the Gamecocks “gave in to contact” against the Bulldogs, especially when crashing the glass and guarding screens. As a result, the ball didn’t touch the paint on 39 of the Gamecocks’ 79 offensive possessions on Saturday, Martin said.
While Alabama isn’t quite as physical as Mississippi State in the post, the Tide presents different challenges through its up-tempo, driving style of play.
“Alabama is a different animal,” Martin said. “Their rebounding comes offensively from — they drive the ball. They just put their head down and go, and force you to help. And if you help, they kick. They do an unbelievable job of making decisions — early, not late — when they drive the ball, and then they shoot a lot of 3s. So there’s a lot of long rebounds, and you’re caught scrambling because you’re trying to figure out how to help on drives and get back to shooters.”
3. Will Alabama be at full strength?
Graduate transfer Jordan Bruner is a Columbia native and the younger brother of former USC women’s player Ashley Bruner. Martin said he talked with Bruner a couple of times after he announced he would transfer from Yale.
The 6-foot-10 forward had knee surgery in early January, and Martin said from the scouting his staff has done, he doesn’t expect Bruner to play.
Another Alabama player to watch is senior Herbert Jones, a team leader who has started all 20 games but could be in danger of missing Tuesday’s game with an injury. Oats told reporters Monday that Jones could sit out Tuesday night to help “loosen up his back.” That could be especially crucial given the praise Martin heaped on him Monday.
“Herb Jones is the MVP of this conference,” Martin said. “He’s been my favorite player for a couple years now. He uplifts his team. He’s all about winning. Some games, they need him to make 3s, and he makes them. Some days he never even attempts a shot, but he dominates the game with who he is and how he plays, and he uplifts teammates.”
Next USC basketball game
Who: South Carolina (5-7, 3-5 SEC) vs. No. 11 Alabama (15-5, 10-1)
Where: Colonial Life Arena
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 3:10 PM.
