What to watch for as Gamecocks end homestand with Ole Miss
Given his personality, it’s not surprising that Frank Martin isn’t interested in moral victories.
The South Carolina men’s basketball team lost by just three points to No. 11 Alabama on Tuesday — the first-place team in the SEC and a team that outscores conference opponents by an average of 13.5 points per game.
It was a thrilling, back-and-forth game that showed the Gamecocks can keep pace with one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Yet Martin left Colonial Life Arena disappointed.
“I’m not into the ‘clapping because we played hard’ stuff,” Martin said. “We spent nine years here. We’re past those days.”
The Gamecocks are also past the days of the COVID-19 woes that postponed seven games between December and January. South Carolina has played eight straight games without incident. The Gamecocks have gone 2-6 in those games to drop their record to 5-8 (3-6 SEC).
At 6 p.m. Saturday, the Gamecocks will host Ole Miss (11-8, 6-6) in the final game of a three-game homestand.
3 Storylines for USC-Ole Miss
1. Rebels coming in hot
South Carolina was supposed to travel to Ole Miss on Jan. 9, but COVID-19 issues postponed that game and forced the team to pause activities a second time. At that point, head coach Kermit Davis’ team was still finding its identity after dealing with COVID-19 postponements of its own.
“When we were getting ready to play them, when we shut down, they were not nearly as connected as they are now,” Martin said on his Carolina Calls radio show Thursday night.
The Rebels are coming off an eye-opening 80-59 trouncing of No. 10 Missouri and have won three straight games overall, including slim two-point victories over Tennessee and Auburn. The Rebels are an older, experienced team, with lineup primarily composed of upperclassmen. The Rebels also rank second in the SEC in defensive scoring with 63.2 points allowed per game.
“They’ve been on a roll for a minute now,” USC forward Wildens Leveque said. “So I think the team is a really tough team. Let’s defend, let’s rebound and let’s work hard. We got to find a way to outwork that.”
2. Can the Gamecocks get on the same page?
USC was down by three points and had the ball with just 3.9 seconds left in Tuesday’s game. Martin called a timeout and drew up a play with three options to shoot a 3-pointer. The Gamecocks, however, fell into Alabama’s defensive trap, and Jermaine Couisnard inbounded the ball to Justin Minaya for a quick layup instead.
Martin was critical of that blunder after the game, saying that the Gamecocks need to do a better job of being connected. He said the team has failed to execute most of the plays he’s drawn up during timeouts.
After spending the bulk of the last few weeks working on defense in practice, the Gamecocks have mixed in more offensive work into their practices, as well. Despite two straight home losses, the team remains confident.
“We have to always keep our spirits high,” Leveque said. “And I feel like our spirits are still high. We just always have to bring that same energy every single day, every moment. Even if we’re down five, doesn’t matter.”
3. Columbia homecoming
Ole Miss’ leading scorer and most experienced player also happens to be a native of Irmo.
Guard Devontae Shuler has averaged a career-best 15.5 points per game this season and is the best 3-point shooter on a team that likes to play with physicality in the paint.
Against Alabama, the Gamecocks broke down defensively on three different ball screens, leading to deep buckets.
“(Shuler’s) a really good player,” Leveque said. “So obviously as a big, (I’ll be) helping on the screen ... that’s going to be a challenge for us, but I feel like we’re gonna still prepare and practice for situations like that.”
Next USC basketball game
Who: South Carolina (5-8, 3-6 SEC) vs. Mississippi (11-8, 6-6)
Where: Colonial Life Arena
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Watch: SEC Network
