Frank Martin’s Gamecocks pick up signature win over FSU in Rock Hill. What we learned
The South Carolina men’s basketball team entered the inaugural No Room For Racism Classic with as many wins as it had all of last season.
Coming off a difficult 6-15 year and bringing in nine new players, head coach Frank Martin has liked what he’s seen from the Gamecocks so far, saying before Sunday’s game that “we’re a good basketball team.”
“At the end of the day, we’re 6-2,” Martin said. “If we’re a different sport, we’d be bowl eligible today.”
Though the early results have been positive, Sunday’s tournament matchup against Florida State in Rock Hill represented the Gamecocks’ most difficult challenge yet. The Seminoles are a perennial power in the ACC and boast four players who are at least 7-feet tall.
In a back-and-forth contest, the Gamecocks held strong, defeating FSU 66-65 for their seventh win of the season.
“Just really, really proud of our guys,” Martin said after the game Sunday. “Our toughness. Our growth. Early in the year, we couldn’t make in-game adjustments.”
Here’s what we learned.
Gamecocks start slowly again
Sluggish starts have become somewhat of a trend this season for the Gamecocks, who have dug themselves into holes early in games with turnovers and foul trouble.
Those issues popped up again Sunday, with starting center Wildens Leveque and starting guard James Reese both committing two fouls early in the first half and spending the bulk of the period on the bench. Their absences, combined with eight first-half turnovers, helped Florida State rip off a 21-5 run and build a 16-point lead midway through the half.
However, the Gamecocks tightened up defensively in the waning minutes of the first half, mixing in zone defense and holding the Seminoles without a field goal for the final 6:29. With Reese and Leveque out of action, the team’s reserves picked up the slack. USC’s bench accounted for 21 of the team’s 30 points as USC took a six-point deficit into halftime.
“Frank, I thought his team did a really good job of mixing defenses up and got us out of rhythm, especially in the last six minutes of the first half,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “I thought that was smart by Frank.”
Reese, Carter carry backcourt
With junior guard Jermaine Couisnard sitting out Sunday due to a rolled left ankle, the Gamecocks needed to find offensive production from somewhere else.
Freshman Jacobi Wright made his third straight start at point guard in Couisnard’s absence, and the USC offense looked disjointed early in the contest, struggling to find open looks against FSU’s long, athletic defense.
Late in the first half, the Gamecocks found a spark in the form of freshman Devin Carter, who made an athletic offensive rebound, scored a second-chance basket, then scored a transition bucket and drew a foul for a 3-point play. The sequence cut FSU’s deficit to five and gave the Gamecocks a dose of momentum heading into halftime.
In the second half, Reese made his presence felt after playing just three minute in the first period due to his foul trouble. Arguably the team’s most consistent perimeter shooter, Reese went on an 8-0 run by himself midway through the second half to give the Gamecocks a lead, sinking back-to-back 3-pointers in the process.
Carter finished with a team-high 16 points, while Reese scored all 13 of his points in the second half.
“This win right here I feel like could be a turning point to our season,” Reese said. “Florida State is a great team.”
Gamecocks hold their own in the paint
Martin and the Gamecocks knew that FSU would provide a challenge with its size in the paint. The Seminoles have four players ranging from 7-foot to 7-foot-4, which makes life difficult for opponents down low.
But even with Leveque sitting out much of the first half, the Gamecocks more than held their own on the glass, winning the rebound battle against the Seminoles 44-31.
Even more, the Gamecocks were the more effective team scoring inside, outscoring the Seminoles in the paint 38-20.
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina vs. Allen
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia
Watch: Streaming on SEC Network Plus
Box score: South Carolina 66, Florida St. 65
FLORIDA ST. (5-4): Butler 3-5 1-2 8, Osborne 4-8 4-6 15, Evans 1-6 2-2 4, Mills 4-13 5-5 13, Polite 1-4 6-6 9, Warley 3-5 1-2 8, Cleveland 2-7 1-2 5, Wilkes 0-1 0-0 0, McLeod 1-1 1-3 3, Fletcher 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-51 21-28 65.
SOUTH CAROLINA (7-2): Wilson 1-2 0-0 2, Leveque 3-3 4-6 10, Reese 5-9 0-0 13, Stevenson 2-9 0-0 5, Wright 0-6 0-0 0, D.Carter 6-12 4-7 16, Bryant 3-7 1-3 7, C.Carter 4-7 0-0 8, Woodley 1-1 0-0 2, Gray 1-1 1-2 3, Minott 0-1 0-2 0, Martin 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 10-20 66.
Halftime—Florida St. 36-30. 3-Point Goals—Florida St. 6-21 (Osborne 3-6, Warley 1-1, Butler 1-3, Polite 1-3, Evans 0-1, Fletcher 0-1, Wilkes 0-1, Cleveland 0-2, Mills 0-3), South Carolina 4-14 (Reese 3-4, Stevenson 1-4, Bryant 0-1, C.Carter 0-1, D.Carter 0-2, Wright 0-2). Rebounds—Florida St. 30 (Osborne 9), South Carolina 34 (D.Carter 7). Assists—Florida St. 8 (Polite 4), South Carolina 7 (Stevenson 4). Total Fouls—Florida St. 21, South Carolina 22.
This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 2:22 PM.
