Frank Martin’s Gamecocks top 100 points in rout of Allen. What we learned
Coming off hard-fought, back-to-back wins against Georgetown and Florida State, the South Carolina men’s basketball team had a much easier go of it Tuesday night.
Frank Martin’s Gamecocks throttled visiting Allen 110-51 at Colonial Life Arena, defeating a winless Yellowjackets (0-9) team that competes in Division II.
With the win, the Gamecocks moved to 8-2 on the season, tuning up before a road rivalry matchup at Clemson this Saturday.
“It helps everybody get that confidence,” forward Brandon Martin said. “And even though we play Saturday, it just kind of gets everybody going, and everybody got to play. I think everybody scored, so it brings excitement in the locker room and we can just build on it.”
Here’s what we learned about the Gamecocks.
Gamecocks overmatch Allen in every aspect
The Gamecocks did what they’re supposed to do in these kinds of matchups — dominate.
The Yellowjackets don’t feature a single player over 6-foot-6, and the discrepancy in both size and talent was clear from the get-go. USC’s 6-foot-10 center Wildens Leveque and freshman Devin Carter led the way from a scoring standpoint, each putting up 12 points.
The Gamecocks spread the ball around with 15 different players scoring and shot a commanding 54.2% as a team. The Gamecocks also posted 31 assists as a team, emblematic of unselfish basketball.
“We played the game the right way, at the end of the day today,” Frank Martin said. “Obviously, watching Allen on film, I knew that the manpower was not going to be there to go up against us. And all we talked about yesterday was play the game the right way, don’t play selfishly on offense.”
As expected, USC did the bulk of its damage in the paint. USC out-rebounded Allen 59-20 and outscored Allen 60-14 in the paint. The Gamecocks also tallied nine dunks as they let loose in the second half.
Gamecocks shorthanded with injuries
Junior guard Jermaine Couisnard sat out the second straight game with a left ankle injury that he suffered in last week’s win over Georgetown. Martin had said that Couisnard was cleared by the team’s training staff to play but wasn’t yet “at peace with his body.”
Couisnard was wearing a boot on his left foot during pre-game warmups Tuesday. Freshman Jacobi Wright started his fourth straight game at point guard in Couisnard’s absence.
Meanwhile, the Gamecocks lost another starter to injury just three minutes into the contest, as starting power forward A.J. Wilson hobbled off the court with a knee injury. He entered the locker room and didn’t return to the bench for the remainder of the game. Martin said Wilson would have an MRI on the knee on Wednesday, but the coach wasn’t yet sure about the severity of the injury.
Wilson missed the first three games of the season due to a back injury and the death of a loved one. The graduate transfer from George Mason had settled into a starting role at power forward upon his return.
Shoud Wilson miss time, both Brandon Martin and Keyshawn Bryant figure to see more playing time at the 4.
Chico Carter Jr. turns in best effort
A local product from Cardinal Newman, Carter Jr. transferred to the Gamecocks from Murray State this offseason with an eye on competing for time at point guard.
Through the early portion of the season, Carter Jr. has slotted behind both Couisnard and Wright at the point, and he averaged just 6.4 minutes per game coming into Tuesday’s contest.
But with Couisnard out, Carter Jr. saw extended time at point guard Tuesday, setting season highs in minutes (22) and points (9). He also was the team’s top 3-point shooter on the night, sinking three of four attempts.
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina at Clemson
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson
Watch: ACC Network
South Carolina 110, Allen 51
ALLEN (0-1): J.Green 4-12 2-2 12, Reynolds 2-5 0-0 4, And.Baker 4-9 0-0 11, Ant.Baker 2-7 1-2 6, Williams 3-6 0-0 7, Cook 2-5 0-0 4, Jones 0-8 0-0 0, Fabyan 0-3 0-0 0, James 0-1 0-0 0, Ferguson 2-2 0-0 4, Mullen 1-3 0-0 3, Grogins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-62 3-4 51.
SOUTH CAROLINA (8-2): Wilson 1-2 0-0 2, Leveque 5-6 2-3 12, Reese 3-8 0-0 9, Stevenson 2-9 1-1 5, Wright 2-5 0-0 5, C.Carter 3-5 0-0 9, Martin 5-8 0-0 10, Bryant 4-9 1-2 10, D.Carter 6-9 0-0 12, Gray 2-4 0-0 4, Benson 3-6 2-4 8, Minott 2-3 2-2 6, Woodley 2-2 0-0 4, F.Cooper 1-1 0-0 3, M.Green 4-6 0-0 11. Totals 45-83 8-12 110.
Halftime—South Carolina 51-22. 3-Point Goals—Allen 8-24 (And.Baker 3-6, J.Green 2-5, Williams 1-1, Ant.Baker 1-3, Mullen 1-3, Fabyan 0-1, Reynolds 0-2, Jones 0-3), South Carolina 12-32 (C.Carter 3-4, M.Green 3-5, Reese 3-8, F.Cooper 1-1, Bryant 1-3, Wright 1-3, D.Carter 0-3, Stevenson 0-5). Rebounds—Allen 17 (J.Green, Reynolds, Jones 3), South Carolina 56 (Martin 11). Assists—Allen 11 (Ant.Baker 4), South Carolina 31 (Stevenson, C.Carter 6). Total Fouls—Allen 10, South Carolina 9. A—7,872 (18,000).
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 8:43 PM.
