Gamecocks get first SEC win with road victory over Vanderbilt. What we learned
The road trip is off to a strong start.
After opening SEC play with a home loss to No. 9 Auburn, the South Carolina men’s basketball team (10-4, 1-1 SEC) opened its two-game SEC road trip with a 72-70 win over Vanderbilt (9-5, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday, coming out on top in a topsy-turvy affair.
“We know they’re a good team and they’re gonna make shots,” veteran guard Jermaine Couisnard said. “So we just had to grind it out, just make sure we lock in on defense even ... just make sure that we stayed together.”
The win was a first for USC in conference play with another road clash at No. 18 Tennessee on deck Tuesday.
Here’s what we learned about the Gamecocks.
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers
The same issue that plagued the Gamecocks in their loss to the Tigers also reared its ugly head early on against Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks turned the ball over 13 times in the first half against the Commodores.
Thankfully for USC, the Dores committed 10 turnovers of their own.
In a back-and-forth, fast-paced first half of basketball, the Gamecocks came away with a 34-32 halftime lead thanks to a much crisper offensive effort than the one we saw Tuesday night against Auburn.
USC shot a gaudy 64% in the first half, scoring 18 points in the paint and consistently sinking mid-range jumpers. The Gamecocks played much cleaner basketball in the second half, turning the ball over nine times for 22 on the game.
Defense contains Pippen Jr.
Star Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr. entered Saturday’s game as the SEC’s leading scorer with 18.4 points per game, but the Gamecocks managed to contain the son of the former NBA star in a stingy defensive effort.
Pippen Jr. scored just two points in the first half on 1-of-4 shooting, missing both 3-point attempts, as the Gamecocks held Vanderbilt to 39% shooting overall. With Pippen Jr. stifled, forward Myles Stute picked up most of the scoring load, scoring a game-high 14 points in the first half and finishing with 19 for the game.
Pippen Jr. picked up steam in the second half, finishing with 17 points, but the Gamecocks played strong defense overall, holding the Commodores to 39% shooting for the game. Transfer guard James Reese was especially effective against Pippen Jr. on the defensive end, and fittingly Reese shut down Vandy’s star guard on the final play of the game, not allowing him to get a shot off.
“I thought James was big-time the whole game,” Martin said. “When he guarded Pippen, I thought he did a great job. Pippen’s a hard guard.”
The Gamecocks did struggle with fouling on the defensive end, sending Vanderbilt to the free-throw line 36 times and helping the Commodores stay in the game.
Gamecocks spread the wealth
This year’s USC team doesn’t play through one scorer. Instead, the Gamecocks are at their best when they utilize their depth and spread the ball around.
Compared with the team’s at-times disjointed offense against Auburn, the Gamecocks did a better job Saturday of creating open looks and moving the ball on offense, with 11 different players scoring. Reese and Wildens Leveque led the way with 13 and 10 points, respectively. And in the second half, Couisnard played his best basketball since returning from an ankle injury, scoring nine points as he helped fuel a 14-5 run.
In good news for USC, Keyshawn Bryant played and provided six points off the bench after suffering a shoulder injury against Auburn.
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina at No. 18 Tennessee
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published January 8, 2022 at 2:17 PM.
