A solid start: South Carolina handles USC Upstate in men’s basketball season opener
Curtains up, lights on: It’s showtime at Colonial Life Arena.
South Carolina men’s basketball opened its 2023-24 season Monday with an 82-53 victory over USC Upstate. After its tale-of-two halves exhibition win over Wofford last week, the Gamecocks had a chance to show off what a quick start can mean for coach Lamont Paris’ crew.
This is the Meechie Johnson USC needs
Ta’Lon Cooper wasn’t worried when guard Meechie Johnson only scored two points in the exhibition. Even if that game didn’t count, the Minnesota transfer guard knew USC’s point guard would step up to the plate quickly.
Johnson finished Monday’s game with 15 points and five rebounds. He scored 13 points in the first half, but couldn’t play many minutes in the second half after getting in foul trouble. Still, Johnson’s physicality was a huge reason why the Gamecocks gained momentum early on.
Johnson will have off games at some point throughout the season. When USC has its star player locked in like it did Monday night, though, the offense is that much stronger.
“We need Meechie Johnson to step on the gas pedal,” Paris said. “That’s got to be part of what he does.”
BJ Mack can be a real two-way guy
The Wofford College transfer forward can shoot from beyond the arc, he’s a physical presence in the paint and brings height and maturity to the Gamecocks’ lineup. And Paris loves every bit of it.
BJ Mack is proving why he was a good grab from the transfer portal, scoring 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and a block against in the season-opener. Having Mack’s big-man presence mixed in with his clean shooting is exactly what he wanted to see from the fifth year player, Paris said.
“I love skilled, larger-than-average guys,” Paris said. ”I think he fits into that. He’s trying to develop as a guy that plays out of his shot fake off the dribble, he did that a little bit of that today.”
More importantly, Mack’s off-ball movement throughout the game helped create a lot of pristine chances for the four other Gamecocks on the court.
Mack was expected to be a top scorer for USC this season, but the transfer could shine defensively. As Paris continues to fine tune rotations and substitutions, Mack has an opportunity to double up physically with Josh Gray or Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, or be a sharp-shooting threat alongside Stephen Clark.
Personnel adjustments
Paris said freshmen Austin Herro and Arden Conyers will likely redshirt this year. Both players didn’t dress for Monday’s game. Paris said the two had a “soft deadline” on their decision to use a year or take the redshirt option, and both chose to wait a season before making a splash.
“It’s a good indication,” Paris said. “Today was the soft deadline for them to make decisions.”
Paris added that Morris Ugusuk was another player who could’ve gone for the redshirt this season, but chose not to. Ugusuk had five points and three assists against the Spartans.
Ugusuk adds some additional depth to South Carolina’s roster, especially since he’s added roughly 15 pounds, according to Paris.
Scoring depth will be critical
Four South Carolina players reached double-digits. Eleven players scored. Twelve of the 16 South Carolina players on the roster played against USC Upstate.
Cooper’s performance, with a game-high 15 points to match Johnson’s, was one Paris took note of after the win. Having as many players score as they did, Paris can continue tinkering with the lineup to create combos that work.
“I think these early games can be an opportunity to tinker with a couple of things if the game goes the way that you want it to,” Paris explained.
It also takes pressure off the top scorers to put up those big numbers every night. Having Cooper score 15 one night and Mack score 12 another night means USC can spread the wealth with confidence.
Plus, USC isn’t afraid to pass the ball. The Gamecocks had 16 assists Monday night, an improvement from the 11 against Wofford in the exhibition.
“You need to ... trust your instincts to make decisions.,” Paris said. “We have a team that I think, at their at their core, is full of guys that are that are team-oriented guys, and that’s a huge advantage.”
Next four USC basketball games
Nov. 10 - Virginia Tech/Hall of Fame Series in Charlotte, NC, 9:30 p.m. (ACC Network)
Nov. 13 - vs. VMI, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Nov. 17 - DePaul (Arizona Tip-Off Tournament), 11:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Nov. 19 - Grand Canyon/San Francisco (Arizona Tip-Off Tournament), TBA (CBS Sports Network)
This story was originally published November 6, 2023 at 8:57 PM with the headline "A solid start: South Carolina handles USC Upstate in men’s basketball season opener."
