Nick Pringle gives South Carolina another scoring option ahead of Clemson rivalry game
The formula for Lamont Paris is simple: Give the ball to Collin Murray-Boyles and Nick Pringle. The rest will work itself out.
“I think in most games, that’s going to be a point of emphasis for us,” Paris said Saturday after the 73-53 win over USC Upstate.
This season, South Carolina (7-3) was already expected to lean on Murray-Boyles offensively. But Paris has also turned to Pringle, an Alabama transfer, to shoulder a bigger scoring role — a surprise given Pringle’s limited opportunities on that end of the court with the Crimson Tide.
“I told Nick in the recruiting process that I wanted to explore what scoring points looks like for him, and put him in some situations where he was going to have to create something for himself and make some decisions,” Paris said. “So we’re going to continue to do that.”
Pringle had a slow start to the season, but has recently shown flashes of his offensive potential. Against Indiana, his aggressive second-half play hinted at his importance to USC’s success.
It was confirmed in the USC Upstate game, where Pringle delivered his best performance as a Gamecock.
He tied a career-high with 19 points while also grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots. Aggression on the offensive end poured out of Pringle, as he and Murray-Boyles made their presence known from tip-off. The front-court duo scored 12 quick points, leading USC to an early 19-8 lead.
USC outscored Upstate by 19 with Pringle on the court, matching Murray-Boyles for the team’s best plus-minus rating.
That interior scoring opens the door for much more within the USC offense, Paris said, especially from the perimeter.
“It creates a level of alarm that allows you to get some better shots,” Paris said. “Once the ball goes anywhere near the paint, coaches are talking about that in timeouts.”
Looking ahead to Clemson
After a bumpy 3-3 start, USC appears to be finding its rhythm with four straight wins. Now, the Gamecocks face one of their toughest tests yet with rival No. 25 Clemson coming to town Tuesday.
A win would be USC’s biggest of the season and its first Quad 1 victory, a critical metric for NCAA Tournament hopes. All seven Gamecock wins so far are against Quad 3/4 opponents, which do a lot for postseason resumes.
USC has had two chances for a quality win in two Quad 1 games this year — at Indiana and versus Xavier — but fell short both times.
The Gamecocks last upset Clemson in 2022 during Paris’ first season, a bright spot in an otherwise challenging 11-win campaign. But this Clemson team appears to be in a better spot than the one from a couple years ago, despite coming off a tough home loss to Memphis.
South Carolina vs Clemson: how to watch
Who: No. 25 Clemson at South Carolina
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina
Watch: SEC Network (Roy Philpott — play-by-play and Perry Clark — analyst)
Listen: 107.5 FM in Columbia (Derek Scott — play-by-play and Casey Manning — analyst)
