USC has a plan as it prepares for Oral Roberts

It was a solid opening win, one where South Carolina needed to see its new players and one that could give Frank Martin and his staff information on what they need to work on.

So far, it’s one of the same problems as last year – attacking a zone defense.

“I thought we were real passive in the first half,” Martin said after Saturday’s season-opening victory over Norfolk State. “Early in the year, that’s the last kind of defense you want to play against.”

The Gamecocks began well, stroking 3-pointers and getting points in transition. When Duane Notice and P.J. Dozier had to sit with fouls, though, USC stalled.

Martin wants the ball to go inside. It wasn’t. The Spartans were spreading Marcus Stroman and Sindarius Thornwell at the top of the key and denying any inside lanes. Their sticky defense resulted in fouls, and USC was mostly making free throws, but there was no explosion.

Norfolk was a guard-based team that had to play a tight zone since it didn’t have the height to counter. It was designed to get turnovers and start running. The Spartans also began stroking 3-pointers, cutting the deficit to single digits when USC seemed poised to put the game away.

USC ended up winning by 15, and while there were the expected rough spots, it’s nothing that should linger. Martin has a plan now on how to address weaknesses and get back at it – USC plays its second game barely 48 hours after the first.

“It’s easier to prepare,” he said. “First game of the year, it’s always like that. It’s like walking into a dark room – you don’t know what you’re going to collide with.”