SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL

Jair Bolden remembers what he was feeling as he sat and watched one of the more pivotal games of the Gamecocks’ season last year.

South Carolina made the trip west to play at Wyoming in elevation and left with an 11-point loss, and now Bolden and the Gamecocks (1-0) get a chance to redeem themselves with the Cowboys coming to Colonial Life Arena Sunday.

“It makes me really excited for that game,” Bolden said. “I watched it from home and saw ways I could have helped and see ways I could have helped and done out there. Now I get to play them and it’s exciting.”

Bolden, who couldn’t play because he was sitting out after transferring, didn’t travel with the team and was forced to watch as the Gamecocks were outscored 40-27 in the second half as they shot just 41.3 percent from two and hit three of 20 three-point attempts.

They were without Keyshawn Bryant for long stretches—he played in just 16 minutes—with the then-freshman battling migraines and foul trouble.

“I think it was a learning experience for our young guys,” Bolden said. “At that point in the year, I think it was the sixth game of the year, and we had a bunch of freshmen and were in foul trouble early. I think having freshmen and older guys who were there learn how to play with foul trouble, while still being aggressive was a problem for us. We watched that film and we’re learning from that.”

Last year’s loss set off a defining stretch for the Gamecocks last season, starting a four-game skid the really put the team behind the eight ball in terms of NCAA Tournament aspirations.

The Gamecocks finished the non-conference play 5-7, including finishing 1-4 down the stretch, and even though they went 11-7 and finished fourth in the SEC, that non-conference record was hard to overcome.

Now the Gamecocks get a chance to redeem themselves with Sunday’s noon tip and prove last year was a fluke.

“As players and staff, we all know we dropped that one last year,” Bolden said. “We’re looking forward to having that extra aggression to win on Sunday.”

Scouting Wyoming

The Cowboys come in after winning their opener 54-40 over Idaho State and are rated as the No. 271 overall team by KenPom with the basketball service giving the Gamecocks a 95 percent chance to win.

They’re good from inside the paint, hitting 66.7 percent of their shots from two compared to just 10 percent in the opener from beyond the arc.

Defense, after one game, seems to be the strong suit with opponents shooting just 16.7 percent from three and 47.8 percent from two.

“They have talented guys out there. They have some shooters out there,” Bolden said. “They lost I think two players from that starting lineup so it’s an experienced team. They play hard. It’s going to be a hard challenge for us.”

Player to watch

Wyoming’s best player is Hunter Maldonado, who is coming off an injury-shortened season last year. Before injury he was 13.8 points and shooting 42 percent from the field in eight games.

He put up 32 points on 19 shots last time out and plays some small and power forward. No doubt, the Gamecocks will put Justin Minaya on him when the game tips off at noon on Sunday.