SOUTH CAROLINA MEN’S BASKETBALL
South Carolina heads to Mexico for two games in the Cancun Challenge.
1. Stop the ball
In the loss to BU and the closer than expected win over Gardner-Webb, South Carolina allowed repeated open looks from three. BU made 9-25 and Gardner-Webb was 8-19 from three. Gardner-Webb’s coach Tim Craft admitted that BU had figured out how to attack South Carolina and he tried to copy it.
In a nutshell, the Gamecocks try to be aggressive on the perimeter and in passing lanes to keep the ball out of the paint. If you can get the ball inside and make a smart, patient decision to shoot or pass, the defense breaks down. Craft said that since the Gamecocks had a height advantage, the goal was to make multiple smart passes until they gotan open shot.
Scheme-wise, the Gamecocks aren’t playing defense any differently than they always have, but the execution is not there. Communication has been lacking, which leads to mistakes in rotating.
“We’ve just got to talk more,” AJ Lawson said. “That’s our defense. We’ve got to help the helper.”
But the bigger issue is that the Gamecocks' perimeter defenders aren’t stopping penetration. It has been too easy for opponents to get the ball inside, and then the communication breakdowns make it easier to find open shots.
“Our guys have to take ownership of guarding the dribble, and we’re not doing that,” Frank Martin said.
2. More Laik Mike
Before the Gardner-Webb game, I wrote about Maik Kotsar’s improved performance the previous two games. It continued against Gardner-Webb, when he scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had two assists. Over the last three games, Kotsar is averaging 10 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and a block. Those aren’t all-SEC numbers, but they are solid, plus they don’t take into account Kotsar’s defense and intangibles.
After the loss to BU, Martin begged the players to be more vocal, and Kotsar, who isn’t naturally a big talker, made an effort to communicate more.
“Today he was talking a lot, during timeouts and in the game, trying to encourage us more,” Lawson said after the Gardner-Webb game. “He was trying to be a leader.”
3. They don’t lose
Martin made a comment following the win over Gardner-Webb that could just as easily apply to the two games in Cancun.
“The one thing that this week has been real good for our team is that teams with winning pedigree don’t loose, you have to beat them,” he said. “We haven’t figured that one out yet.”
South Carolina has a pair of tough but winnable games against quality opponents Wichita State and either West Virginia or Northern Iowa, all with a history of winning. It’s a good challenge for the Gamecocks, who are still finding their way this season. They have talented pieces that are still learning to play well together. Martin made his first lineup change against Gardner-Webb, starting Wildens Leveque over Alanzo Frink. He also leaned more heavily on Jermaine Couisnard, who had a career-high 16 points in a career-high 33 minutes, after playing less than 20 minutes the previous three games.
The success, or lack thereof, will set the tone for the rest of the non-conference schedule. Is South Carolina the competitive team with a lot of potential we expected? Or will the struggles of last week carry over and force them to dig out of a non-conference hole like last season? A pair of wins would really bolster their resume come March.
4. Coaching connections all around
There is no shortage of coaching story-lines in Cancun this week. First, South Carolina plays Wichita State, coached by Greenwood, SC, native Gregg Marshall. Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Marshall first found success at Winthrop University in Rock Hill. A sizable portion of the fan base wanted to hire Marshall instead of Martin, and many of those same fans have not let Martin’s Final Four run or status as the Gamecocks’ most successful coach since Frank McGuire stop their campaign to hire Marshall.
On the other, less contentious, hand, a potential matchup between Martin and his mentor Bob Huggins looms. Martin was on Huggins’ staff at Cincinnati and Kansas State, and when Huggins left Kansas State to take over at his alma mater West Virginia, it opened the door for Martin to become a head coach. The two remain close (Martin joked they might break down film together if they play), and there are a number of connections between the staffs. West Virginia assistant Ron Everheart gave Martin his first college coaching job, hiring him as an assistant at Northeastern. West Virginia video coordinator Ryan McIntyre was a graduate assistant under Martin at South Carolina, and South Carolina strength coach Scott Greenawalt and Director of Operations Andy Assaley were on Huggins’ Kansas State staff.
Martin and Huggins have met once before. West Virginia beat Kansas State 85-80 in overtime in a neutral site game in Wichita in 2011.
5. Scouting the Cancun Challenge
Collyn already did a detailed scouting report on Wichita State HERE, so I won’t repeat it. What he didn’t mention, is that Wichita and Cancun are sister cities. That will obviously be a big factor in the game, and that is the kind of information other people tend to overlook.
Northern Iowa and West Virginia are both undefeated this season, Northern Iowa has played a relatively weak schedule, but West Virginia has wins over Pitt and BU (69-44), as the Mountaineers look to bounce back from a down year.
The Ws
Game One
Who: South Carolina vs Wichita State
When: Tuesday, November 26, 6:00 pm
Where: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Convention Center
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Game Two
Who: South Carolina vs West Virginia/Northern Iowa
When: Wednesday, November 27, either 6:00 pm or 8:30 pm
Where: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Convention Center
Watch: CBS Sports Network
