South Carolina hosts Georgetown Sunday, hoping to go into the exam break with something positive.
1. Flush it
The loss to Coastal Carolina was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad loss. There was nothing redeeming in the virtual no-show by South Carolina. It undid all the positivity South Carolina had built up over the first month of the season. It is imperative that South Carolina not let the loss carry over.
It should be evident early whether the Gamecocks have flushed it. They looked slow and uncertain against the Chanticleers, and it was obvious almost immediately. Frank Martin said he knew during shootaround it would be that way. We aren’t privy to the shootaround, but we’ll know by the first media timeout if the energy is back.
2. Couisnard’s health
Jermaine Couisnard missed the Coastal Carolina game with an injury, and although Martin didn’t think Couisnard could have turned it into a win, his absence was clearly felt. South Carolina struggled to drive the ball, shoot threes, or get organized on offense, all things Couisnard does well.
Speaking on Friday, Martin said Couisnard has gotten better every day and would do some things in practice, but he still wasn’t sure if Couisnard would play, saying it’s an “hour-by-hour” situation. It will probably be a game-time decision.
3. We’re talking about practice
South Carolina did not practice Thursday, but practiced Friday and Saturday. Martin did not have anything special planned as punishment.
“We’ll be excited about going out there and competing to put ourselves in a place to play as well as we can against Georgetown,” Martin said Friday.
Again, because Martin spoke before practice, we don’t know how it went. But for a team that failed to communicate and failed to make adjustments against the Coastal Carolina zone, we should get a good indication how it went. If they look disjointed and confused again, it probably means they didn’t practice well.
4. Homecoming
Sunday’s game is a homecoming for a pair of Hoyas. Malcolm Wilson and Kaiden Rice both played at Ridge View High in Columbia.
Rice is a graduate transfer from The Citadel who is averaging 13.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Wilson started the season-opener for Georgetown and played 22 minutes, but has seen his playing time decrease and didn’t get off the bench in the last game.
5. Scouting the Hoyas
Martin talked up the Hoyas, comparing them to the John Thompson glory years when Patrick Ewing was playing, not coaching.
“They get after you defensively, they switch a lot defensively. Very physical, very aggressive, get on the glass, attack the rim,” Martin said. “You think about the old John Thompson teams where they used to roll out the centers one after another and beat you up at the rim, that’s what you’re going to get with Patrick Ewing.”
In truth, while that may be what the Hoyas want to do, it isn’t quite what they are actually doing on the court. They don’t rebound particularly well, or block shots, or force turnovers, and they allow opponents to shoot 42.9%, which is 207th in the nation.
Dante Harris leads the Hoyas in scoring at 14.2 points per game and Rice is the top three-point shooter. That is an area of concern for South Carolina. Georgetown shoots 39.1% from three as a team and Rice is hitting 43.6%.
The Ws
Who: South Carolina (5-2) vs Georgetown (3-3)
When: 2:00 pm, Sunday, December 5
Where: Colonial Life Arena
Watch: SEC Network
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