South Carolina tips off a pair of games in Asheville with a Friday night matchup with Princeton.

1. Evaluating the post play

Frank Martin was very unhappy with the post play following the exhibition against Benedict, but was happy with how they practiced leading into the opener against USC Upstate. Against the Spartans, Martin started a big lineup with both Josh Gray and Wildens Leveque. Ta’Quan Woodley was the first man off the bench, and Tre-Vaughn Minott returned after missing the exhibition.

Leveque had 14 points and eight rebounds, tying for the team-high in scoring. Gray had eight points and eight rebounds, and Woodley had eight and five before fouling out. Minott was scoreless in four minutes. It was, Martin though, a mixed bag. Putting Gray at the four means South Carolina is occasionally sacrificing quickness on defense so it can take advantage of smaller teams on offense.

“He had good moments defending on the perimeter,” Martin said. “I didn’t think he played as big and strong as he needs to play offensively to punish teams that play small.”

“I didn’t think him and Wildens were very good at that today,” Martin continued. “I thought Wildens played really hard but didn’t play well.”

Martin said Woodley is struggling defensively, but that is expected for a freshman and “he’s a really good player.”

2. Three-point shooting

South Carolina was just 4-19 (21.1%) from behind the arc against Upstate. That’s not a good clip. Erik Stevenson was the worst offender, going 1-7, but Jermaine Couisnard was 1-4, and James Reese and Jacobi Wright were 1-3.

“We’ve got to make more perimeter shots,” Martin said. “You can’t make them all, but you’ve got to make the ones you can make. We just didn’t make enough.”

Martin later said he’s not concerned about the poor shooting, and he is confident the shots will fall.

3. Jermaine’s back and AJ’s back

AJ Wilson missed the game against Upstate with a strained muscle in his back. He should be able to play against Princeton.

After sitting out the exhibition and missing the majority of the last three weeks after having his wisdom teeth removed and then injuring his hamstring, Couisnard tied Leveque for the team lead with 14 points, and also chipped in six rebounds and seven assists. It was a nice job filling up the box score, but Couisnard also committed four turnovers and was only 5-2 shooting. Couisnard could be more efficient

“He played like a guy that missed two weeks,” Martin said. “Some of his decision-making was a little off. He played aggressively at times, and then I thought he played like a guy that was maybe a little winded.”

“Jermaine’s going to be fine. Jermaine’s in a good place.”

4. Family matters

In his first game playing for his father, Brandon Martin had a disappointing showing. He played just three minutes and his only entry in the stat line was a missed shot. Frank Martin wasn’t surprised. He listed about a dozen family members who were in town for the game and said he could tell when Brandon struggled in shootaround that he was overwhelmed by the occasion.

Frank praised Brandon’s toughness (no surprise there) and said he expects a lot more from him going forward.

“If you would have asked me in September, I didn’t have an answer,” Martin said. “In my heart, he’s going to help us this year.”

5. Scouting the Tigers

The first question is, “Does Princeton still run the Princeton Offense?” The answer is, it has evolved a little since the famous 1996 team, but yes, it’s still the Princeton Offense. That means back cuts, patient ball movement, and low possessions. The style is not too different from how Upstate plays, so the Spartans provided good preparation for the Tigers.

“They were attacking us through the four. Princeton plays the same way so it was good that we got to do this today,” Martin said after the Upstate game.

If the opposing four is allowed to get the ball where he wants, then South Carolina's guards become exposed. That sets them up to be taken advantage of with backdoor cuts. Upstate did a good job of attacking Josh Gray early as it built a nine-point lead. Once Gray settled in, along with Woodley, South Carolina’s defense improved. It will be one of the keys against Princeton.

The Ws

Who: South Carolina (1-0) vs Princeton (1-0)

When: Friday, November 12, 9:30 pm

Where: Harrah’s Cherokee Center/ExploreAsheville.com Arena, Asheville, NC

Watch: ESPNews