A win is a win and certainly better than the alternative, and the Gamecocks picked up a big win over UAB Thursday night, a 66-63 victory over what's considered one of the best mid-majors in the country and a preseason C-USA favorite.

It got closer than it needed to be—South Carolina's 16-point lead with nine minutes left dwindled to one at one point—but the Gamecocks got the win with plenty of good and plenty of things to improve on four games into the season.

Here's what we learned from the win.