Defense the emphasis as South Carolina prepares for rivalry game

Lamont Paris wants a nice, free-flowing offense at South Carolina.

But at heart, he’s a defensive-minded coach. It’s something he wants to bring to South Carolina, so it’s no shock that’s been the focus heading into a rivalry game Friday night. 

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“We put a lot of focus on defense today and being on the same page. We’re tuning up some offensive stuff, just playing together and keeping build that bond and buying into what coach is trying to teach us,” Jacobi Wright said. “Everything is still new to us with a new coach. We’re just trying to put everything together and stay on the right track to improving.” 

The Gamecocks defensively played well in spurts in their season opener, a three-point win over South Carolina State but still have some growing to do in Paris’s system. 

They currently rank No. 77 in adjusted defensive efficiency allowing 93.8 points per 100 possessions and will also have their hands full against a talented Clemson team. 

The Tigers, coming off an 11-point win over The Citadel, rank 56th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency at 106.1 points per 100 possessions. 

“They’re a good team. They got some shooters on the team, some slashing four men,” Chico Carter said. “We’re going to have to lock in on defense and push in transition.” 

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The good news for South Carolina is it expects big man Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (ankle) back in some capacity. His versatility defensively should certainly help.

“Getting Ben back helps with that. He has a really good feel for what we want to do. He’s a communicator. He’s a vocal guy. That also helps,” Paris said. “He’s extremely willing to do whatever we ask and he’s diligent in knowing what we want and what he’s supposed to do in every situation.” 

Regardless of how South Carolina does defensively Friday night, growing in the system and improving will still be imperative and the Gamecocks have big strides to make. 

“I think as far as regurgitating what I expect and what I want and what we’re supposed to do, I think we’re at a really good place with that. Recognizing that as things are coming at you 100 miles an hour, we still have a long ways to go in terms of that,” Paris said. 

“We’re constantly spending time talking and showing film and getting reps. We’ve made a lot of progress in terms of just our understanding of what we want. A lot of it at this point would be recognizing what it’s coming at you full speed.” 

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Scouting Clemson

The Tigers beat The Citadel 80-69 Monday night and have an extra day off compared to South Carolina before Friday’s game. PJ Hall is the biggest name on the roster, although he’s been sidelined since the offseason with a knee injury.

Chase Hunter and Hunter Tyson are two veteran players who can cause problems. The Tigers play a smaller player at the five in 6-foot-7 Ian Schieffelin. Transfer Brevin Galloway will make an impact also. 

Those four combined for 63 of Clemson’s 80 points. The Tigers shot 23-for-43 from two Monday, 7-for-22 from three. 

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Jacobi Wright was great in his sophomore season debut, putting up a career-high 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting, 3-for-5 from three. He finished with a 159 offensive rating, best on the team. The Gamecocks will need him to play well, especially if Meechie Johnson is limited with an injury. 

“I would say it’s definitely grown since last year. I’m more comfortable,” Wright said. “Coming into college, you might be a little nervous. But this year I’m a lot more comfortable and really working on my game and shooting. If I continue to keep working it’ll show.” 

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Matchup to watch

Clemson was really good protecting the ball Monday, turning it over on just 11.6 percent of possessions. South Carolina wasn’t great at getting the ball off SC State, forcing turnovers on just 14 percent of defensive possessions. South Carolina will need to force possessions without shots then get out and convert in transition. 

“It’s a big rivalry growing up in Columbia since I was a little kid,” Carter said. “Everyone wanted to be at the Clemson-South Carolina game. It just means a lot to the city. Being from the city, it means a lot to me. I’m going into the game thinking like that.” 

Game day information

When: Nov. 11, 7 p.m. (Colonial Life Arena; 18,000)

How to watch: SEC Network Plus (Dave Weinstein, John Williams)

How to listen: 107.5 FM (Derek Scott, Casey Manning)

KenPom prediction: South Carolina wins 69-68 (Gamecocks have 52 percent chance to win)

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