How to watch and what to watch for: South Carolina faces Elon
South Carolina has one more hurdle to cross before celebrating Christmas. The Gamecocks will play Elon in the third game of their five-game home stand on Friday night. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.
The game will be available to watch on SEC Network. But it will also be available for streaming on Fubo TV.
Here are some things to watch for.
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Can South Carolina finally break out?
South Carolina has played a lot of close games lately and been fortunate to come out on top most of the time. But it feels like the Gamecocks are due for a big, break out game. Could Friday be the night?
Shots haven’t been falling consistently, leading to some inconsistent play. If they can hit some more shots, they could escape with an easy win. Plus, it would be good for momentum heading into a long break to get a convincing win.
Be more aggressive in the paint
The Gamecocks will continue to take their shots from behind the arc. But it might not be a bad idea to play a little closer to the hoop. They’ve got BJ Mack who can be a tough man to stop in the paint. So why not use him more in that capacity?
It took South Carolina some time last game to figure that out. For most of the night, it struggled from three-point range and eventually turned to giving Mack the ball down low. In turn, he had to be covered closely, which gave outside shooters better looks. Do that again but more often.
What’s up with Josh Gray?
After being a key contributor for South Carolina last year, Gray hasn’t been the same player in 2023. He hasn’t played double-digit minutes in his last seven games.
When Gray was out there last year, he could be counted on as a strong rebounder. But that’s just not happening this year. He has to get it figured out. The Gamecocks will really need him come SEC play.
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Start strong, finish strong
We’ve seen South Carolina play better basketball as the games have moved along. The Gamecocks have played a little sluggish from the start of these home games but finished strong. If they can play well for a full 40 minutes, there’s nothing this team can’t do.
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It starts with playing better in the early going. They need to be able to find their stroke. Everything else will take care of itself.
Scouting the opponent
Elon is off to an up and down start, sitting at 6-5. It has lost two of its last three games. And it has yet to win on the road this year.
The Phoenix are near the bottom of KenPom, checking in at No. 292. Their best win has come against No. 227 East Tennessee State.
Elon has four double-digit scorers with sophomore guard TK Simpkins leading the way. He’s averaging 13.2 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting.
The Phoenix are ranked No. 80 in effective field goal percentage, shooting at a 52.8 percent clip. They also are better from behind the arc, ranked 19th with a 38.9 three-point percentage.
