How to watch and what to watch for: South Carolina faces Winthrop

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South Carolina is back at home on Tuesday for the second game of its home stand. The Gamecocks will host the Winthrop Eagles at 7 p.m.

The game will be available on ESPN Plus/SEC Network Plus, which requires a subscription. But it will also be available for streaming on Fubo TV.

Here are some things to watch for.

Will South Carolina look better on normal schedule now?

One problem the Gamecocks faced last time out was playing their first game after having a week off. It’s safe to say they looked somewhat sluggish and didn’t play as well as they should’ve against Charleston Southern.

Now, they’ll play two more games in the span of the next four days. So there should be some return to normalcy in the way they play against a team they should beat. They have to set the tone by getting off to a strong start against the Eagles.

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Play more aggressive

There was a stark contrast in how South Carolina rebounded in the second half against Charleston Southern. It played much more aggressive and finished with 39 rebounds.

That’s going to be a key to this game. The Gamecocks will hit their shots. That’s a given. But when they do miss, the guys in the paint need to crash to the boards and create second looks.

When going on big runs, don’t leave the door open

It’s becoming a trend at this point, but South Carolina will go on a scoring run to take a big lead. However, it doesn’t seem to want to slam the door, instead giving the other team a chance to live.

That can’t keep happening. There are better teams out there that will take advantage of that opportunity and win. The Gamecocks are a good enough team to finish and get wins. But if they can find a way to grab and maintain a big lead, they can avoid a lot of stress.

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Need to be more consistent from behind the arc

South Carolina wasn’t particularly great from three-point land, shooting 6-for-25. What was more worrying was the fact it went 1-for-15 in the second half.

Part of this team’s identity is the three ball. They will live and die by it every now and then. So far, the Gamecocks have been good enough to overcome some bad shooting nights. However, this can’t continue.

It just takes one guy to get the whole team going. Who will that be? Look for Meechie Johnson or BJ Mack to shoot better from behind the arc. They each hit a pair of threes in the win last Saturday. But they’ve proven that they can be better. And that’s what this team needs.

Scouting the opponent

If Charleston Southern proved to be tough, Winthrop is sure to be a difficult matchup for South Carolina. The Eagles are 8-4 on the year and ranked 148th in KenPom.

Since losing two of their first three games, one of which came against Clemson, the Eagles have looked a lot better. They’ve gone 7-2 over their last nine games with losses to Georgia and Xavier. None of their wins have been super impressive, as they’ve beaten teams ranked in the bottom tier of KenPom.

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Winthrop is led by junior forward KJ Doucet, the team’s leading scorer, who is averaging 14.2 points per game. He’s done it on 51.9 shooting from the field and 46.9 percent from three-point range.

The Eagles also have three other players averaging double-digit points: Kelton Talford (11.4), Kasen Harrison (11.1) and Nick Johnson (10.4).

Senior center Alex Zimmerman has been averaging 9.9 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-10 big man should provide a sizable challenge for South Carolina’s forwards.

Game details

Who: South Carolina (9-1) vs. Winthrop (8-4)

When: Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.

Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)

How to watch/listen: ESPN Plus/SEC Network Plus/107.5 FM

ESPN gives South Carolina a 71 percent chance to win

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