Jon Rothstein on South Carolina: 'It's like getting a root canal without the novocaine'
Throughout this season, there’s been a lot of chatter about South Carolina as it has continued to pick up win after win. CBS College Basketball Insider Jon Rothstein is usually one of the first to voice his opinion on the Gamecocks.
Rothstein, who is very avid in the college basketball world, had a lot to say about their dominant win over No. 6 Kentucky.
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“The ceiling could be higher than we think for South Carolina,” Rothstein said. “Remember, South Carolina was playing tonight without Myles Stute, one of its best offensive players.”
South Carolina drew up a fantastic game plan to take down the Wildcats on Tuesday. Shots were coming from all over the court, especially from three-point range. The Gamecocks knocked down 11 threes and shot 48.3 percent from the floor.
But what really stood out was the defense matching up well against Kentucky’s high-power offense. Keep in mind, this was not just any offense. The Wildcats came into the game averaging 91.5 points per game. The Gamecocks held them to a season-low 62 points.
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And Rothstein gave a lot of the credit to the way head coach Lamont Paris has built his program despite having less talent compared to the bigger SEC schools.
“When he took the South Carolina job, he told me that he knew he wasn’t going to be able to get players as good as Kentucky, as good as Tennessee. But he was going to have to learn how to manage the game,” Rothstein said.
“If you look at the way South Carolina executes, he is building a Wisconsin-style program in the SEC. Don’t turn the ball over, control the pace. It’s like getting a root canal without the novocaine.”
