Four burning questions for South Carolina entering SEC play

Through 13 games, it still feels like South Carolina has yet to play its best, complete brand of basketball. That could either be a good thing or it could be a bad sign of things to come.

While non-conference play featured some ups and downs for the Gamecocks, none of that matters now. Any struggles they endured are irrelevant. With SEC play starting, they will have a chance to put any doubts to rest.

Before South Carolina tips off against No. 17 Mississippi State on Saturday, here are four burning questions for the team as the 18-game gauntlet begins.

Is this team ready for what’s to come?

That’s the million dollar question isn’t it? After the way the Gamecocks played against Clemson a few weeks ago, you would definitely think they’re ready to roll for SEC play. But then they went out and struggled at times against Radford and Presbyterian. So there isn’t a clear yes or no to this question.

South Carolina has shown it can compete and play good basketball at times this season. Then again, this is also a team that has looked lifeless and inconsistent at other times. It just all comes down to which team shows up each game.

These next 18-games are going to dictate which direction the rest of the season goes. But in reality, we will know within the next few games what this team is made of. They’ll open conference play against No. 17 Mississippi State, No. 5 Alabama and No. 2 Auburn, with the last two games coming at home. However these games go, there will be a more concrete answer as to what 2024-25 South Carolina is about.

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How much could slow starts hurt South Carolina?

While the Gamecocks came away with 10 wins in non-conference play, a lot of those games weren’t pretty. More than once did they have to make a second-half comeback to secure victory. It wasn’t a huge issue to be down at halftime against lower competition because they were still always going to have a good chance to win.

But now as SEC play begins, what happens if South Carolina is down at halftime? It’s possible it could still be a team that plays better in the second half, but you can bet the rest of the conference will be just as good.

That’s why it’s crucial for the Gamecocks to play well for a full 40 minutes. They will only hurt themselves by digging their own hole at the start of games. In fairness to them, the last two times they trailed at the half came during the holiday season with Christmas and New Years right around the corner. So maybe now that the holidays are over, they will be more locked in with a normal schedule.

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Who steps up aside from Collin Murray-Boyles?

If there’s been one constant for South Carolina this season, it’s been star forward Collin Murray-Boyles. He’s been on a tear so far, averaging 16.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. While the offense should continue to flow through him, it’s safe to assume teams are going to hone in on him and try to make him a non-factor.

With that said, others are going to have to play better around him. That’s not to say they haven’t. There have definitely been moments where certain guys have stepped up and played well. But if this team wants to have real success in SEC play, they will need another consistent force to take a little bit of the load off Murray-Boyles.

Nick Pringle would be an ideal candidate to help with that cause. He’s only been getting better as the season has moved along to where he’s now averaging 10.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. He’s also been a starter in the SEC before at Alabama, so that will certainly benefit him. With how physical this conference is, this is really what he was brought in for. The Gamecocks didn’t have that go-to big man besides Murray-Boyles last year. Now they do (or should).

South Carolina also needs more from its guards. This league is going to be filled with good guard play, which is something the Gamecocks had between Ta’Lon Cooper and Meechie Johnson last season. Maybe it will be a more collective effort amongst the guards to get the job done, but could Jamarii Thomas at least be one guard to stand on his own two feet? That would be huge if so.

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Can South Carolina get enough wins to get back to March Madness?

The opportunities are all there for the Gamecocks to not only get enough wins but more importantly have enough quality wins to build a solid resume by Selection Sunday in March. From this point on, there are not going to be any more “easy” games on the schedule.

They’ll start out with 10 straight Quad 1 games, then play another five Quad 1 games in their final seven games. So just for some quick math, that’s 15 Q1 games and three Q2 games to make up the 18-game slate. Yeah, that’s absolutely brutal.

While it’s going to be tough, South Carolina can definitely solidify its case to make the NCAA Tournament with enough wins over these next few months. And you may be asking, how many wins would it take for the Gamecocks to reach the tournament? Considering the SEC should probably be a double-digit bid league, going .500 or better should be enough. But that’s much easier said than done.

As of right now, KenPom projects South Carolina to finish 5-13 in league play. That’s never going to get the job done, not even to make the NIT. Even if the Gamecocks can go 8-10, that at least creates the discussion for a tournament bid, especially with some good Q1 wins. Though, it would be easier to just go nine wins or better to leave no doubt.

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