What to watch for: South Carolina looks to return to winning ways against South Carolina State

Take two. South Carolina returns to the court after an unlikely home loss on Monday to the North Florida Ospreys. This Friday, they’ll take on in-state foe South Carolina State.

After leading for most of the game, South Carolina allowed North Florida to stay in the game. That resulted in the Ospreys taking a late lead that wouldn’t be given up.

For now, it’s about getting back on track. Unlike in football, one bad loss isn’t the end of a team’s postseason hopes. The Gamecocks have 29 more opportunities.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on SEC Network Plus and ESPN+.

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Are the free throws really free?

South Carolina lost by three points on Monday. The team’s mark from the free-throw line? 14-25, or 56%. That mirrors a perennial struggle for the Gamecocks, who have ranked 13th and 11th in the SEC in Lamont Paris’s first two years, respectively. 

Nick Pringle was 3-8 from the stripe, and CMB was 3-6. Freshman Cam Scott was 1-3. In a three point game, that made all the difference. Against a low-major opponent, free-throws should just be a way to pad stats. However, against North Florida, it became the Achilles heel for the Gamecocks, and the reason they lost. 

South Carolina State is ranked almost 100 spots lower in the latest KenPom ratings, so there shouldn’t be as much trouble with this game. Assumedly. The first few games of the season should be an opportunity to iron out wrinkles. Free-throw shooting is certainly one of the things this team needs to iron.

Guard rotation in flux

On Monday, Myles Stute started at the two-guard. However, Cam Scott (21 minutes) and Jacobi Wright (28 minutes) were on the court for longer. Will the starting rotation stay the same as game one? Or, will Lamont Paris look to shake things up after a loss? Scott (6 points, 4 rebounds) and Wright (12 points, 6 assists) performed better than Stute (6 points, no other stats recorded) on Monday.

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Just like ironing out wrinkles, the start of the season is also for figuring out which players work best in which roles. If Paris rolls out Stute, that wouldn’t be a surprise. If he were to go with either Scott or Wright, that also would not be a shock. This game, in theory, should not come down to who starts at the two. But for the future’s sake, it will be worth monitoring.

Consistency in the frontcourt?

Besides CMB, the frontcourt did not impress on offense. Jordan Butler, Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, and Nick Pringle combined to shoot 1-6 from the field with 6 points total. Pringle recorded three blocks and nine rebounds, but, as mentioned, also struggled from the line. 

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The Ospreys, who were undersized compared to the Gamecocks, out-rebounded South Carolina by a 43-37 margin. That’s not good, to say the least. With three players between 6 feet 9 inches and 7 feet tall, South Carolina should have won the battle of the boards easily. South Carolina State isn’t the tallest team either, so it’s important that the Gamecocks control the boards Friday.

Getting back on track

The last time the Gamecocks lost a season opener? The 2020 COVID-19-affected season, where they lost to Liberty in a late November opener. They finished that year 6-15. That almost certainly won’t be the case this year, as 30 games on the schedule means a 6-win season is near-impossible. However, the loss doesn’t exactly put the Gamecocks in good company in terms of past Gamecocks teams.

Prior to the 2020-21 season, the last time South Carolina lost their first game was in 2000. Eddie Fogler’s last team lost to Tennessee Tech before ending up with a 15-15 overall record. He retired after the season and was replaced with Dave Odom in the offseason.

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Scouting the opponent

The Bulldogs are led by third-year coach Erik Martin and have a deep rotation, especially for a low-major. As far as returnees go, the top seven players in MPG from last year’s squad return. South Carolina State defeated NAIA Morris in their first game of the season by a wide margin, 137-55. Wilson Dubinsky scored 29 in just 11 minutes for the Bulldogs.

According to the latest KenPom ratings, South Carolina State is 273rd of 364 teams. That’s good for fourth in the eight-team MEAC conference. Look out for JUCO transfer Florian Tenebay. Coming off the bench, he scored 11 points and led the Bulldogs with five assists in the opening-night win. Drayton Jones also played well, scoring 11 points and collected three blocks and two steals.

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South Carolina State typically employs a deep bench, but it remains to be seen if they will use that tactic against a Power Five foe. Last year’s leading scorers, Michael Teal and Mitchell Taylor, both return to headline this season’s Bulldogs squad. After a nine-win improvement from year one to year two, Martin and the Bulldogs could be a sleeper pick in the MEAC.

Game details

Who: South Carolina vs. South Carolina State

When: Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)

How to watch/listen: ESPN+/SEC Network Plus/107.5 The Game

ESPN gives South Carolina a 93 percent chance to win

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