South Carolina vs. Clemson: Four things to watch for and an opponent scouting report

The wins haven’t been the prettiest, but South Carolina is certainly getting hot at the right time. The team will have a chance to make a real statement about what this season could bring in their next game.

After winning four straight games, the Gamecocks will host No. 25 Clemson in the annual rivalry matchup at Colonial Life Arena. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on SEC Network on Tuesday.

Here are four things to watch for and an opponent scouting report on the Tigers.

This front court is showing a lot of promise

Collin Murray-Boyles has been fantastic for South Carolina all season long. No one can deny that. But lately, his front court mate Nick Pringle has been making some nice strides to the point where he’s quietly had a nice start to the season.

Pringle tied his career-high with 19 points against USC Upstate on Saturday. Even before that, he’s been playing some good basketball. During the team’s four-game winning streak, he’s shot 14-of-20 (70%) from the field with 26 rebounds and two blocks. He’s also done a better job of limiting his turnovers and staying out of foul trouble.

As a whole, Pringle is averaging career highs in points (9.4), rebounds (6.9), assists (1.2) and minutes per game (23.6). On top of all that, his free throw percentage has been significantly better at 68.2 percent. He’s 12 for his last 13 at the line, becoming a reliable scorer in that area.

So while Murray-Boyles usually is the one to earn the headlines and notoriety, Pringle is coming along nicely and makes for a good one-two punch in the starting front court.

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Are Stute’s struggles becoming a real concern?

There’s no real way to sugarcoat it. Myles Stute is off to a rough start in his fifth season at the college level.

The senior guard is averaging only 4.8 points per game on 29.1 percent shooting. He’s been held scoreless in each of his last two games, going a combined 0-for-6 from the floor against East Carolina and USC Upstate. He hasn’t been making shots nor has he been getting to the free throw line, something which he did a little bit of last year.

With how much he’s currently struggling, it does raise the question: is a change to the lineup in order? You could argue don’t change what’s been working on the fact South Carolina is winning games right now. But it’s still something worth bringing up.

Stute is still a valuable piece to this team as a veteran leader. However, the Gamecocks need more from him as SEC play is on the horizon.

A great final test before conference play starts

In the past, South Carolina has typically played an easier non-conference schedule, which is true in some cases for this season with a few gimme games. But there’s no denying the early slate has been much tougher with some quality games so far.

The Gamecocks is 0-2 in Quad I and II games this season, with losses to Indiana and Xavier. But they also beat two ACC opponents in back-to-back games against Virginia Tech and Boston College. Now, they’ll play a third game against an ACC foe while also trying to secure a desirable Quad I win.

For the most part, Clemson has been very solid after going to the Elite Eight last season. With the Tigers ranked in the AP Top 25, it sets up to be a tough matchup for South Carolina. But it’s a great final test for the Gamecocks before SEC play starts up after the new year. It will also indicate how far the team has come along since some of those early season losses.

The rivalry games have gone down to the wire

Head coach Lamont Paris is 1-1 against Clemson in his time with the Gamecocks. Each of those first two games were close with both coming down to the final minutes.

In only Paris’ second game as the program’s head coach, which happened to come on his birthday, Chico Carter Jr. hit a go-ahead jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining. This was a great statement win to kick off his tenure in Columbia. Then last year, the Gamecocks blew a late second-half lead at Littlejohn Coliseum to allow Clemson to pick up a 72-67 comeback win.

While it’s only December in the college basketball season, this is one of those games that will be very important. A win would be huge for either squad, for obvious reasons.

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Scouting the opponent

In head coach Brad Brownwell’s 15th season at Clemson, the Tigers are off to a 9-2 start with some great wins on the resume. They most notably beat No. 4 Kentucky in the SEC/ACC Challenge while also winning games against San Francisco and Penn State.

But Clemson’s two losses have also come against good competition. The team went on the road and lost to Boise State on Nov. 17. And in their most recent game, they lost in overtime to the Memphis Tigers, falling 87-82 on Saturday.

Make no mistake, though, this is still a very solid team. The Tigers rank inside the top 100 in a handful of KenPom metrics. They shoot well and play good defense. But this is a winnable game for South Carolina, especially considering it will be in Columbia.

Clemson no longer has PJ Hall or Joseph Girard III, its two leading scorers from a season ago. But it hasn’t really skipped a beat without those players, as key contributors from last year like Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin have stepped up nicely.

Hunter leads the Tigers in scoring with 16 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting. He’s usually been the player to take the most shots on the team with 14 field goals in his last two games. He’s scored in the double digits in all but one game so far this year.

Schieffelin has been phenomenal in his senior year with Clemson, as he’s averaging 13 points and 12 rebounds per game. His rebounding average is third-best in the country, making it a priority for South Carolina’s front court to try and shut him down.

But Schieffelin isn’t the only guy in the front court that the Gamecocks need to worry about. Viktor Lahkin, a transfer from Cincinnati, has started all 11 games in his first year with Clemson. He’s averaging 12.1 points per game with 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Standing at 6-foot-11, 245 pounds, he’s blocked eight shots in his last three games. Overall, he’s had two or more blocks in six games this year.

Game details

Who: South Carolina (7-3) vs. No. 25 Clemson (9-2)

When: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.

Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)

How to watch/listen: SEC Network/107.5 The Game

ESPN gives South Carolina a 37.2 percent chance to win

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