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South Carolina basketball: what we learned from LSU win

On3 imageby:Collyn Taylor02/20/22

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Jermaine Couisnard (Photo by Katie Dugan)

South Carolina players said Tuesday they felt like they were fighting for their season, and they played like it Saturday.

The Gamecocks notched a win over projected tournament team LSU, coming back from double digits down in the first half to win 77-75. It was a much-needed victory, and here’s what we learned from it.

This was a massive win for South Carolina

It doesn’t get the Gamecocks into the tournament or anything close—they’re still in the 90s in both the NET and KenPom as of Sunday morning—but it’s a move in the right direction.

South Carolina picked up its second Quad I win of the year. They did it against a projected tournament team and a top-20 team in the NET. It keeps the Gamecocks in the hunt for a middle seed in the league tournament.

They did it with a host of top talent in the stands in what was a big atmosphere at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks really needed that win to maintain momentum.

South Carolina, Couisnard needed a game like this

It was a big game for him for a lot of reasons. Not only did he and the Gamecocks need a win but Couisnard looked like the player he was billed as in October before his injuries.

He rattled off 33 points, a career-high, on 12-of-18 shooting and knocked down five three-pointers. The senior was by far and away the best player on the floor Saturday. He won’t score 30 every night but the Gamecocks need his aggression and shooting down the stretch.

Couisnard had his performance in front of his mom, who’s battling cancer, which only made his day that much better for him personally.

James Reese was the team’s best defender

Reese’s offensive numbers won’t jump off a page: 7 points, 3-for-10 from the field, 1-for-8 from three. But he was vital in the win.

He was tasked with locking down one of LSU’s best players in Xavier Pinson and was masterful at it. Pinson finished with just eight points but did it inefficiently on just 2-for-10 shooting. He’d turn the ball over four times and foul three.

The Gamecocks still need Reese to provide a boon offensively, but they don’t win Saturday without Reese’s defense on Pinson.

This team is embracing Erik Stevenson’s personality

If there’s ever a moment to epitomize what Erik Stevenson is, it’s him walking around pumping up the crowd seconds before the win Saturday. It’s an assertive personality and the Gamecocks are playing like he does.

There’s a toughness he plays with the Gamecocks are emulating and it paid off Saturday. Playing like that won’t win them every game—they still have to make shots—but it will keep them in most.

Stevenson quietly had a great day before his moment in the end. He finished with 15 points, four assists, two steals and he got to the line eight times.

South Carolina needs AJ Wilson to continue coming along

Wildens Leveque continues to struggle, fouling out with far too much time left, without making much of an impact on the game. Josh Gray is still banged up and Ta’Quan Woodley is still a freshman.

Because of that, the gamecocks need production from Wilson, a grad transfer. He only scored four points Saturday but went 2-for-4 from the field. They need him to rebound the ball better but he finished plus-19 on the day.

If Leveque is going to continue being in foul trouble and the young bigs continue to develop, then Wilson has to step up. Keyshawn Bryant was really solid on the glass Saturday, bringing in eight boards including the big one to seal the game.

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