What I'm interested to see in South Carolina's Wednesday exhibition matchup
Year two of the Lamont Paris era is underway, and South Carolina will hit the floor for the first time this season.
The Gamecocks will start with an exhibition game on Wednesday night (7 p.m.) against Wofford.
Before tip-off, here are some things that I will be watching for from the team.
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How the newcomers will fit in
During the offseason, South Carolina went in and added four transfers to its roster, along with some incoming freshmen. And so far, the team chemistry has been good, according to Paris.
But how can this new-look group play together as one? That’s what peaks my interest.
For the most part, it’s an older roster. There are nine upperclassmen, while the rest are either sophomores or freshmen.
There’s plenty of talent. But it’s going to take some time for things to gel on the court itself. It’s different to go on a team trip to the Bahamas compared to playing well together in a real game.
Wednesday will be the first true test.
What can this defense do
There were so many times last year where South Carolina had leads going into the second half of games and let it slip away. A lot of that came down to some lackluster defense.
This is where the Gamecocks need to be better this year. It can make such a difference in the wins and losses.
One guy I think can be huge as a defender is Vanderbilt transfer Myles Stute. Paris has really spoken well about him all preseason long. And Stute himself even believes he can step in there and guard an opposing team’s best shooter any given night.
I expect this group to be a bit better this year. And by season’s end, some of those bad losses they had a year ago will flip to wins this time around because of the defense.
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Who takes the shots
In case it hasn’t been clear, South Carolina loves to shoot from three-point range. During the Garnet and Black Madness event last week, the team went 15-for-34 (44 percent) from beyond the arc.
Don’t take a lot of stock into that stat line because it was just a glorified scrimmage. However, it does beg the question: how will those shots be split up?
Obviously, Meechie Johnson will be the main guy as he’s the best returning shooter. But I’d look for a newcomer like Ta’Lon Cooper, or another returner in Jacobi Wright to also carry the load.
Getting off to a good start
In some of these exhibition games around the country, better squads than the Gamecocks have gotten off on the wrong foot.
Take Louisville for instance, who lost to Division-II Kentucky Wesleyan on Monday. That’s not how you get the fanbase on your side. For South Carolina, it needs to come out firing.
Wofford is a much better foe than Kentucky Wesleyan, so I’m expecting a competitive game. But the Gamecocks need to prove that this season can feel different than last year.
