What to watch for: South Carolina ends road trip with Georgia

South Carolina has gone through a rough stretch recently. It has lost its last four games by double-digits.

One thing that could get the Gamecocks going is playing a team they could match up with. They’ll get their shot versus Georgia.

Here’s what to watch for Saturday night.

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Can the guard play improve?

There’s only so much GG Jackson can do for the Gamecocks.

Chico Carter Jr. has been South Carolina’s next-best player but even then he hasn’t been the most consistent. Two guys that need to have good performances are Meechie Johnson and Jacobi Wright.

Since receiving praise from LeBron James after his 26-point outing versus Kentucky, Johnson has struggled. He’s shot 22 percent from the field in his last four games, with his worst performance coming against Florida Wednesday night. He only made one shot and turned the ball over three times.

The same goes for Wright, who has started the last two games. He’s had a rough go of it, accumulating two points.

The Gamecocks need most from both point guards on both ends of the floor.

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Will Paris reinsert Josh Gray into the starting five?

Paris has opted to start a three-guard lineup as of late, making Gray one of the first guys off the bench. While Hayden Brown and Jackson have been the team’s two starting forwards, Gray has been coming off the bench and playing well.

Gray has put up 17 points and 21 rebounds in his last two games, both of those in an off-the-bench role. Georgia has been running a three-guard offense, so Paris might choose to counteract with his own. As previously noted, guard play has been lackluster lately and it might be more optimal to get the best players on the floor.

Gray gives South Carolina plenty of size down in the paint. Plus, with the way he’s playing offensively, he deserves more minutes.

Turnovers need to be minimized

It almost sounds like a broken record, but South Carolina turns the ball over a lot. In fact, it has turned the ball over on 19.4 percent of possessions.

In a 80-61 loss to Florida, the Gamecocks had 15 turnovers compared to the Gators’ five. It’s one of the main problems in their rough play.

It might be easier said than done to fix the issue but good teams don’t make constant mistakes. It comes down to the sloppy passes that are made. South Carolina needs to play smarter and avoid giving teams opportunities to strike right away.

Can GG Jackson continue to play at a high level?

If there’s been a Superman-type player for South Carolina, it would be Jackson. Sure, he’s had some tough games but that can be expected from a star freshman who just turned 18 a little over a month ago.

Recently though, Jackson has shown up to play. After a career-high 30-point game versus Auburn, he hit 7-of-18 shots to finish with 20 points, albeit inefficiently, against Florida. He also came away with 10 rebounds to give himself a double-double.

While Jackson’s scoring play has been much-needed, it hasn’t changed the final outcomes. It’s a lot to ask of him to carry the load and score 20-plus points every game, but he could do it with the run he’s been on.

The Gamecocks will need his high energy to make it through the rest of the season.

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Scouting the opponent

Similarly to South Carolina, the Bulldogs are in a funk of their own. They come into Saturday as losers of their last three. Their worst loss of the year came against Tennessee Wednesday night when they fell 70-41 in Knoxville.

Georgia opened conference play with a win over a ranked Auburn squad (No. 24 KenPom) but it’s been up and down since then. It has gone 3-3 in its last six games with wins against both teams from Mississippi.

While they aren’t the best at shooting, the Bulldogs have been a great offensive-rebounding team. They’re rebounding 33.7 percent of the time, 44th-best in KenPom. 6-foot-8 forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per game, top 20 in the SEC. He should match up well against South Carolina’s Jackson, who averages 8.3 boards.

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Staying on offense, Georgia has a pair of double-digit scorers in guards Terry Roberts and Kario Oquendo. Roberts is a top-10 scorer in the conference, averaging 15.6 points and shooting 31.2 percent from three. While Oquendo has only averaged 12.9 points, he might be the more consistent shooter. He’s shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc.

The Gamecocks need to contain one or both players to have a fighting chance. Otherwise, it could be another long night in Athens.

Next game

Who: South Carolina (8-11, 1-6 SEC) vs. Georgia (13-7, 3-4 SEC)

When: Saturday, Jan. 28 (6 p.m. EST) 

Where: Stegman Coliseum (Capacity: 10,523)

All-time series: South Carolina leads 62-56 (Last game: South Carolina won 80-68 in 2022)

How to watch: SEC Network

How to listen: 107.5 FM

KenPom prediction: 72-60 Georgia (South Carolina given a 14 percent chance to win)

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