What to watch for: South Carolina takes on VMI

After winning a thriller last Friday, South Carolina returns home for a matchup with VMI.

The Gamecocks are off to a good start, winning their first two games of the year. Both teams are partaking in the Arizona Tip-Off Tournament later this week.

Tip-off begins at 7 p.m. from Colonial Life Arena. Here are some things to watch for Monday night.

Where is Josh Gray?

When watching last Friday’s game in Charlotte, South Carolina forward Josh Gray was notably absent. That’s because he was out with an illness. It’s unclear whether or not he’ll be good to go for Monday.

Even despite Gray being one of the best rebounders on this team, the Gamecocks managed to play well without him there. Obviously, they will be better when he returns but there are enough playmakers who can get rebounds.

[$1 for unlimited access to GamecockCentral’s content and community]

Can the defense put together a complete game?

So far, South Carolina’s defense has been pretty strong. They did a good job against Virginia Tech, holding the Hokies to 11-for-30 shooting from the floor and 2-for-14 from behind the arc in the first half. 

Virginia Tech played a lot better in the second half and nearly came from behind to defeat the Gamecocks. But the defense made a big play at the end of the game to come away with the win.

If South Carolina is going to be competitive, the defense needs to keep playing like it has. Obviously, the second half versus Tech is nothing to brag about, but there were some good signs.

Should there be any lineup changes?

Through two games, Lamont Paris has rolled out the same starting five with mostly success. One player in question, though, is Stephen Clark, who played at the five spot last week.

Clark has played 15 and 12 minutes in both games this year. The 6-foot-8 senior has shot 42.9 percent from the floor and picked up four rebounds. But there were moments where his defense did not look good enough against the Hokies’ big men.

It might be too early to tell, but someone like Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk has been playing well off the bench, recording seven rebounds in 16 minutes last week. However, it wouldn’t be shocking if Clark was starting on Monday.

[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Kentucky football game]

Team just looks better right now

There’s something to be said about how gritty of a team this is right now. Last year’s squad may have let that lead against Virginia Tech slip away and not recover. But this year’s team fought til the end and pulled it out.

Things just seem to be clicking. Most of the transfers have looked comfortable out there and it seems pressure is being taken off Meechie Johnson, who doesn’t have to do it all by himself now. There are enough shooters on this team to make plays.

Scouting the opponent

After losing its season opener to Richmond, VMI bounced back with an 87-53 win over Christendom last Thursday. The Keydets are in their first year under new head coach Andrew Wilson.

VMI is coming off a terrible season, finishing 7-25. It hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 1977. To put it into perspective, that’s now 46 years ago.

But besides that, this is a team that’s young and getting their feet wet with a new coach. Through two games, the Keydets have four double-digit scorers, led by junior guard Brennan Watkins, who is averaging 15.5 points right now.

One player to watch will be sophomore guard Taeshaud Jackson II. Standing at 6-foot-6, he hasn’t been much of a threat shooting the ball yet, but he does pose some other issues for South Carolina. He’s currently averaging more than 10 rebounds per game. So expect Myles Stute or Ta’Lon Cooper to be on him.

Game details

Who: VMI (1-1) at South Carolina (2-0)

When: Monday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)

How to watch/listen: SEC Network Plus/107.5 FM

ESPN gives South Carolina a 95.5 percent chance to win

Discuss South Carolina basketball on The Insiders Forum!