After three games
posted by David Cloninger, 1/18/2009 09:15:00 PM
-------------- MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES
We beat the weather home, but even after three-and-half-hours thinking in the car through the mountains of western North Carolina, I still can’t come up with a plausible explanation for what I witnessed last night.
South Carolina’s second-half comeback was very impressive, true, but the Gamecocks still lost. It salvaged a rotten week, somewhat, after a midweek listless loss at LSU.
But USC still returns to Columbia 0-2 for the week and 1-2 in the SEC, with 3-0 Florida coming up next.
The Gamecocks must equal their second-half effort against Tennessee when the Gators come to town. There’s really no other choice.
A 1-3 record in the SEC isn’t impossible to overcome, but it’s getting dangerously close to the breaking point. As Casey Manning pointed out on the radio against LSU, just getting back to .500 is such a chore that aiming to finish above it is three weeks down the road.
Through three games, there’s some obvious facets about USC’s basketball team.
1. The non-conference schedule that got the Gamecocks to an 11-2 start was good for this team because it got it used to Darrin Horn’s system and to the players within it. It was not so good for preparing for the kind of athletes and competition they’ve faced through three league games.
2. USC is being forced out of its standard offense because it’s being defended by the same kind of players it features. Long, rangy guys who can get all over the floor are hampering the development of the forwards and pushing the burden of the scoring on guards Zam Fredrick and Devan Downey, and while that’s not necessarily a problem, many times the two can’t penetrate like they’re accustomed to and the offense becomes what it was under Dave Odom – pass around the 3-point line, force a shot when the clock hits 5.
3. The rest of the SEC is becoming very savvy toward how to score on the Gamecocks – exploit the height advantage and use it to get easy buckets on backdoor cuts. Also, although USC is extremely speedy, the lack of height hinders effective rebounding, so the ball can get hauled in and quickly thrown to a trailing player, who can then out-run the transition defense and get a bunny shot.
This isn’t a laundry list of complaints. Despite these issues, the Gamecocks are 1-2 in the league and never gave up in their last game, despite trailing 17 with eight minutes to play. And that gumption and refusal to lay down speaks volumes about the team’s character.
Character can only provide so much, though. A “character” team with a losing record will doubtfully be remembered for its personality.
The Gamecocks are playing hard, which is a huge benefit. They’re doing the best they can with a limited amount of bodies and a one-thing-after-the-other approach when it comes to injuries.
There’s plenty of time to turn it around, and the Gamecocks know it.
Attempting to begin it during the game after a stirring performance is the first step. They all know how that step has gone in the past few years.
This is a new one.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
“The impression that I get.”
-------------- MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES
We beat the weather home, but even after three-and-half-hours thinking in the car through the mountains of western North Carolina, I still can’t come up with a plausible explanation for what I witnessed last night.
South Carolina’s second-half comeback was very impressive, true, but the Gamecocks still lost. It salvaged a rotten week, somewhat, after a midweek listless loss at LSU.
But USC still returns to Columbia 0-2 for the week and 1-2 in the SEC, with 3-0 Florida coming up next.
The Gamecocks must equal their second-half effort against Tennessee when the Gators come to town. There’s really no other choice.
A 1-3 record in the SEC isn’t impossible to overcome, but it’s getting dangerously close to the breaking point. As Casey Manning pointed out on the radio against LSU, just getting back to .500 is such a chore that aiming to finish above it is three weeks down the road.
Through three games, there’s some obvious facets about USC’s basketball team.
1. The non-conference schedule that got the Gamecocks to an 11-2 start was good for this team because it got it used to Darrin Horn’s system and to the players within it. It was not so good for preparing for the kind of athletes and competition they’ve faced through three league games.
2. USC is being forced out of its standard offense because it’s being defended by the same kind of players it features. Long, rangy guys who can get all over the floor are hampering the development of the forwards and pushing the burden of the scoring on guards Zam Fredrick and Devan Downey, and while that’s not necessarily a problem, many times the two can’t penetrate like they’re accustomed to and the offense becomes what it was under Dave Odom – pass around the 3-point line, force a shot when the clock hits 5.
3. The rest of the SEC is becoming very savvy toward how to score on the Gamecocks – exploit the height advantage and use it to get easy buckets on backdoor cuts. Also, although USC is extremely speedy, the lack of height hinders effective rebounding, so the ball can get hauled in and quickly thrown to a trailing player, who can then out-run the transition defense and get a bunny shot.
This isn’t a laundry list of complaints. Despite these issues, the Gamecocks are 1-2 in the league and never gave up in their last game, despite trailing 17 with eight minutes to play. And that gumption and refusal to lay down speaks volumes about the team’s character.
Character can only provide so much, though. A “character” team with a losing record will doubtfully be remembered for its personality.
The Gamecocks are playing hard, which is a huge benefit. They’re doing the best they can with a limited amount of bodies and a one-thing-after-the-other approach when it comes to injuries.
There’s plenty of time to turn it around, and the Gamecocks know it.
Attempting to begin it during the game after a stirring performance is the first step. They all know how that step has gone in the past few years.
This is a new one.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
David Cloninger. David is a full-time staff writer for GamecockCentral, and covers Gamecock football, men's basketball, baseball and recruiting. He may be reached by email at david(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.