Frank Martin’s South Carolina basketball team has its signature win.
On the road against No. 22 Florida, coming off an ugly, turnover-filled loss at last-place Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks found an extra gear against the red-hot Gators, taking down Mike White’s team, 72-66.
In a season defined by three separate COVID-19 pauses and streaky on-court performance, the Gamecocks played perhaps their best game of the season.
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3 OBSERVATIONS FROM USC-FLORIDA
1. Cleaner point guard play
After 16 turnovers at Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks did a much better job of holding onto the basketball against the Gators. Martin warned before the game that USC couldn’t win if it fed Florida’s fast-break offense.
Starting point guard Seventh Woods, coming off a five-turnover game, committed just one turnover against Florida and showcased an improved scoring touch near the basket. He set a new season high with 12 points and showed poise and command of the offense in the second half.
2. The battle inside the paint
With South Carolina junior big man Alanzo Frink out for the season, the Gamecocks are thin and inexperienced inside, and most SEC opponents have schemed around that weakness.
Florida was no exception, as the team leaned on 6-foot-11 junior forward Colin Castleton to wreak havoc in the post. Castleton tallied a whopping seven blocks against the Gamecocks and scored double-digit points on the other end.
However, the Gamecocks made a concerted effort to drive the ball inside in the second half after the team finished the first half missing 10 of 11 3-point attempts.
With the Gators employing more of a zone defense, the USC guards used their quickness to cut toward the basket and score layups. Even with Florida blocking double-digit shots, the Gamecocks scored more than two-thirds of their points in the paint.
3. Offense drives through Lawson
In a season defined by uncertainty, junior guard A.J. Lawson has been one of USC’s lone constants. The team’s leading scorer entering the night with 17.2 points per game, Lawson almost single-handedly kept the team afloat in the middle of the contest before the likes of Woods and Keyshawn Bryant found their footing offensively.
Lawson finished with 21 points and six rebounds on 9-of-16 shooting.
