South Carolina basketball: Gamecocks kick off SEC play versus Aggies

South Carolina basketball finally begins conference play on Wednesday.

After a rather lengthy delay, the South Carolina basketball team got back on the court last weekend and earned its second win of the season, a 78-71 defeat of Florida A&M. It marked the Gamecocks’ first home game of the year, after having to miss nearly a month of action due to COVID issues in the locker room.

Tonight, South Carolina will play a second straight game in Colonial Life Arena, as they kick off the SEC portion of the schedule against Texas A&M. The Aggies enter the matchup at 6-2 (1-1), coming off of a 68-66 win versus SEC West foe Auburn. They opened conference play with a loss to LSU.

The Gamecocks’ originally slated SEC opener was supposed to be Kentucky last week, but was forced to be postponed. A makeup date has not yet been set, but Frank Martin has been adamant on rescheduling.

Even in Saturday’s win over the Rattlers, South Carolina only had eight players available, leaving the Gamecocks with a very thin bench. They got some good news this week, though, as it looks like sophomore forward Jalyn McCreary will be back against the Aggies. McCreary scored eight points on 60% shooting his last time out, and should provide Frank Martin’s unit with some depth and experience in the frontcourt.

In the backcourt, the Gamecocks rely on veteran guards Jermaine Couisnard and AJ Lawson. Lawson scored 25 points in the win over Florida A&M, and Couisnard added 15. Forward Justin Minaya also added 10 points and 10 rebounds to earn his first double-double of the year. He’s tallied 10 points or more in three straight games.

Though the sample size is a little bigger for the Aggies, both squads come in scoring 69 points as a team. The offensive numbers have been almost identical, with both groups shooting around 45% from the floor, and 30% from beyond the arc. Texas A&M, though, has been a bit more solid on defense, where they’ve held six of their eight opponents to less than 70 points. The Gamecocks will need to stay aggressive, attack the rim, and create open looks in order to leave with a win.

Players to Watch

Miller is leading the Aggies in scoring and rebounding, and has been the team’s most consistent player through its first eight contests. He’s notched double figures in every game this year, including three 20-point performances. He tallied 16 points on a season-high 16 shots versus Auburn last weekend.

Minaya is the do-it-all workhorse on the South Carolina roster, playing anywhere from the 2-to-4 positions on the court. He’s quick enough to handle guards on the defensive side of the ball, and long enough to defend the paint, which he’ll have to do against the Aggies’ best player.

Minaya’s coming off of a double-double his last time out, and leads the Gamecocks in rebounding. He’s notched double figures in three straight contests.

Key to the Game

Limit Turnovers

The Gamecocks have turned the ball over on nearly a quarter of their possessions so far this year, including a season-high 24 in a win over Tulsa. The team has hopefully cleaned that up a bit after recording a season-low 11 miscues last Saturday, but they’ll have their hands full with an Aggies defense that forces opponent turnovers on 26% of their possessions, which ranks 14th in the nation.

On the flip side, the Gamecocks have forced 16.3 turnovers per game, while the Aggies have turned it over an average of 16.8 times an outing. The team that best protects the ball will give itself the best chance to win.

Series Info

This will be the 12th overall meeting between the two schools. South Carolina leads the all-time series by an advantage of 7-4, including having won four straight over their SEC rival. The Gamecocks hold a 4-1 series lead in games played in Columbia, with the most recent being a 74-54 win in Colonial Life Arena last February.

Game Info

Tune into ESPNU at 9 PM to see the Gamecocks kick off the SEC slate. And make sure to come back to Garnet and Cocky for a full game recap.