South Carolina Basketball: 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down vs. Maryland

Thumbs Down. This is 100% a cop-out. But in a 114-point outburst, there really won’t be too many negatives. However, one thumbs done from Sunday is that there are not possibly enough post minutes to go around. Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins were the best two players on the team, and Kamilla Cardoso had an “off” game in which she still had 12 points and 7 rebounds. The 4th big Sania Feagin is so good that she was on the preseason watch list for the Katrina McClain Award given to the country’s top power forward. It is an abundance of riches for the Gamecocks, especially at the 4-spot. Kitts and Feagin could get some minutes at small forward in some lineups to force all of these talented players to get the minutes they deserve.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. NOT ENOUGH POST MINUTES

Thumbs Down. The Gamecocks got lit up in the 1st half from outside the arc. In the game’s first 16 minutes, they gave up 7 3-pointers on better than 60% shooting because USC wasn’t doing its part to defend the Terrapins on the perimeter. Maryland got far too many open looks from outside, and they knocked them down. The effort (and the result) was much better in the 2nd half, but the Gamecocks must do better moving forward than they did in the opening 20 minutes.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. PERIMETER DEFENSE EARLY

Thumbs Down. South Carolina basketball didn’t struggle in many areas offensively, but if one particular area had to receive some criticism, one can point to the fact that the Gamecocks did not do well at converting on the “freebies.” They made free throws at a lackluster 64% rate, and they made just 22 of 40 shots at the rim. While some of those layup misses came in contested situations, 55% isn’t good enough from that close to the basket. With 114 points on the scoreboard, it’s almost unfathomable that there were more points that could have been earned, but that’s the reality for a team as good as the Gamecocks.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. FREEBIES

light. Related Story. South Carolina Basketball: Gamecocks trounce Terrapins, score 114 points