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

Thumbs Down. Unforced issues were the only reason this game was somewhat close in the 1st half. The Gamecocks missed 7 shots from the line in the opening 20 minutes and gave the basketball away 10 times. As that issue got cleaned up a bit, USC’s lead grew. As the sloppiness returned, DePaul made a comeback. In what should have been a blowout, South Carolina basketball almost blew the game to the Blue Demons, thanks in large part to 17 turnovers and 14 missed free throws for the game.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. TURNOVERS AND FREE THROWS

Thumbs Down. Chico Carter, a Columbia native and former Gamecock, lit up his former team in this one. While he was a bit of a turnstile on defense, Carter made up for it on the offensive end by scoring 24 points on efficient shooting. In the early portions of the game, Carter’s offensive performance prevented the score from reaching blowout territory and kept his team within striking distance.. . South Carolina Gamecocks. CRUSHED BY CARTER

BIG MAN FOUL TROUBLE . Thumbs Down. Lamont Paris’ bigs couldn’t keep their hands to themselves against DePaul. BJ Mack, Stephen Clark, Josh Gray, and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk combined for 14 fouls in just 50 total minutes. The foul trouble kept Mack and BBV off the floor at times (BBV fouled out), and Clark didn’t play much after starting the game, a trend so far this season. Two of Mack’s fouls were also turnovers (offensive fouls). The fouls were a big reason why DePaul made their 2nd half comeback as the Blue Demons made lots of free throws.. . South Carolina Gamecocks

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