South Carolina Basketball: Three thumbs up, three thumbs down vs. East Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks. WE THREE WINGS . Thumbs Up. South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris did not get a great game from several key contributors on Saturday as BJ Mack, Jacobi Wright, and Collin Murray-Boyles had some struggles. However, three Gamecock wings stepped up in a big way. Myles Stute, Meechie Johnson, and Zach Davis were good, combining for 39 points on 13-22 shooting. Stute had 10 in the 1st half, Johnson scored 13 in the 2nd half, and Davis went for 6 points and 5 rebounds in the 2nd half. Davis also played some really good defense late in the game..

. South Carolina Gamecocks. PROTECTING THE BASKETBALL . Thumbs Up. A developing theme of the South Carolina basketball season has been seen in the way the Gamecocks protect the basketball. For the 4th straight game, USC gave the ball away less than 10 times as they committed 9 turnovers against East Carolina. Ta’Lon Cooper is a big reason why this is the Gamecocks’ reality as he has just 9 turnovers through 9 games, and he had just two on Saturday despite playing a high-usage role in 36 minutes against a Pirates team that got away with generating a lot of contact.

NON-SCORING IMPACT FROM DAVIS, CLARK, AND UGUSUK . Thumbs Up. Carolina typically gets the majority of the team’s scoring from Meechie Johnson, BJ Mack, Ta’Lon Cooper, and Myles Stute. However, the team’s success also hinges upon some non-scoring impacts from other players. Zach Davis is the team’s best and most versatile defender, and he can help on the boards. Stephen Clark is the longest player on the roster, and he has enough athleticism to chase around forwards who are too quick for BJ Mack. Morris Ugusuk has done an admirable job playing the backup point guard role behind Cooper and has shot decently from behind the arc. All three of those players did their jobs well against the Pirates. Before leaving the game with an injury, Ugusuk allowed Cooper to get a rare breather, Davis had a tremendous 2nd half on defense, and Clark had his second straight impactful performance on defense.. . South Carolina Gamecocks