South Carolina Basketball: 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down from Gamecocks' win over Florida

South Carolina basketball knocked off the Florida Gators 82-76 after a 10-point comeback in the 2nd half.

South Carolina basketball forward Collin Murray-Boyles and guard Ta'Lon Cooper
South Carolina basketball forward Collin Murray-Boyles and guard Ta'Lon Cooper | Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
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South Carolina Basketball vs. Florida Gators
Thumbs Up 1: 2nd Half Adjustments

Coach Lamont Paris showed off his in-game coaching chops against Florida.

After a brutal rebounding effort in the 1st half that included 8 offensive boards for the Gators (in a slow-paced game), Coach Paris corrected the issue. After the intermission, Carolina gave up just 1 offensive rebound, even though the pace quickened and Florida had more misses (meaning more offensive rebounding opportunities).

Inserting Josh Gray into a more prominent role in place of BJ Mack helped out. He didn't light up the box score, but he worked hard and boxed out well, helping his teammates get rebounds.

The defense also took a step forward. An 8-minute stretch of play saw Paris utilize a 1-3-1 zone, and the zone flummoxed the Gator offense. With just 4 turnovers before the shift to the zone, Florida committed 6 turnovers in 8 minutes against the new look. The Gamecocks went on a 23-10 run to come back and then take control of the game.

Schedule

Schedule