South Carolina Basketball: 3 thumbs up, 3 thumbs down from win over Georgia

South Carolina Basketball vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Thumbs Down 1: 1st Half Effort

Most of the 1st half was marred by uninspired play from South Carolina basketball. Georgia outrebounded Carolina in the opening 20 minutes, and the defensive effort in the post was virtually non-existent, especially when Kamilla Cardoso was taking a break.

While the Gamecocks scored 28 total points in the 1st half, Georgia managed to get 27 points combined from the free throw line and paint area. The slow start could have proven costly had Cardoso not dominated.

South Carolina Basketball vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Thumbs Down 2: Turnovers

Dawn Staley's team has struggled with turnovers this season. Their 18 turnovers against Georgia wasn't an unheard of total, but it was far too many given the context of the game. Every player other than Ashlyn Watkins had at least one giveaway.

Compounding the issue were the facts that Carolina had 14 live ball turnovers and that Georgia scored 19 points off of turnovers for the game.

Turnovers have become a rampant issue across women's college basketball, but the Gamecocks should do their best to avoid being part of the giveaway parade.

South Carolina Basketball vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Thumbs Down 3: Easy Misses

As good as the Gamecocks are, they have left a lot of points on the board this season. Struggles at the free throw line and on layups at the rim have kept USC's scoring totals lower than they should be at times, and Sunday was no different.

South Carolina shot just 11-21 on layups and 11-17 from the charity stripe. Neither of those numbers are good enough for South Carolina football fans to feel completely comfortable. Had they played a better team than Georgia on Sunday, they might have lost. Shoring up their conversion rates on the easiest shots in basketball (layups and free throws) will go a long way in keeping the Gamecocks as solid favorites to win a title this season.