South Carolina Basketball: Gamecocks survive ugly game against CSU to move to 9-1

South Carolina Basketball vs. Charleston Southern
Thumbs Down 1: Outside Shooting

South Carolina basketball will live by the 3-ball and die by the 3-ball. USC took 25 shots from behind the arc but made just 6 of them. The 24% shooting performance from the perimeter hurt the Gamecocks in a major way, especially since they had 7 of their inside shots blocked. Every Gamecock shot 33% or worse from outside, and just four players even made 1 3-pointer. That type of performance will lead to a loss against a better team.

South Carolina Basketball vs. Charleston Southern
Thumbs Down 2: Having the Flow of the Game Dictated by a Worse Team

South Carolina basketball plays pretty fast. Well, they usually do. Against Charleston Southern, the Gamecocks only had 6 fastbreak points, and the team's halfcourt sets were slow-developing at times. Quick ball screens, whip-like passes on the perimeter, and aggressive drives are big parts of the Gamecock offense, but that was an inconsistent-at-best feature on Saturday. Charleston Southern wanted to play a slow game, and they did. In addition to playing a tight game against the Buccaneers, some Carolina fans were discouraged by the Gamecocks allowing CSU to dictate the game's style and pace.

South Carolina Basketball vs. Charleston Southern
Thumbs Down 3: Big Man Rebounding

Something that has, at time, hurt South Carolina basketball this season is big man rebounding. The Gamecocks have been a decent rebounding team this season, but they have not gotten consistent performances from the team's post players on the glass. Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk and Josh Gray had 6 rebounds in 15 minutes, but the Carolina starters (BJ Mack and Stephen Clark) had just 6 combined rebounds. Meechie Johnson and Ta'Lon Cooper had 6 and 5 rebounds, respectively, to lead the team, but they will need missed shots to end up in their big men's hands more often once SEC play begins.