SB Nation - Brandis Raley-Ross

South Carolina at Clemson: A Quick Recap

Gamecock Man — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:27:53 -0000

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

about 1 month ago: Clemson's coach Oliver Purnell watches his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Presbyterian College Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

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Clemson just finished off a 72-61 victory over the Gamecocks at Little John Coliseum. Carolina hung close with the Tigers for most of the afternoon, but Clemson pulled away at the end to a fairly convincing victory. Demontez Stitt and Tanner Smith led the Tigers with 14 apiece and Brandis Raley-Ross led the Gamecocks with 17.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

We did some of the things I thought we would need to do to win this game. In particular, we had a +9 differential in TO margin and a +13 differential in FGA. However, Clemson's astounding superiority in FG% negated those advantages. The Tigers shot 46% and 41% from the field to our abysmal 36% and 28%. I don't care how often you force turnovers, you're not going to win many games when you shoot that ball that much worse than your opponent.
The bad shooting on our end came from a surprising source: Devan Downey. Downey laid a big egg in this game, going 3-15, with two of the made shots coming in garbage time in the final two minutes. In other words, this was hardly a repeat of his 30+ performance last year against the Tigers. Included among the misses were numerous mid-range jumpers and layups. CU defended Downey tight all game, but even with a hand in his face, we've become accustomed to seeing Downey make at least some of these shots. I guess everyone has a bad game sometimes, though.
On the flip side of things, Clemson was able to score lots of points inside, which I think most of us expected, considering that we're without two starting big men and CU is very effective close to the basket. I didn't, though, expect Clemson to shoot over 40% from beyond the arc. Some of CU's success just came from hot shooting, but some of it came from our failure to deny the ball and get hands in shooters' faces. This isn't the first game in which we've had trouble defending the three, and I find that unacceptable for an athletic team that considers tough perimeter defense one of its fortes. This is something we need to work on.
Brandis Raley-Ross had another good game. He's really been a difference maker so far this year, and he'll need to continue his great play as team's continue to try to take Downey out of the game. Other solid performers included Sam Muldrow and Lakeem Jackson.
It's not the end of the world. I would have loved to have won a game against our rival, who is, coincidentally, a ranked ACC team, which would have meant something to the NCAAs selection committee had we won. However, I'm proud that we managed to play them tough without two of our starters. If we can improve a couple of areas of our play, I see no reason why we can't, at worst, finish out the OOC slate with only one more loss. We should get Dominique Archie back at that point and then be in position to win some games in the SEC.

Well, that's a wrap on this one. Next up is a home game against Richmond. We won't be able to sleep on the Spiders, who currently have victories over Missouri and Mississippi State. Hopefully we'll be able to take care of business.

Round Ball Round Up 11.20.09

Year2 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:31:50 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

about 1 month ago: Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins, right, pulls a rebound away from Sam Houston State's Antuan Bootle during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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LAST NIGHT

The No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats went north of the century mark to hold off a feisty Sam Houston State team 102-92. DeMarcus Cousins starred for the Cats, leading the team both with 27 points and 18 rebounds. John Wall (21) and Patrick Patterson (20) also got to 20 points for UK, who saw all five starters go in double digits but didn't register a single bench point in the game. A Sea of Blue has the postmortem on the win.

Meanwhile on the Island of Enchantment, Ole Miss picked up a win over a Big Ten squad with its 89-71 victory over Indiana. Murphy Holloway's 26 points was tops among the four Rebels that made it into double figures, while Reginald Buckner hauled in 12 rebounds off the bench. Eniel Polynice once again led the team in assists with seven. Red Cup Rebellion didn't have much to say about the win, but it did notice the bizarre way that ESPN apparently paid tribute to Houston Nutt's favorite offensive series.

UPDATE

Red Cup Rebellion has a full post-game write up now.

Back in Starkville, Mississippi State bounced back from its disappointing season-opening loss to run past Southeastern Louisiana 82-67 for their first win of the year. Jarvis Varnado nearly had a double-double with his 20 points and eight blocks. Nope SEC, he still hasn't graduated yet. Phil Turner did have a double-double, scoring 10 and grabbing 14 boards. Like with Kentucky, all five Bulldog starters reached double digits, but unlike the 'Cats, MSU got 12 points from its reserves.

South Carolina had little trouble going to 3-0 with its 78-68 win over La Salle. It was close around halftime, but a 13-4 Gamecock run that ended midway through the second half put the game away. Dominique Archie led Carolina with 17 points, while reserve guard Brandis Raley-Ross poured in 16. Seven Gamecocks scored at least six points and four made it to double figures.

WEDNESDAY

The Florida Gators held their second straight opponent under 50 points as Georgia Southern took its second loss to SEC teams of the season with UF's 69-49 win. Kenny Boynton paced the reptilian effort with 22 points, Chandler Parsons had 15 and 12 off the bench, and Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin contributed 15 points. Neither team shot particularly well, as both teams were under 40% from the field.

Kentucky Wesleyan at South Carolina Post-Game Report

Gamecock Man — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:55:52 -0000

The Court Cocks hosted Kentucky Wesleyan tonight in exhibition action, winning 78-55. It's hard to take too much away from games like this, as teams are trying to feel themselves out and are, consequently, generally sloppy. That was the case for the Gamecocks tonight, as we committed an ugly 18 turnovers. Moreover, coaches want to play the bench as much as possible in these games to figure out where the new faces will fit in. (At least, this is what happens as long as we maintain a safe lead, which was mostly the case tonight.) This played out predictably, as a large range of players got between 18-28 minutes except for Austin Steed, who only played eight. Trust me, Devan Downey will play much more than that during the regular season.

Despite the fact that these performances aren't necessarily representative, however, we can take a few things away from them. First of all, as the above suggests, exhibitions are a good chance to take a look at the new faces. We got to see two of ours tonight: Lakeem Jackson and Ramon Galloway. Jackson, of course, is the big name, and he turned in a solid performance, scoring eight points and registering three steals. The steals are a good sign, as Darrin Horn will want Jackson to play a big role in the full-court press. Galloway also turned in a really quality performance, scoring 11 points on 3-6/2-4 shooting. We will need Galloway and Brandis Raley-Ross, who also played well, to take on big roles in Zam Fredrick's absence, so it was good to see Galloway show off his shooting prowess.

As far as bad points go, perhaps the most noticeable was our poor free throw shooting: we went 16-27 for 59.3%. Free throws were our bugaboo last year, and unlike the turnovers we committed tonight, we can't just write this one off to rust. I expect we'll continue to see the guys struggle in this regard. I guess the one bright side is that we showed a solid penchant for actually getting to the line.

The Gamecocks open up the regular season next week against Alabama A & M.

Kentucky Wildcats @ South Carolina: Gameday Breakdown

Ken Howlett — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:56:37 -0000

Sole possession of first place in the SEC East is all that's at stake tonight in Columbia, South Carolina. With LSU defeating the Florida Gators 81-75 in a terrific game in Baton Rouge last night, UK and South Carolina (19-6, 8-4) find themselves tied at 8-4 in SEC play. And with only three conference regular season games remaining for each squad after tonight's 7:00 EST tilt, the winner will find themselves squarely in the catbird's seat.

78-77 Recap

It's only been a little over three weeks since UK lost 78-77 to Darrin Horn's team on a fade-away 12-foot jumper by electrifying Gamecock guard Devan Downey. In my post-game thoughts,"It's a 40 Minute Game," I thoroughly dissected what I saw as a six minute lapse of focus by UK. Other than those fateful few minutes of sub-par play, Kentucky (19-8, 8-4) played very well. Of course that game was in Rupp Arena; tonight, one can be sure Colonial Life Arena will not be nearly as friendly as the 'Cats legendary lair.

Here's a quick look at the unseemly statistics from the earlier UK vs. South Carolina game, played on January 31 (For a complete boxscore go here).

FG FG% FT 3-pt Reb. Off. Reb. Ast. Stl. TO Blk.

UK -- 25-48 52.1 24-29 3-8 40 9 16 5 21 8

S.C. -- 32-76 42.1 7-15 7-20 35 18 7 9 10 2

* -- South Carolina beat UK in points off turnovers 14-8, and in second chance points 11-5. That's minus 12 points in those two critical categories for Big Blue. Actually, the discrepancy in points could have been much, much worse, but the Gamecocks were not very efficient in converting their offensive rebounds, or UK's turnovers, into points.

South Carolina Personnel

Devan Downey: 5'9" 175 lb junior point guard -- On the year Downey averages 20.0 points (3rd in the SEC), 4.3 assists (4th in the SEC) and 3.6 turnovers (13th in A/TO Ratio in the SEC - 1.21). He averages 3.0 steals (1st in the SEC), and 2.8 rebounds per game. He makes 45.4% of his field goal attempts (11th in the SEC), 37.6% of his three-point tries (44-117), and 73.1% of his free throws (10th in the SEC).

In conference play Downey averages 19.5 points, 4.2 assists (4.1 turnovers), 2.9 steals, and 2.8 rebounds per game. He's making 39.8% of his shots, 35.9% of his three-point attempts (28-78), and 66.7% of his free throws -- In the first contest Downey scored 23 points on 10-21 shooting (3-5 threes), dished out four assists, had four steals and three turnovers. He played 35 minutes.

Zam Fredrick: 6'0" 203 lb senior guard -- For the year Fredrick averages 15.3 points (10th in the SEC), 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game (2.6 turnovers per game). He makes 39.5% of his shots, 36.2% of his trey attempts (46-127), and 66.1% of his free throws.

In SEC play Fredrick averages 15.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game (2.7 turnovers per game). He's shooting 39.0% from the field, 37.5% from behind the arc (24-64), and 62.1% from the charity stripe -- In the earlier contest Fredrick led the Gamecocks with 24 points on 9-20 shooting (4-8 threes). He also had one assist and two turnovers. He played 36 minutes.

Dominique Archie: 6'7" 200 lb junior forward -- Archie on the year averages 11.5 points, 6.7 rebounds (2.7 off. rebounds - 9th in the SEC), 1.4 steals (2.0 turnovers), and 1.0 block per game. He shoots 52.7% from the field, 34.6% from the three-point line (18-52), and 62.0% from the free throw line.

In league play Archie averages 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds (3.1 off. rebounds), and 2.4 turnovers per game (his conference steals and blocks are negligible). He shoots 52.5% from the field, 36.7% from the three-point line (11-30), and 61.2% from the free throw line -- In the earlier game, Archie scored seven points on 3-9 shooting (0-3 threes), grabbed three rebounds, had one steal, and four turnovers. He played 24 minutes.

Mike Holmes: 6'7" 220 sophomore F/C -- Overall, Holmes averages 11.2 points, and 7.8 rebounds per game (6th in the SEC). He also averages 3.0 offensive rebounds (6th in the SEC), and 1.2 blocks per game (10th in the SEC). He's shooting 48.1% from the field, and 46.2% from the free throw line.

In SEC play he averages 9.7 points, 6.8 rebounds (2.0 off. rebounds), and 1.6 steals per game. Holmes shoots 47.4% from the field, and 44.4% from the free throw line (24-54) -- In the first game he made 6-8 shots for 15 points, and 8 rebounds (3 off. rebounds). He played 32 minutes.

Evaldas Baniulis: 6'7" 210 lb junior forward -- On the year Baniulis averages 7.0 points, and 2.8 rebounds per game. The Lithuanian shoots 50.4% from the field, 50.6% from beyond the arc (42-83), and 65.2% from the charity stripe.

In league play he averages 5.4 points, and 2.4 rebounds per game. Baniulis shoots 40.8% from the field, 44.7% from the three-point line (17-38), and 66.7% from the free throw line -- In the earlier game Baniulis did not score (0-1 field goals), and had one rebound. He played only eight minutes.

Brandis Raley-Ross: 6'2" 193 lb junior guard -- For the season Raley-Ross averages 6.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game (1.5 turnovers). He makes 41.1% of his shots, 27.1% of his threes, and 70.6% of his free throws.

In conference play he averages 5.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game (1.6 turnovers). He's shooting 39.1% from the field, 23.5% from beyond the arc (8-34), and 68.4% from the charity stripe -- In the first game Raley-Ross scored one point on 0-6 shooting (0-3 threes), nabbed one rebound, dished out two assists and had two steals. He played 26 minutes.

Sam Muldrow: 6'9" 216 lb sophomore forward -- On the year Muldrow is averaging 6.3 points, 5.3 rebounds (2.7 off. rebounds), and 1.4 blocks per game. He's shooting 60.4% from the field, and 50.0% from the free throw line (18-36).

Muldrow's above numbers are his season, and SEC stats (he did not play in any pre-conference games) -- In the earlier contest against UK, Muldrow went 3-9 from the field for six points, grabbed 12 big boards (8 off. rebounds), and blocked one shot. He played 26 minutes.

Austin Steed: 6'8" 215 lb sophomore forward -- For the year Steed is averaging 4.1 points, and 3.9 rebounds per game (1.7 off. rebounds). He shoots 46.8% from the floor, and 68.2% from the free throw line.

In SEC play Steed averages 3.0 points, and 3.8 rebounds per game (1.8 off. rebounds). He's making 44.4% of his shot attempts, and 80.0% of his free throws -- In the first tilt Steed scored two points on 1-2 shooting, grabbed three rebounds (two off. rebounds), had one steal and one block. He played 13 minutes.

South Carolina Team Statistics - Season (SEC rank in parenthesis)

South Carolina Opponents

Points per game -- 79.8 (1) 70.6 (10)

Field Goal% -- 45.8 (4) 43.3 (9)

3-Point% -- 38.1 (1) 32.0 (3)

Free Throw% -- 63.2 (10) 72.5 (12)

Rebound Margin -- -1.0 pg (12)

Off. Reb. Per Game -- 13.5 (4) 12.9 (9)

Off. Rebound% -- 35.5 (5) 36.0 (12)

Def. Reb. Per Game -- 22.9 (12) 24.6 (10)

Def. Rebound% -- 64.0 (12) 64.5 (5)

Assists Per Game -- 11.3 (11) 12.6 (6)

Turnovers Per Game -- 14.1 (7) 19.7 (1)

Blocks Per Game -- 4.4 (5) 4.4 (10)

On the season South Carolina averages 75.1 possessions per game (6th in the SEC).

South Carolina Team Statistics - Conference Play (SEC rank in parenthesis)

South Carolina Opponents

Points Per Game -- 77.5 (3) 75.6 (10)

Field Goal% -- 43.7 (7) 46.2 (12)

3-Point% -- 36.1 (4) 31.8 (6)

Free Throw% -- 59.1 (11) 72.1 (12)

Rebound Margin -- -5.3 pg (12)

Off. Reb. Per Game -- 13.3 (3) 13.0 (9)

Off. Rebound% -- 32.8 (9) 37.5 (12)

Def. Reb. Per Game -- 21.7 (11) 27.3 (11)

Def. Rebound% -- 62.5 (12) 67.2 (9)

Assists Per Game -- 9.7 (12) 13.8 (8)

Turnovers Per Game -- 14.4 (6) 19.5 (1)

Blocks Per Game -- 4.2 (5) 4.8 (9)

In league play South Carolina averages 76.2 possessions per game (1st in the SEC).

CliffsNotes Analysis

Defensively, controlling South Carolina point guard Devan Downey will be the key to success for the 'Cats. DeAndre Liggins and Ramon Harris did a credible job of diminishing Downey's impact in the first half of the earlier contest, so it would not be surprising to see a similar defensive rotation tonight.

UK simply has to do a better job of keeping the Gamecocks off of their offensive glass. UK's big men will need to put their collective be-hinds into the mid-sections of the South Carolina board crashers, and not give up position by trying to block every shot within the paint. The Gamecocks took 28 more shots than UK in the January contest, in part due to SC's 18 offensive rebounds (a 40.9% offensive rebound conversion rate for a team that averages 32.8% in SEC play).

Offensively, UK needs to make hay in the paint. In the earlier game Patrick Patterson was 10-16 from the field and scored 28 points (his best game with the bandaged finger). Perry Stevenson was 4-5 and scored eight points. That's a combined 14-21 and 36 points for UK's primary big men.

Duplicating that effort on the road, though, may be tough. Holmes, Archie, and Steed had a difficult time controlling UK's big men so I look for ball-denial into the paint, and double and triple teams for Patterson. Making SC pay for helping-off on Patterson means that the big fella should be able to find open teammates, either on the perimeter, or with ball reversal.

Jodie Meeks will face the same dilemma he's encountered since his 54 point outburst earlier in the year -- A chaser who knows what he had for lunch. To counter that strategy, I really don't look for Billy Gillispie to do anything different than what he's done over the last several games: Run Meeks all over the floor in search of an open look, and hope when he gets the ball, he'll either be open for the split second that he needs, or find an uncovered teammate.

As always, it is so much easier to get Meeks open looks off the fast-break. But first Kentucky must get stops and steals. If UK can smother the Gamecocks with their defense (which they are capable of), it will be a long night for Hootie and his Blowfish.

Versus Tennessee Saturday, UK's "role players" performed exceptionally well. They played unafraid, and made shots at an exceedingly high rate (24-33 = 72.7%). That effort needs to become a trend, and not a one-night stand, if Kentucky expects to win tonight.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

UK Basketball: It's a 40 Minute Game

Ken Howlett — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:21:23 -0000

After a lava-hot 5-0 start to their SEC schedule, the University of Kentucky basketball team finds themselves coming back-to-the-pack, courtesy of shaky decision-making, and stretches of incompetent play, in two straight games now; the latest, UK's 78-77 loss to South Carolina. Maddening to most fans is the fact that we are in early February, a time when mental mistakes should be limited, player's roles should be more readily apparent, and games that UK should win, should be won.

Not so with this group, though. Once again, a mental and physical lapse lasting just under six minutes in the second half, and a player freelancing at a critical juncture, cost UK a much needed home-court victory. Couple those mistakes with UK's 21 turnovers, and a second consecutive loss to a less talented team is the result.

On to the wreckage ...

14:39 to 8:46 of the Second Half

UK was up 54-44. The boys in blue had momentum, the home crowd, and two of the best three players on the court. But all of those advantages weren't enough to overcome the total lack of cohesiveness, toughness, and smarts displayed by the home team:

14:39 -- After a Michael Porter turnover, UK's loss began to unfold with yet another offensive rebound for USC (one of 18 on the day). This one a Mike Holmes rebound off a Brandis Raley-Ross missed 3-point attempt. Five seconds later Zam Fredrick nailed a trifecta, with barely an effort to defend by Kentucky. Fredrick's 3-pointer made the score 54-47, UK.
13:32 -- After a Patrick Patterson dunk, Fredrick, again a lonely man standing beyond the arc, swished another 3-pointer, making the score 56-50, UK.
12:39 -- After two Patterson free throws made the score 58-50, South Carolina decided to perform an offensive rebounding drill in the middle of the game. How dare they! Five consecutive offensive rebounds ensued, culminating in a Sam Muldrow tip-in at the 12:28 mark. That basket brought the Gamecocks within 58-52.
12:15 -- A Patterson turnover led to a made Devan Downey 3-pointer. Score it: UK 58, SC 55.
11:52 -- Jodie Meeks missed a 3-point attempt, Carolina snagged the rebound, leading to a Fredrick missed shot in the lane, but Austin Steed gets the offensive rebound, leading to a Downey made jumper. UK's lead is now one, 58-57.
10:38 -- A Meeks turnover led to a Downey layup. SC now has the lead, 59-58.
10:17 -- A turnover (an offensive foul) on DeAndre Liggins led to a made Fredrick layup, growing the Gamecocks lead to 61-58.
9:50 -- A Patterson turnover miraculously led to zero points for Carolina. On the Carolina miss, Liggins grabbed the defensive rebound ...
9:06 -- ... only to turn it back over to SC six seconds later. The result; a made Downey jumper at the 8:46 mark, and a 63-58 Carolina lead.

Recapping the Carnage

From 14:39 to the 8:46 mark of the second half (5:53), UK's production both offensively and defensively, were lacking to an extraordinary degree. The numbers tell the sad tale:

Points scored -- UK 4, USC 19

Shots taken -- UK 2, USC 16 (SC made 8 of 16 shots from the field; 3 of 6 from beyond the arc)

Rebounds -- UK 1, USC 8

Offensive Rebounds -- UK 0, USC 7 (SC grabbed 87.5% of their offensive rebound opportunities)

Turnovers -- UK 6, USC 0 (SC committed only 3 turnovers in the final 15 minutes of the game)

Points off TO's -- UK 0, USC 9

Second-chance points -- UK 0, USC 7

UK goes from up 10 points, to down five points in less than six minutes. Now that takes talent.

Effort and Focus for Forty

For 34 minutes and seven seconds of Saturday's game, UK played well enough to win, outscoring SC by 14 points. A look at the other relevant stats, minus the offending 5:53, and one cringes with regret:

Points scored -- UK 73 , USC 59

Shots taken -- UK 46, USC 60

Rebounds -- UK 39, USC 27

Offensive rebounds -- UK 9, USC 11

Turnovers -- UK 15, USC 10

Points off TO's -- UK 15, USC 17

Second chance points -- UK 7, USC 14

FG% -- UK 54.3, USC 40.0

But the game isn't 34 minutes and seven seconds long. It's 40 minutes long, and has been for as long as I can remember.

Perry Stevenson Makes a Decision

With 3.2 seconds left on the clock Saturday, Billy Gillispie called the same inbounds play that he called against Georgia in last years SEC Tournament: Basically, he wanted to cause a Carolina defender to charge into Jodie Meeks (who was standing along the baseline) prior to the ball being thrown into play, resulting in a foul on the Gamecocks, and free throws for UK. If the Carolina player didn't charge into Meeks, Stevenson was to call another time-out.

Instead, when the set-play failed to produce the desired result, Stevenson threw the ball in to Meeks anyway. Meeks managed a decent 40 foot attempt, but in 3.2 seconds, a much better play can be designed.

Stevenson explained that he thought Meeks "could get the ball to half-court." He didn't elaborate further, but I assume Perry thought Meeks would call a timeout once he reached mid-court.

We'll never know what would have happened if Stevenson had called the timeout as instructed ... but it would have been nice to see a designed play.

Gillispie's Folly

Billy Gillispie's now infamous decision to use Jodie Meeks to guard USC mighty-mite Devan Downey is puzzling to me also. The combo of Liggins, Kevin Galloway, and Ramon Harris did a great job on the ever-elusive guard in the first half (2 of 8 shooting), but Gillispie thought mixing up the coverage would be beneficial. Well, in hind-sight that gamble didn't pay-off for the Texan (8 of 13 second half shooting).

I don't have anything inspired or earth-shattering to write here: just stick with what works. Besides, in my opinion, unless absolutely necessary, UK doesn't need their only three-point threat (and leading scorer) chasing the 5'9" Downey all over the floor. That only wears out his legs, which could result in poor shooting late in the game.

Addendum: Gillispie thought Meeks gave Downey too much room to operate in the final seconds of the game. I thought Meeks defended Downey well, the kid just made a great shot.

Stats to Ponder

How can UK lose a game at home when they shoot 52.1%? They shot a Villanova-like 66.7% in the second half ... and lost the game.

Well, allowing one's opponent to score 26 points off turnovers is a great way to negate an excellent shooting percentage ... allowing one's opponent to score 21 second chance points is a proven method of balancing-out an excellent shooting percentage ... allowing one's opponent to put up 28 more shots is a sure way to offset an excellent shooting percentage ... allowing one's opponent to grab offensive rebounds at a 41.0% clip (18 off. reb's on 44 missed shots) is an exceptional way to minimize an excellent shooting percentage.

Shoot 52.1% at home and lose ...

Final Analysis

This is a young team I realize, but we're in February now, and it's time for the team to grow up and play like collegians. Whether their basketball IQ is lacking, or they lose focus because of their tender age ... I don't know why, nor do I care why, but someone has to step up and take charge. And by "take charge" I mean, kick some tail; Gillispie, Cyprien, Webster, Patterson, Meeks, somebody has to take control of this team, and rein in the immature and uneven performances that we've been witnessing.

If they're being handled with kid gloves, then take the gloves off, and convince this team that playing carelessly, and/or lackadaisically will not be tolerated. Conversely, if Gillispie and his staff are being overly hard on this group, then maybe they need to ease up a bit. I don't know, but I do know what they're doing at the present is not working.

Because, when all the fat is boiled away, that's what Gillispie is left with; a team still committing the same silly, thoughtless errors that they were committing in November.

Thanks for reading and Go 'Cats!

Gamecocks Hoops Weekly Forecast: 1/25-1/31

Gamecock Man — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 02:55:16 -0000

The Gamecocks had a successful week last week, taking down Florida and Ole Miss at home. We didn't pick up any votes in the two major polls (nobody in the SEC did other than Kentucky or Florida), although Lunardi did upgrade us to the third team out of the Big Dance.

The season continues this week with a visit from Vandy and a trip to Kentucky. A win at Vandy will mark Carolina's first three-game SEC win streak in quite some time, so the game is a pretty big deal. Below are short previews for the two games.

Vanderbilt

Early in the season, I thought Vandy would be a tough match-up for us, mainly because I feared their talented sophomore center, A. J. Ogilvy. However, the rest of Vandy's lineup has failed to come together as they Commodores have moved from a soft non-con into conference play, and with Ogilvy a little banged up and drawing all the attention of opposing defenses, Vandy has struggled mightily on offense. They're fresh off two double-digit losses in the usually daunting Memorial Gym, the second a 94-69 pounding to the Gators.

Vandy is a below-average shooting team this year, so defensively we need to try to keep the ball out on the perimeter and away from Ogilvy down low. Unless the Commodores unexpectedly heat up from downtown, that strategy should allow us to keep them from scoring too many points. If that ends up being the case, we just need to shoot the ball decently well to net a relatively easy victory. As I said yesterday, this is a must-win game; Saturday's matchup with the Wildcats is going to be tough to win, and after that we head to Gainesville for another really hard game. If we can beat Vandy, though, we'll be OK in terms of our bubble position even if the most likely scenario plays out on the road trip and we lose to both Kentucky and Florida.

at Kentucky

As said, I don't like our chances in this game. While the Cats started slow again this year, they've got a lot of talent and it's finally beginning to come together under second-year coach Billy Gillespie. Moreover, we don't matchup well defensively against this team, as we don't have the bigs to guard their front court of Patrick Patterson and Perry Stevenson. Finally, the Cats have Jodie Meeks, a player that nobody can guard when he's on. To sum up, the Cats are going to get their points in this game.

That said, all hope is not lost. We have some shooters, and if we get hot and can put up a lot of points, there's no telling what might happen. I like Devan Downey's chances of having a big game against the Cats, as the Cats lack a speedy defensive guard that can lock down on Downey. If Downey can get his slashing game going, he could put up points and open things up for either Zam Fredrick, Evaldas Baniulis, or Brandis Raley-Ross on the outside. If one or more of those guys heat up from downtown, who knows? Maybe we could pull off a huge upset in Lexington. However, this game is going to be brutally hard to win. While I could possibly see it happening in Colonial Life Arena, it's probably not going to happen in Rupp. If we beat Vandy on Wednesday, though, I won't be too heartbroken if we lose to the Cats this weekend.

JSU Recap

Gamecock Man — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:45:06 -0000

South Carolina beat Jacksonville State last night by a score of 89-76. While the final score doesn't indicate complete dominance, this was a better performance in some ways than we put in against Kentucky Wesleyan. 86 points is a pretty good offensive night for in a college game. We shot for over 50% from the floor, a promising performance considering that one of this team's problems last year was poor shooting.

The game wasn't all roses, however. Giving up 76 points to a team like Jacksonville State isn't ideal and reminds one of some of the defensive meltdowns we experienced under Odom over the past two years. JSU's points came in bursts--we were actually up 58-32 at one point in the middle of the second half before letting JSU go on a spree--which indicates that this team could be prone to spells of mental lapse on defense.

We also suffered a significant injury. Brandis Raley-Ross left the game late in the first half, and reports say that he has a sprained knee and could miss up to a month. His absence will be a big blow to a team that already lacks depth. We can hope, though, that he'll be ready to go by the time the meat of the season begins, although as Kentucky learned last night, any SEC team is only one game against a hot-shooting mid-major away from getting embarrassed during the non-con slate.