Gamecocks to face LSU in SEC clash

South Carolina basketball hopes to be back on the court this weekend.

South Carolina (3-2, 1-0) is due to travel to Baton Rouge this Saturday, where he will face SEC rival LSU (9-2, 4-1). Gamecocks won their conference opening early last week, beating Texas A&M by a score of 78-54. Unfortunately, the team was forced to cancel its next two games due to concerns from COVID in the locker room, bringing the total number of cancellations to seven games this season. South Carolina has played just two games since December 5.

As of now, the locker room problems seem to be resolved, and the team is scheduled to face a group of Tigers who have won four of their last five matches, with the only setback being a four-point loss on the Florida road.

Let’s take a look at the next match and analyze the Gamecocks’ chances against their opponent in the SEC.

How do Gamecocks respond to long periods of rest?

South Carolina finally returned to the court last week, after spending nearly a month of the season struggling with tracking COVID within the program. As expected, the team was a little rusty, winning a 78-71 victory over Florida A&M. After solving some problems in the first game back, Gamecocks looked much better in a 24 point win over Texas A&M. They seemed to be trending in the right direction while the conference slate was opening.

Shortly after this great victory, however, the team was again put on a hiatus, which means that practice time is scarce and the squad limited while Gamecocks prepare for Tigers. South Carolina has had no more than nine players available for a game since November.

Expect Gamecocks to look rusty again in their first possessions. Hopefully, this rust will shake quickly and the team can settle back to the groove we saw last time.

Can the defense contain Cameron Thomas?

Thomas is the Tigers’ top scorer, with double digits in four of the last five games. Thomas already has seven 20-point games, including three at stake at the SEC. The only game this year in which the superstar guard scored no more than 15 points was a clash against Ole Miss, where he played just four minutes before suffering an ankle injury. He averages 21.8 points per game, and that total increases to 24 points in a competition if you remove the brief appearance against the rebels.

If there is a weakness in Thomas’s game, it is his perimeter kick, where he only shoots 31% and made only two of the last 16 attempts.

Seventh Woods, AJ Lawson and Jermaine Couisnard will have to keep the ball in front of them and not allow Thomas to find the ink. If they can do that, they should be able to slow his down a little. If not, Gamecocks could have a long night.

Can AJ Lawson remain in good shape?

South Carolina also has a high-scoring guard, AJ Lawson, who has recorded consecutive performances of 25 points or more. He led the team with 30 points, the record of his career, in the victory over Texas A&M in 10 of 22 shots.

South Carolina needs its gunner to remain productive, as he may need to match up with Cameron Thomas of LSU to prevent Gamecocks from falling behind. It showed little effect with the team’s one-month break from returning last week, and Frank Martin hopes it will also happen against the Tigers.

For the year, Lawson reached double digits in four of the five competitions. He averages the best of his career in percentage of pitches, scores, percentage of free throws and steals. If he manages to maintain momentum, he will give Gamecocks a chance to pull the turn.

Key Matchup

The obvious confrontation will be between Lawson and Thomas, but there is another area on the court where the game could be determined, and this will be a battle between the big guys at LSU and South Carolina.

The Tigers have two forwards at Trendon Watford and Darius Days, both with double-digit scoring and the team’s pace on rebounds. South Carolina, on the other hand, is very young in painting, and since the beginning of December they have been without the posta players, Keyshawn Bryant and Alanzo Frink. Gamecocks have had a small formation of three guards for most of the year, which means that the big ones at LSU can be a great incompatibility for Frank Martin’s group.

Justin Minaya will be a player called to defend these two goal threats, as well as to keep them out of the offensive cup. The second year center, Wildens Leveque, will also be used extensively in the rebound department.

Gamecocks should also have Jalyn McCreary available, who was released to return to action before the SEC opened. McCreary had a performance of six points and nine rebounds in the victory over the Aggies.

McCreary, Leveque and Minaya’s performances could be the key to South Carolina’s success against the Tigers.

Prediction

Gamecocks, again, wasted time dealing with COVID. They probably won’t have a full seat and can start slowly at their first road game in more than a month.

LSU has the ability to score, having many different threats in the lineup. Expect Tigers to play fast and take advantage of Gamecocks problems.