Gamecocks basketball, 2023 part I (merged thread)

[HuskyNan]

Gamecocks 2022, part three (merged thread)

https://the-boneyard.com/threads/gamecocks-2022-2023-part-two.183090/unread

the-boneyard.com

 

[HuskyNan]

South Carolina was among the most dominant champions of 2022.

The Best Teams Of 2022 Weren’t Always Champions

Year’s end is always a cause for reflection, a moment to look back at all the good and bad that happened over the preceding 12 months. If you’re playing footbal…

fivethirtyeight.com

 

[Gamecockfan77]

"...was Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks basketball squad, which lost only once during the entire calendar year3and won its March Madness games by an average margin of 23.3 points per game (including a 15-point win over UConn in the final)."

Interresting: Rarely was the South Carolina team discussed this particular way despite wire to wire #1. I don't even really think of it that way in those terms though I often think about how dominant defensively and on the boards they were.

 

[SCGamecock]

"...was Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks basketball squad, which lost only once during the entire calendar year3and won its March Madness games by an average margin of 23.3 points per game (including a 15-point win over UConn in the final)."

Interresting: Rarely was the South Carolina team discussed this particular way despite wire to wire #1. I don't even really think of it that way in those terms I often think about how dominant defensively and on the boards they were.

It’s because of the way they won. Rarely is defensive dominance seen in the same fashion as offensive dominance - nonetheless, as this article proves, last year’s team was a dominant machine on its own merits.

 

[Bone Dog]

I'm going to watch the SC-Georgia game with interest today just to see how Dawn's players deal with a Coach Abe team. I expect a blowout, but the potential for misbehavior from the Georgia side is high.

 

[Carnac]

SC is down 3 at the half to Georgia 29-26. Could this be the day SC falls from the ranks of the unbeaten?

 

[Bone Dog]

SC is going to win, that's clear with 2 minutes to go. It's also clear that SC is vulnerable at the guard positions and can be pressed effectively. Cooke scored 28 points, but other than that, she and Fletcher and Hall and Johnson are just not able to respond to pressure. I'm surprised Dawn didn't use Amihere more, since she's better at breaking the press than her guard rotation seems to be.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

SC is going to win, that's clear with 2 minutes to go. It's also clear that SC is vulnerable at the guard positions and can be pressed effectively. Cooke scored 28 points, but other than that, she and Fletcher and Hall and Johnson are just not able to respond to pressure. I'm surprised Dawn didn't use Amihere more, since she's better at breaking the press than her guard rotation seems to be.

Amihere has a pretty terrible handle though.

 

[Centerstream]

SoCar wins 68-51 and I am guessing that it has to have been one of Boston’s worst games, 4 points, 5 rebounds and 3 PFs. At the moment I have no idea how many minutes she played.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

SC is going to win, that's clear with 2 minutes to go. It's also clear that SC is vulnerable at the guard positions and can be pressed effectively. Cooke scored 28 points, but other than that, she and Fletcher and Hall and Johnson are just not able to respond to pressure. I'm surprised Dawn didn't use Amihere more, since she's better at breaking the press than her guard rotation seems to be.

Other than scoring 31 points she was was unable to respond to the pressure. Fair enough.

I am dying to know how Seton Hall got into the 80s against this scheme. Big three point night?

Last year Tennessee put up 69.

68 by Carolina tonight is the next highest point total against her defenses these two seasons.

Biggest concern I have about SC is that they've had off rebounding nights which really didn't happen last year. That's how they will get upset.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

SC won a tough road game with nearly no contributions from Boston and only a slight rebound edge. Are they invulnerable? No. But they specialize in winning ugly and are great at it.

 

[Bone Dog]

Other than scoring 31 points she was was unable to respond to the pressure. Fair enough.

Yup. Cooke scored really well, perhaps her best game of the season. But the SCar back court didn't manage the pressure well. Georgia wasn't the team to capitalize on this. But Ohio St. is such a team. Guard play is the only real question mark about SCar, otherwise they're pretty much invulnerable. On the plus side, SCar played great D all game long, and in the second half it was smothering.

I am dying to know how Seton Hall got into the 80s against this scheme. Big three point night?

Lauren Park-Lane, that's how, along with Wright and Hagans -- a trio of little guards. And they did it even losing the rebounding battle 21-35. They shot 10-20 from 3, but Georgia shot 8-15. But they also shot 58% fg. Park-Lane is totally capable of games like that.

68 by Carolina tonight is the next highest point total against her defenses these two seasons.

This is Coach Abe's first year at Georgia. She was at UCF last season.

 

[JellyBean]

That was a pretty interesting game. Georgia and that match-up zone made things tough in the paint for Boston and Cardoso. Georgia was packing it around those and made sure they had to work to get points in the paint. Boston can knock down the 15-18 foot shot just not tonight.

I liked how South Carolina, as the game progressed, started to shoot better. That first quarter when it was 11-13, I was thinking that this was going to be a long game and it was. Not because of the shooting but because of the tie ups and foul calls.

Great win by South Carolina. It was not pretty but a win is a win. Up next, Auburn.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Game Summary/Headlines if You Missed SC vs GA.

Cooke...Bakes Georgia

Battles..Surrenders

 

[Bone Dog]

Just watching a replay of the game and one thing I notice is the refs aren't whistling the usual touch fouls on drives. Personally, I think this is an improvement in the game. Too many guards drive into the lane hoping to get a touch foul called and to foul out the opposing bigs. Part of the problem Battles had in this game is she didn't get those calls that she's relied on in previous seasons. I hope this represents a new policy across D1.

 

[Bone Dog]

Also, a classic moment for any Coach Abe team: halfway through the 4th quarter with the game slipping away, Boston and Fletcher trap Battles with a high hedge. She jumps up to try to pass over them and naturally falls down from some minimal contact by Fletcher and the whistle is blown. Boston reaches down to help Battles up and she slaps her hand away. A class act and utterly characteristic of a Coach Abe team. From that moment on, Georgia began to hunt for foul calls. When they're out of options, they play even uglier than usual.

 

[ConwayGmck]

SC is down 3 at the half to Georgia 29-26. Could this be the day SC falls from the ranks of the unbeaten?

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Also, a classic moment for any Coach Abe team: halfway through the 4th quarter with the game slipping away, Boston and Fletcher trap Battles with a high hedge. She jumps up to try to pass over them and naturally falls down from some minimal contact by Fletcher and the whistle is blown. Boston reaches down to help Battles up and she slaps her hand away. A class act and utterly characteristic of a Coach Abe team. From that moment on, Georgia began to hunt for foul calls. When they're out of options, they play even uglier than usual.

You mean the play where they hip checked Battle at half court and continued after the whistle was called? I think Boston is a lovely person and South Carolina doesn’t play dirty but that was a hard foul and I wouldn’t have taken anyone hand after that ish.

 

[ConwayGmck]

Yup. Cooke scored really well, perhaps her best game of the season. But the SCar back court didn't manage the pressure well. Georgia wasn't the team to capitalize on this. But Ohio St. is such a team. Guard play is the only real question mark about SCar, otherwise they're pretty much invulnerable. On the plus side, SCar played great D all game long, and in the second half it was smothering.

Cooke, Fletcher, Johnson, and Beal (who's the shortest player out there for tonight's game, after those other three mentioned) were a combined 12 assists and 5 turnovers. Beal led the way with 5 assists and 0 turnovers. That wasn't too ugly. Boston, Saxton, Cardoso, and Amihere were a combined 1 assist and 10 turnovers....

South Carolina is typically a team that makes solid halftime adjustments and plays better in the 2nd half than in the 1st. Tonight, they shot 14-22 (.636) from the field, and 5-7 (.714) from the 3-pt line, and out-scored UGA 42-22 post intermission.

Actually, if you charted the game, South Carolina shot progressively better with each passing period of play, while Georgia shot progressively worse:

1st Period:
USC: 4-16 (25.0%)
UGA: 6-12 (50.0%)

2nd Period:
USC: 4-12 (33.3%)
UGA: 7-17 (41.2%)

3rd Period:
USC: 9-16 (56.3%)
UGA: 4-12 (33.3%)

4th Period:
USC: 5-6 (83.3%)
UGA: 4-17 (23.5%)

That's what I call figuring things out as the game progresses.....

 

[Carnac]

I just asked the question. I offered no prediction. Georgia held them to 26 first half points, but SC made adjustments at halftime, and exploded for 42 second half points winning by 17, 68-51. And the beat goes on.

SC guard Zia Cooke had a new career high of 31 Points. Aliyah Boston finished with 4 points - 5 rebounds in 31 minutes. Cooke was the only player scoring in double figures for SC. The Gamecocks sent Georgia head coach Abe and her staff back to the drawing board for further discussions.

 

[visitingcock]

Also, a classic moment for any Coach Abe team: halfway through the 4th quarter with the game slipping away, Boston and Fletcher trap Battles with a high hedge. She jumps up to try to pass over them and naturally falls down from some minimal contact by Fletcher and the whistle is blown. Boston reaches down to help Battles up and she slaps her hand away. A class act and utterly characteristic of a Coach Abe team. From that moment on, Georgia began to hunt for foul calls. When they're out of options, they play even uglier than usual.

Wretched, spiteful, straight razor to totin’ women! Lawd a’mercy!

We play them again at home the last game of the regular season. I think they are going to join Mizzou as a “rival with an attitude.”

 

[Bone Dog]

Cooke, Fletcher, Johnson, and Beal (who's the shortest player out there for tonight's game, after those other three mentioned) were a combined 12 assists and 5 turnovers. Beal led the way with 5 assists and 0 turnovers.

You say potato, I say point guard. They seemed to lack a floor leader, from what I saw. I liked the way Beal played, but I doubt you're offering her up as a point guard.

 

[SCGamecock]

Also, a classic moment for any Coach Abe team: halfway through the 4th quarter with the game slipping away, Boston and Fletcher trap Battles with a high hedge. She jumps up to try to pass over them and naturally falls down from some minimal contact by Fletcher and the whistle is blown. Boston reaches down to help Battles up and she slaps her hand away. A class act and utterly characteristic of a Coach Abe team. From that moment on, Georgia began to hunt for foul calls. When they're out of options, they play even uglier than usual.

Yeah I saw that. Boston got noticeably feisty after that as well. She’s nice until she’s disrespected.

 

[SCspur]

Regardless of what naysayers may think games like last night pays huge dividends for SC. Once tournament play starts SC will have faced just about any defense you can name as well as many different style offenses. SEC play is tough. Especially with the targets on their backs but if anyone is built for it they are.