South Carolina, which needs more growth amid roster adjustments, faces The Citadel on Saturday night at Columbia, S.C.
South Carolina (6-3) showed signs of breaking out with its largest margin of victory last Saturday, socking Stetson 82-51.
“There was some growth,” Gamecocks coach Lamont Paris said. “It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but there was definitely some growth, particularly on the defensive side of the ball and in our ball screen coverage responsibilities.”
Meechie Johnson scored 17 points and added four assists, one off his season high. Johnson is averaging a team-best 15.1 points and 3.3 assists per game.
South Carolina will look to continue to work Myles Stute back into the rotation. He was in action versus Stetson after missing three games because of a broken
nose and concussion.
The bigger move will be slotting EJ Walker into the rotation after last weekend’s revelation that he won’t take a redshirt season. He played 13 minutes against Stetson, scoring two points.
“He has brought some things to the table over the course of time, and so we put him in there,” Paris said. “It’s a hard decision because when a person is on the scout team, you only notice them for the good things that they do. Then evaluating him with a different eye over a course of time. I have to see if he’s actually doing those things and a lot of it he is.”
The Citadel (3-7) is winless against Division I opponents this season, losing to Boston College in its only previous power conference matchup. The Bulldogs rolled past visiting Southern Wesleyan 98-73 Tuesday night.
“I thought our guys grew as the game went on, especially with the adjustments we made throughout the night,” The Citadel coach Ed Conroy said. “We rebounded the ball better and defended with more consistency. … When we play with that kind of energy and unselfishness, we give ourselves a great chance.”
The Citadel has a balanced approach offensively, with Braxton Williams’ 10.8 ppg the team’s highest average.
Dante Kearse led the Bulldogs with 15 points in the Southern Wesleyan game, a total more than twice his previous highest production this season.
“Dante was tremendous in the first half, not just with the 3s but with his rebounding and decision-making,” Conroy said.
South Carolina’s three losses have all come by seven or fewer points.
