What Went Wrong for the South Carolina Gamecocks this Season?

After losing a close game to Arkansas in the first round of the SEC tournament, the South Carolina Gamecocks basketball season has officially ended. The Gamecocks stormed back after being blown out in the first half, but the late surge simply was not enough. Finishing dead last in the final regular season SEC rankings, the Gamecocks season was a failure on nearly all fronts.

Despite starting 10-3, the Gamecocks collapsed after entering conference play. Being fair, the SEC was surprisingly dominant, as they had eight teams ranked in the top-25 at the regular season’s end. After losing the first conference game to Mississippi State, the Gamecocks went on a dreadful 13 game losing streak, which was snapped after gaining their first conference win against Texas. The struggles beg the question; what went wrong?

Scoring the Ball:

Saying a team that underperformed struggled to score the ball sounds elementary, but it truly told the story for the Gamecocks this season. Averaging 69.8 points per game, the Gamecocks ranked at the very bottom of the SEC and in the bottom 50 nationally. During the losing skid, they had multiple games where they scored under 60 points. They also ranked second-to-last in the SEC in field goal percentage at 42.7%. The Gamecocks only had two scorers who averaged double digits, with Collin Murray-Broyles leading the way with 16.8 points per game. Perhaps the biggest issue with the Gamecock offense was the poor three-point shooting. The Gamecocks made the least amount of three’s in the SEC and ranked the third lowest three-point percentage at 31.6%. During the off-season, the Gamecocks will certainly do all they can to improve their offensive production, which will ultimately make them a more competitive team.

Rebounding:

Despite Collin Murray-Broyles being a dominant player, the Gamecocks struggled to assert their authority in the paint. They had the fourth lowest rebound average in the SEC with 34.4 per game. This struggle restricted their ability to get out and score in transition, averaging the least fastbreak points in the conference. They were especially poor on the offensive boards and were also below average in converting second chance points. Murray-Broyles also led the team with 8.3 boards per game. With players like 7-foot Jordan Butler not getting a lot of minutes, the Gamecocks did not have a lot of size on the court. Nick Pringle stands at 6-foot-10 and got noteworthy minutes, but only averaged 6.3 boards per game. During the off-season the Gamecocks certainly need to look at ways to be more physical than their opponents and find a way to get more height on the court.

Losing the Turnover Battle:

When you are one of the worst scoring teams in the nation, it’s imperative that you are stout defensively and limit offensive possessions for your opponent. The Gamecocks forced the third least turnovers in the SEC. Only Kentucky and Alabama forced less, but they were the top two scoring teams in the conference. Without putting pressure on the opposing offense, the Gamecocks found themselves fighting a plethora of uphill battles. In their two conference wins over Texas and Arkansas, the Gamecocks won the turnover battles. During the 13-game losing streak, the Gamecocks did not finish a single game with a positive turnover margin. In the 66-63 loss to Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks lost the turnover battle by 13, turning the ball over an absurd 25 times. Losing by three points, it would have likely been a different outcome had they not turned the ball over at will. They were tied with turnovers against Kentucky, but the Gamecock offense could not keep up with the Kentucky high-powered scoring attack. If the Gamecocks do not find a way to consistently have a positive turnover margin, the struggles will not stop any time soon.

The Gamecocks finished 12-20 on the season. With a long off-season ahead, the Gamecocks hope to come into the next season improved and ready to compete in the powerful SEC.

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