We don’t win pretty. We don’t play pretty. In fact, sometimes it’s plain ugly. Tuesday's discouraging loss against Georgia certainly speaks to the maddening inconsistency of this team.
This isn’t the land of the 2-3 zone — the "we won’t cover you until we have to" style seen in the ACC. This isn’t the land of pretty Big 12 basketball, where often it’s more of a track meet than a basketball game. No, this is 40 minutes of hell. This is up-in-your-shorts, man-to-man defense. This is not just trying to prevent you from getting a good shot. This is trying to prevent you from even getting a shot up. This, my friends, is South Carolina basketball. Let’s stop comparing their brand of basketball to something it’s not.
As Gamecock fans, sure, we get excited from a dunk here and a three-pointer there. But what do we appreciate the most? What is it that will get Colonial Life Arena at its loudest? Good old-fashioned hustle and energy, that’s what. Nothing exemplifies this better than Michael Carrera’s dive into the stands late in the game this past Saturday against the Alabama Crimson Tide. On this play, the ball was deflected by a South Carolina defender, and heading straight into the bench out of bounds. Everyone, players in red and players in white, seemed content to let the inevitable occur and have the ball bounce into the stands. Everyone except Michael Carrera, that is, who acted upon impulse and took two large steps, sending his body airborne into his own bench after the loose ball.
This hustle was greatly appreciated by all Gamecock supporters in the arena. Upon helping him up, Frank Martin met Carrera with a hug. A “Michael Carrera” chant rained down from the stands above. To someone just listening, they would have thought Carrera had just hit the game-winning shot.
That play right there summarizes South Carolina basketball this season and the appreciation that the fans have for it. On nights when the energy isn’t there, it’s apparent. As shown by the contrast between the two Alabama games this year, hustle and energy seems to make all the difference. At the Georgia game in particular, the team lacked its usual spark. This team can’t slide by teams based on skill and pretty play. That’s not who they are. That’s not how they play. And as all South Carolina fans will probably agree, that’s not what we want to watch anyways.
So when South Carolina takes on more graceful teams like Texas A&M, Kentucky and LSU next week, don’t count them out. This team is different, and not necessarily in a bad way.