When it was announced that second-leading scorer PJ Dozier would miss the Gamecocks' matchup with No. 5 Kentucky, it could be expected that it would be a struggle offensively for No. 24 South Carolina. Despite Sindarius Thornwell's career-high 34 points, the Gamecocks couldn't keep up with the Wildcats' potent scoring attack, failing to keep up in the 85-69 loss.
As the Gamecocks looked to climb back late in the second half, they let it fly from the three-point arc, but nothing was falling. Justin McKie missed three uncontested threes after the break, and Notice air-balled another in the final minutes, as the two combined with Rakym Felder to shoot 0-for-11 from deep.
Thornwell's help came in spurts from two unlikely candidates. In the first half, sophomore guard Hassani Gravett scored all seven of his points during a 15-2 run, punctuated by a steal and slam. In the early second half, TeMarcus Blanton hit a pair of threes to cut the Kentucky lead to eight, and he would finish the game with a career-high 12 points.
Notice's struggles on the offensive end continued with a four-point performance on 2-for-7 shooting. The senior didn't appear to be looking for his shot at times, but he did manage four assists in his 37 minutes while making a strong contribution on the defensive end.
We saw this when Thornwell was suspended. Without Dozier and Thornwell on the floor to attack the defense, South Carolina's opponent can hone in on whichever dynamic guard is on the court. Saturday, Kentucky could let Thornwell hurt them because he simply didn't have any help.
"It's not like those guys didn't try," Thornwell said after the game. "Shots just didn't fall our way. It's one game."
The shots didn't fall for the Gamecocks in that one game Saturday, but the offense is teetering on resembling the South Carolina team of last February and March, where all of the burden was being put on Thornwell and Michael Carrera.
Outside of Dozier, Thornwell can often find help from his bigs, as was the case in Wednesday's win over Florida when Chris Silva joined him in double-figures with 11 points. Silva and Maik Kotsar weren't able to stay on the floor Saturday, frustrating Frank Martin while combining for just 25 minutes.
"All they do is foul. It's feast or famine," Martin said of his starting forwards. "They either end the game with zero points and five fouls, or they score 12 points, seven rebounds. There's no in between with them."
It was famine for both players against the Wildcats, combining for four shot attempts, seven points and five rebounds while racking up four fouls apiece in their limited minutes. Martin seemed especially frustrated with Silva, who managed just nine minutes, after picking up two fouls in the first five minutes, and recording another in the first 30 seconds after halftime.
With both Silva and Kotsar off the floor, Martin turned to freshman Sedee Keita, who is still developing his offensive game after missing valuable preseason practice time due to a wrist injury. Keita took just one shot in his 17 minutes while picking up a pair of fouls, forcing Martin to play walk-on Jarrell Holliman. The redshirt junior recorded no stats other than three fouls in his 10 minutes of action.
Dozier's status is up in the air for Tuesday's game against Auburn and beyond, as his back issues stem from a practice injury on Friday. If Dozier can't go against the Tigers, Thornwell's need for a sidekick will be apparent yet again. Even if he can go when the Gamecocks return to Columbia, the lack of offensive contribution from any other players doesn't bode well for South Carolina moving forward.
In the 12 games that Dozier and Thornwell have both played this season, the Gamecocks are undefeated. When one of the star guards has sat out, the team is just 3-4. The offensive burden lies in the hands of Martin's two elite recruits going forward, at least until a third scorer emerges consistently.