Men’s basketball looks to snap 2-game losing streak
South Carolina will face another big test tonight when it travels to Kentucky to take on the defending national champion Wildcats.
The Gamecocks are in the midst of a two-game losing streak after falling to Florida and Georgia. After the game against UGA, coach Frank Martin placed much of the blame on himself. At his weekly press conference Monday, Martin explained that because his team was starting to play well, he worried about the opponent more than his own team.
“I’m asking our guys to fight every single day for our culture we are trying to build,” Martin said. “They have never done that, and for me to expect them to do that on their own right now is not fair to them. If I don’t pay attention to detail, if I don’t hold them accountable, if I don’t fight for it every day, I can’t expect them to do it themselves. We are not there yet as a program.”
Martin said that for his team to have a chance, players must take open shots when they have them because those opportunities will be limited. Over the past two games, the Gamecocks have missed their share of open layups, which has taken a toll on Martin.
“I’ll tell you what I definitely do: There are certain areas of my head that I don’t have to worry about brushing my hair anymore,” Martin said. “You can’t control that. All you can do is continue to work, continue to get good shots [and] instill confidence in your players.”
UK is led this year by freshman star Nerlens Noel, who is first in the country with 4.6 blocks per game.
“You don’t have time for shot fakes,” Martin said. “When you see a crack, you better have your eyes on that target and let it go and know that [Noel] is coming because he comes every time. But if you hesitate on your move, you better pass that ball because blocked shots are turnovers.”
Earlier this season, USC played St. John’s, another team that is known for its shot-blocking abilities. In that game, the Gamecocks lost by 24 points, and St. John’s had nine blocks. Martin said that his team was just not ready for the challenge against the Red Storm that early in the season.
The Gamecocks’ defense has also struggled during the past two games. USC allowed both UF and UGA to shoot at least 52 percent from the field for the game.
“After the first seven minutes of the Florida game and the whole Georgia game, our defense was embarrassingly bad,” Martin said. “It [wasn’t] the defense that we had been playing for the last three weeks ... leading into last week. That’s on me. I allowed us to play that way.”
Rupp Arena has traditionally been known as one of the loudest and most hostile arenas in the country, and the Gamecocks have not won there since 2009. USC’s last visit to Lexington ended in a 31-point defeat. The Gamecocks last beat the Wildcats in 2010, when they were the top-ranked team in the country.
Senior forward Lakeem Jackson said he doesn’t look at the Wildcats any differently than other opponents because all that is important is getting a win and getting back to where the team was before the two losses.
“(We) just have to get back to playing our kind of ball,” Jackson said. “We need that fight in us so we can get back and start getting some wins.”