Men’s baskeball to return home Saturday to face Georgia after 39-point defeat to Florida
Saturday can’t come fast enough for South Carolina, as they return home to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.
The Gamecocks are looking to rebound from the loss to Florida Wednesday night. The Gators dominated USC in every area of the game en route to a 75-36 win.
The 36 points by the Gamecocks were the fewest they have ever scored in a SEC game.
The last time the Gamecocks were at Colonial Life Arena, they blew out Arkansas 75-54.
USC will face a Georgia team that is 9-11 overall, 3-4 in the SEC and averaging just 59.4 points per game, which is the 325th best average out of 345 NCAA Division I teams.
If USC (12-8, 2-5 SEC) hopes to surpass its conference win total from last season on Saturday, head coach Frank Martin said they must do a better job of executing on offense. The Gamecocks shot just 31.1 percent against the Gators after shooting 57.7 percent against the Razorbacks.
Martin says a good offense can also lead to improved play on the defensive side of the ball. The Gators shot 52.8 percent against USC and out-rebounded them 38-24.
“Teams that are real good on offense are usually pretty good on defense because you have good offensive possessions, you don’t turn it over, you take good shots and you move the ball, which makes defense work,” Martin said during his weekly press conference.
Martin has also stressed teamwork all season, and said USC will need to come together after the loss in Gainesville, Fla..
“Being a good teammate is even when you aren’t feeling good or things aren’t going your way, you owe it to your teammates, you owe it to your coaches, you owe it to the school that is paying for your schooling, to go out there and fight and compete to get better.” Martin said.
Freshman Michael Carrera led the team against Florida, recording 13 points on 6-9 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. The rest of the USC starters combined for 15 points on 5-23 shooting.
Junior guard Brian Richardson did not score against UF in three minutes of play after tying his career-high of 20 points in the win over Arkansas. Junior Bruce Ellington chipped in seven points and three assists.
When the Bulldogs came to Colonial Life Arena last season, the Gamecocks escaped with a 57-56 win. Guard Brenton Williams had 10 points in 17 minutes in that game.
Martin said he hopes his team can get back to their strengths and continue to improve.
“I can tell you our guys are playing hard; our guys are trying,” Martin said. “Offensively and defensively, we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were at Dec. 1 or even Jan. 1 for that matter.”