Hogs Handle Cocks To Remain Atop The SEC West

Game Stats            Post Game/Highlight Access

On paper the teams appeared very similar, but on the floor in the Bud Walton Arena Arkansas (14-12, 7-4) was the clear dominant team winning 92-79 after leading by as much as 21 points in the second half.  The game was relatively close in the first half with each team trading buckets during various series, but just before the half Arkansas guard, Marcus Britt, stripped Devan Downey near half court, while Downey was attempting to gain instructions from South Carolina Head Coach, Darrin Horn.  Britt cruised in for the easy layup and extended the lead to 40-33 for the half.  Coach Horn accepted the blame for a play change at the last minute that briefly allowed Britt to slide in for the steal. 

With over 13,000 Razorbacks fans in attendance, the Hogs came out of the locker room and started a second half dunk-fest as aggressive defense and transition led to multiple dunks from run-outs, penetration & dishes and a few drop step.  The host team made an early second half 17-1 run that basically decided the fate of the Gamecocks at about the 14 minute mark.  The South Carolina (14-11, 5-6) second half defense was literally nonexistent as point guard Courtney Fortson, ran the transition game to near perfection, muscling his way to 19 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals.  His steals often led to powerful finishes by Freshman Forward Marshawn Powell, 26 points, 8 rebounds and Senior Center Mike Washington 8 points, who also went over the 1,000 point total for his college career.  The Razorbacks of late had been receiving balanced scoring and it continued with guards Rotnei Clark 13 points (3-7 3-point) and Britt 12 points to round out the starter scoring.  The Hogs' balanced offensive floor attack resulted in 30-55 shooting (54.5%) and attacking the paint led to 27-39 (75%) from the free throw line.  Powell stated during post game interviews that his offensive output was predicted by Fortson in the locker room prior to the game after reviewing and preparing for the match-ups.

The Gamecocks on the other hand were 31-69 (44.9%) and 6-12 (50%) from the line.  Sam Muldrow had a career high 23 points, on 9-13 shooting, to go along with 8 rebounds.  However, the team's power forward was 4-6 from long range and his perimeter approach resulted in only one trip to the free throw line (1-2).  The SEC leading scorer, Downey (28 points) was 11-28 from the field, 2-7 from long range with 7 assists and 4 steals.  The only other significant scorer for the visitors was Brandis Raley-Ross with 16 points on 6-12 shooting (3-7 3-point).  All three scored the majority of their points in the second half after the insurmountable lead was established by Arkansas.

The lack of defensive pressure and disruption to the Razorback guards, along with no answer for their penetration and power finishes led to the lopsided second half and disappointing loss for the Gamecocks.  Arkansas' Fortson was not totally sharp in the half court and on transition early as some sloppy play recorded 8 turnovers for the Razorback point guard, but USC countered that total with Downey's highest turnover total for the season with 8 mistakes on the night for the Cocks.  Both teams had spots of sloppy play with a total of 38 turnovers, 20 belonging to Arkansas.  For the second game in a row, the Gamecocks continued approach to perimeter scoring versus an opponent willing to play inside/out resulted in 30 fouls committed for the Cocks against only 16 for their opponents.  Head Coach John Pelphrey's team shot 36 free throws connecting on 27, while the 6-12 Gamecock total was a scoring difference of 21 points just at the free throw line.  The win gives Arkansas a complete game led over Mississippi State (18-8, 6-5) in the West.

Next up for the Gamecocks, Tennessee (19-6, 7-4) in Columbia, SC Saturday before traveling to Lexington, Ky to take on the Kentucky (25-1, 10-1).

USC and Arkansas Look To Rebound

Coach Horn Pre-Game

South Carolina (14-10, 5-5) travels to Fayetteville to meet the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-12, 6-4) with both teams coming off close losses on Saturday.  The Gamecocks lost to Georgia in Athens 66-61 and the Razorbacks lost in Tuscaloosa 73-68.  The teams are very familiar in size and playing style.  The Razorbacks after a slow start find themselves atop the SEC West following a recent 5 game winning streak that ended with the loss to Alabama this past weekend.  Arkansas is not as protective of its home arena as South Carolina carrying a 11-7 home record, but they are 4-1 at home since entering conference play.

Both squads, coached by young coaches, Darrin Horn for South Carolina and John Pelphrey at Arkansas, rely on scoring from their sub six-foot point guards, both teams like to run and turn up the tempo with defensive pressure.  Both teams receive very little scoring from their reserves and will go 9 players deep in rotation.  But that may be where the comparisons stop, Arkansas has been able to get balanced double digit scoring from four members of the starting line up, 5'11" Courtney Fortson averages 19.7 ppg, 6'0" Rotnei Clarke 16.1 ppg, 6'7" Marshawn Powell 14.8 ppg and 6'9" Mike Washington 12.7 ppg.  With South Carolina getting the bulk of its scoring from 5'9" Devan Downey at 22.8 ppg  and 6'2" Brandis Raley-Ross 11.0.  Arkansas has been able to reel off 5 straight SEC victories this season, South Carolina only been able to post back to back victory in the conference this season.

Downey's ability to create problems for any team is well documented, but his recent 18-60 (26.7%) shooting would be considered a concern by most, but Coach Horn does not appear to be concerned over the percentages, just the effort and game ending results.  Horn will be satisfied to challenge the home court advantage by Pelphrey's team by staying close and having a chance to take control late and win.  Pelphrey on the other hand will try to keep Downey out of the paint, challenge the post players and make South Carolina win or die by the long ball.  With Downey, expect Pelphrey to use the same philosophy of recent coaches, to make Downey work to get near the basket and force him well off the arc to score from beyond the imaginary NBA 3-point line.

Likewise, recent trends have watched South Carolina opponents' turnovers come way down, allowing less transition buckets and limiting extra possessions, which generally lead to more shots, something the Gamecocks will need if they are going to rely on the normal scoring trend to win in Arkansas.  Sam Muldrow will need to get into the half court offense in this game to increase the Gamecock chances of winning, unless Lakeem Jackson can generate substantial offense in transition. If the Razorbacks get hot from the outside with its' three guard offense, this could be a long night for the Gamecocks, because the Arkansas post is an adequate transition and rebounding group that can score in the post in isolation.

Cold Shooting Finally Fails The Cocks In Athens

Game Stats   Game Highlights
    

South Carolina (14-10, 5-5) could not score in the final minutes of the game in Athens to lose a much needed game 66-61 after leading Georgia (11-12, 3-7) by 10, 52-42, with a little over 9 minutes remaining in the contest.  With a late winter storm leaving snow and ice all over the midlands of South Carolina, the Gamecocks traveled to Athens hoping for a win and another step toward the NCAA post season festival.

The Cocks shot themselves out of the game and possibly out of the NCAA dance, by avoiding the post in half court offenses and settling for the tough 3-point score rather than forcing the Dawgs to play defense in the paint.  Georgia only committed 7 fouls with only Ricky McPhee recording 2 fouls for the game.  Devan Downey (6-22) and Brandis Raley Ross (7-18) were 13-40 of the 65 shots taken for the game by the Gamecocks.  26 of the shots by the starting back court were from long distance, connecting on only 7.  With 2 3's in a row by Downey finishing the first half for South Carolina to leave the game at a tie, 31-31, the visitors entered the second half with a less than urgent character as the perimeter shooting and some cold Bulldogs shooting in the first 10 minutes of the second half allowed USC to sneak to a lead that placed urgency to Head Coach Mark Fox's Bulldogs.  By placing the offense in an inside-out rhythm, the Dawgs chipped away at the USC lead from the paint, the free throw line and long range to outscore the Cocks 24-9 to finish the game. At one period Georgia went 13-0 in the overall run.  The 36 points, 18 each by Ross and Downey was little less than impressive the post un-attacked and Georgia left to relax in the post.  Georgia played all five starters in 33 minutes or more and was able to get balanced shot selection and scoring from post to perimeter with Trey Thompkins scoring 21, Jeremy Price 16 and Travis Leslie 15.  Thompkins added 10 rebounds for his 6th double-double of the season.

Sam Muldrow played 27 minutes shooting 8 shots making only 2, and no trips to the free throw line.  Georgia was 20-23 from the charity stripe versus USC 4-6.  The lack of fouls committed with the ball staying on the USC perimeter allowed the Bulldogs to keep the Gamecocks off the line.  Georgia only took 49 official shots from the field for the game, 16 less than South Carolina.  16 is the exact number of 3-point shots taken by Fox's home team, which is 16 less than the 32 taken by the visiting team.  Coach Horn will have to find a better blend of shots, ball movement and post use in the offense to be successful for the remainder of the season.  All teams will be able to defend and create difficult shots for a perimeter oriented squad with its leading scorer the 5'9" point guard and all other scoring threats a mystery.  In the current trend, USC will have to rely on spectacular perimeter scoring or tremendous offensive rebounding to win a significant number of the remaining games.

Next up Arkansas in Fayetteville, Wednesday for the true "do or die" game for NCAA post season invitation to the dance.  Without this win, the Cocks will be forced to make the finals of the SEC, and without at least a 9-7 conference record, the trip to the big dance will require a tournament championship.  Horn's a fighter, will his team adopt his tenacity?         Click Here To View NCAA Selection Process....Mock Selection

Georgia A Must Win For USC Post Season Hopes

The Gamecocks (14-9, 5-4) have been able to master the home court advantage with an 11-2 home stand, but they are 3-7 away from the favorable Colonial Life Arena. When Darrin Horn takes his team into Stegemen Coliseum this afternoon, he will be trying to win his second straight game in Athens, following a 65-51 win last season.  Overall the Gamecocks are 15-27 in Athens, 1-0 under Horn.  The Georgia Bulldogs (10-12, 2-7) lost a one point thriller to South Carolina two weeks ago and should be poised for revenge.  However, USC may have more motivation as this game starts a two week stretch where South Carolina will play the Dawgs, Arkansas and Kentucky on the road with only one contest at home following the trip to Fayetteville, against Tennessee.  Only 7 regular season games remaining, South Carolina will need at least 5 additional wins to get the magic number 10, SEC wins to have a shot at the NCAA postseason.  The reduced field of the NIT would seemingly require an 8-8 conference record to get a possible bid in the concession post-season field.  While Athens and Fayetteville are tough places to play, Rupp Arena and Vanderbilt are going to be even harder venues to get a win.

The best scenario for the young men from South Carolina is to stay focused, beat Georgia and Arkansas, hold serve and edge Tennessee at home, play hard as possible in Lexington, surprise Mississippi State at home with solid post play, outplay and manhandle Alabama on their trip to Horn's House and play smart and physical against the Commodores in Nashville.  This could be the formula for a 10-6 SEC record, placing the team on the NCAA bubble, a 9-7 giving them an assured trip to the NIT, 8-8 would be a nervous "Selection Sunday" and anything else would be the ultimate disappointing season.  A season that was filled with major upsets, exciting plays, buzzer beater finishes and coaching chess matches can only be properly chronicled with a post season appearance.

A loss to Georgia in Athens could start the spoiling touch on and an easily perishable season.   Like South Carolina, Georgia is most comfortable at home sporting a 9-3 home record and 1-9 away from Athens.  Both teams were upset by Wofford early this season, but both have recorded major upsets, South Carolina over Kentucky and Georgia over Vanderbilt.  Throw the records out and remember January 30, when USC came from behind in the second half to steal a victory from the Dawgs in Columbia and protect home court.  Stars Devan Downey, Sam Muldrow and Company will have to play well against Trey Thompkins, Travis Leslie and Associates to continue this quest for a NCAA berth.

Home Court Advantage To USC 77-71 Over Gators

Game Stats            Post Game Video

South Carolina Darrin Horn applauded the fans at the end of the game, as his now recognized 6th man helped the head coach inspire a second half manhandling of the Florida Gators (17-7, 6-4).  After trailing by 4 points, 35-31, the Gamecocks came out with energy and defensive intensity.  The result was a 46-36 second half advantage to South Carolina (14-9, 5-4) and a 77-71 SEC victory.  At the half the team was challenged to compete harder and just after the half Brandis Raley-Ross was threatened to shoot or suffer the consequences.  Raley-Ross with 3 points at the half, finished with 20 points to go along with his 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.  Devan Downey was just Devan, shooting and scooping to 24 points (4 steals, 2 assists and 4 rebounds).

Being at home allowed the energy of the crowd to support a poor shooting night by the Gamecocks, 38.2%, as they out hustled the Gators who shot 56% for the game, 68% in the first half.  The 3-point shot caused increased Garnet Army cheers that seemed to rattle the Gators at times during the middle of the second half as the host team took control of the game.  South Carolina collected 20 points off 20 Florida turnovers, while allowing only 8 points on just 6 turnovers.  The Gamecocks were outscored 22-8 in the paint, were outscored 10-2 on fast breaks, but the turnovers created by an aggressive defense gave the Gamecocks 18 more shots than the Gators (68-50) and the aggressive penetration offense also allowed the Cocks to get to the free throw line 24 times, converting on 19 (79.2%), while Billy Donovan's club was only 10-23 (43.5%).  South Carolina's version of post utilization found Sam Muldrow working the baseline short corners and high post to find 7-13 shooting for 16 points and 8 rebounds.  Erving Walker had a solid night for Florida with 20 points.  Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons had a double-double, 11pts/15rebs and 13pts/11/rebs, respectively.  But the scoring combination of Downey, Raley-Ross and Muldrow (60 points), primarily in the second half, was too much for the Gators when you add the hostile crowd, missed free throws and turnovers.  The unsung hero for the Gamecocks would be Lakeem Jackson, who in contruction worker style piled up 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, giving him a direct hand in 15 Carolina points.  His third assist to Ramon Galloway for the 3, placed USC in front for good 56-53 with just over 6 minutes to play.  After missing its first 10 3-point shots the Gamecocks went 6-12 down the stretch to hold of the Gators.

The victory continues to protect the house that Horn has renovated with excitement, energy and a young winning tradition.  In the Colonial Life Arena South Carolina is 10-2 this season and 27-5 overall under Coach Horn.

What Went Wrong In Tennessee For USC Men's Basketball?

Video Highlights

The South Carolina Men's  Basketball program went into Knoxville Saturday afternoon feeling really good about their chances to step over the hump of a Bruce Pearl Tennessee Volunteers team that has won 8 straight contest against the Cocks.  Fresh off the an impressive win against then #1 Kentucky and a solid "Come-from-behind" victory over Georgia at home, no to mention the nail-bitting buzzer beater loss to Florida in Gainesville.

The flamboyant Coach Pearl was operating with his best player dismissed, three other suspended players just reinstated.  USC Head Coach Darrin Horn has a diminishing bench with two missing starters, Dominique Archie (Knee Surgery) and Mike Holmes (Dismissed) off the team prior to SEC conference schedule.  While the Vols are nationally ranked they are not big with the reduced lineup, but they are extremely athletic.  South Carolina is also athletic, but does not necessarily shoot the ball well. 

Following a slow start, which found South Carolina extremely cold, Tennessee was moving the ball extremely well while South Carolina was struggling to find anyone who could score, including Devan Downey, the SEC conference leading scorer.  A cold night for Downey 5-20 (20%) from the field and the rout was set.  The rout was guaranteed when the remaining 9 players were 11-38 (28.9%) or an average of 4 shots per player for the game.  The result a 26 point Vol win 79-53.  As a team, South Carolina shot 28 3-point shots or 48.2% of the overall team shots, making only 7 for the game.  Tennessee committed its defense to Downey and allowed the remaining USC team to shoot which generated 34 Tennessee defensive rebounds.  Poor defensive energy by the Cocks allowed 27-59 (45.8%) shooting by the Vols, 40 points in the paint compared to 14 close points for the Gamecocks.  The lack of defensive effort allowed 22 fast break points for the host team and 16 points off turnovers. 

Now lets give credit where credit is due, 6'9" Wayne Chism was unstoppable with 30 points on 11-17 shooting and Vols point guard Bobby Maze had only one turnover and was never stopped in the back court allowing Tennessee get to into soft positions on the floor and move the ball without little challenge from the South Carolina squad.

To sum it up overall, South Carolina perhaps played its worse game under Coach Horn, but this was a game waiting to happen as the team has become more enthused with the transition and scoring accomplishments that a game that has been designed for 5 players at any one time, has been reduced to a divisive 1 and 4 product.  No post game, no mid-range game, inconsistent long range shooting and fast break points only following successful defensive series, which have began to fade following the Florida game.  Many would say Devan still generated 26 points, thanks to 13-14 from the charity stripe, but the effort to get to that aspect of the scoring, led to little team involvement.  Now without the "high risk for high reward" defense, no other offense can be found.  Defense is important, but scoring is the name of the game.  Defense can be taught through effort and fundamentals, offensive becomes the biggest challenge because you must first arrive with a skill or ability to score more often than not.

So what went wrong?   EVERYTHING!!  

#14 Versus Unranked, USC at Tennessee An Even Match

Devan Downey Highlights          Darrin Horn Pregame     

Ranked 14th in college basketball and hosting unranked South Carolina (13-8, 4-3) may provide no advantage for the Tennessee Vols (17-4, 5-2).  Other than the rankings and records, today these teams are extremely close and competitive.  The odds makers call it even, and under the surface it is even closer.  Lets look at the picture, undermanned due to key player losses, Tennessee hosted #1 Kansas and pulled the shocker of the season, a 76-68 upset.  But that was then, fast forward 16 days and South Carolina undermanned with key losses of starters, and totally unconsidered, hosted then #1 Kentucky and completed the bigger shocker with a 68-62 victory over the Wildcats.

The two teams have a few similar features.  First there is the point guard position; 6'3" Bobby Maze has become a very effective floor leader showing the saavy of a inner city ball player and the poise of a coach on the floor, versus Devan Downey at 5'9", who has become this season's most exciting player leading the SEC in scoring (22.9 ppg & 31.6 in SEC games) and the country in steals (3 spg).  Both point guards average over 3 rebounds a game to go with their other contributions.  Then there is the supporting cast, the Vols now count on primary scoring from Maze, Wayne Chism and J.R. Prince, who have averaged 36.1 points per game over the last three games or 55% of the offensive production.  The Gamecocks on the other had look for scoring from Downey, Sam Muldrow and Brandis Raley-Ross contribute 42.6 points per contest or 57% of the team scoring.  The Vols can get double figures from 6'7" guard Scotty Hopson (13.3 ppg) any night, although his scoring has been down as of late.  South Carolina counts on explosive transition baskets from 6'5" guard/forward Lakeem Jackson who can offer double digits attacking the paint.  6'9" Chism averages a double-double (14 pts/10 rebs) in SEC play, while 6'9" Muldrow is coming off a double-double (19 pts/11 rebs) in their come-from-behind victory against Georgia.  Defensively both teams like to put pressure on the back-court, trapping, jumping passing lanes and generating turnovers.  Both teams are riding two game win streaks after 2 and 3 game losing streaks.

Then there are the coaches; Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl is intense, aggressive and animated, while South Carolina Head Coach Darrin Horn is intense, aggressive but non-animated in his corporate demeanor.  The difference in this game will likely come down to bench play and scoring, along with the disruptive mis-match that Downey has presented for most teams this season, but definitely all teams in the SEC.  Count on both teams being prepared and focused. 

Keys to a Tennessee victory will be to find a way to keep Downey out of the paint, limit offensive rebounds by Muldrow, Jackson and Austin Steed.  Offensively protect the basketball and score in the mid range, finding spots that will be left open with the USC trapping defensive schemes.  Create turnovers and convert to fast break and transition points, while protecting the basketball in the half court sets.  Big day by Chism, Prince and Hopson is a must.

Keys to a South Carolina victory are to get the obvious points from Downey while others attack the offensive glass for second chance points.  Place pressure on the Tennessee bench which is prone to turnovers, make the extra passes and make open shots that will be available in the aggressive Volunteer half court defense.  Keep Tennessee off the offensive glass.  Bench scoring will also be critical for the Gamecocks.  Points from Raley-Ross, Jackson, Steed or Muldrow and defensive board control by the post players.  Muldrow's shot blocking could also be key.

In a half court possession oriented game the advantage will appear to go to South Carolina with no half court defensive answer for Downey.  While a fast paced transition game will favor the home team with its' athletic players that handle the basketball from perimeter to post in its' three guard lineup as good as any team in the country.  At best the most decisive advantage may be home court.