The 3-2-1: Three negatives, two positives, and one lingering question from South Carolina basketball's loss to Northwestern

In the 3-2-1, we typically identify three positives, two negatives, and one lingering question following South Carolina basketball’s latest win on the court. However, with a loss to Northwestern on Sunday in the Greenbrier Tip-off, the positives and negatives will swap.

A 13-1 run late allowed USC to get back into the game, but the Gamecocks couldn’t pull out the win. Let’s dive into the Gamecocks’ 79-77 defeat against the Northwestern Wildcats.

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Three Negatives

1. Continued shooting woes
   
   Following back-to-back games shooting under 30% from the perimeter against Radford and Butler, South Carolina came out chucking far too many bricks and air balls again on Sunday against Northwestern.
   
   By the time USC’s second game at the Greenbrier Tip-Off ended, the Gamecocks had gone 10-for-34 (29.4%) on 3-point attempts. That marked the team’s third game in a row shooting below 30% from the perimeter.
   
   Meechie Johnson (3-for-11) led the way in misses, but other than Elijah Strong (3-for-5) and Grant Polk (2-for-5), the rest of the team shot 5-for-24 (20.8%).
   
   The overall offensive effort looked fine from an efficiency standpoint because of a great day inside the arc (18-for-27 on 2-point attempts), but the Gamecocks will need a better outside shooting performance to win against most good teams.
   
2. Familiar paint defense
   
   South Carolina didn’t have much of an answer for Northwestern when the Wildcats got the ball in the paint.
   
   Northwestern scored 44 points in the paint, including 17-for-24 efficiency on layups and dunks. Nick Martinelli was really good all over, especially from in and around the lane. He and Arrinten Page combined to go 11-for-22 inside the arc.
   
   The game-winning shot for the Wildcats came at the bucket, as Martinelli hit Page for a semi-contested layup.
   
   It is worth pointing out that Jordan Butler had some good moments down low on defense and that Hayden Assemian, though undersized, fought hard when engaged. Still, there were too many easy—or, at least, not that difficult—shot attempts near the basket for Northwestern.
   
3. Fast breaking
   
   This year’s edition of South Carolina basketball won’t be a team that spends a lot of time running in transition. They also won’t have an elite fast-break defense. However, what happened against Northwestern was even a little more lopsided than one might expect.
   
   The Gamecocks surrendered 20 points in transition and managed only nine for themselves. Four of those points on offense came during the late-game pressure defense in which Meechie Johnson earned back-to-back steals immediately after the inbound. Through the natural flow of the game, the count was more like 20-to-five.
   
   After the game, head coach Lamont Paris lamented how his team’s offense created some of the transition looks for Northwestern with turnovers or bad shot selections.

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Two Positives

1. Strong bounceback
   
   After a really subpar showing against Butler on Friday, Elijah Strong bounced back on Sunday against Northwestern.
   
   The junior power forward came off the bench and gave the Gamecocks 20 quality minutes. He scored 16 efficient points, a new USC career-high. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists.
   
   On a day in which Carolina needed someone to step up on offense, Strong did. It wasn’t enough on Sunday, but perhaps it will grant some much-needed confidence to a player who can become a vital piece of the offensive puzzle for USC.
   
2. Improved rebounding and physicality
   
   Though South Carolina did not have a good day guarding inside the arc, it wasn’t because they got dominated physically like they did against Butler. For that performance, head coach Lamont Paris called his team out on Friday. They responded on Sunday.
   
   The fight was there in a way it wasn’t before. The Gamecocks actually won the battle on the boards against the Wildcats, 31-26. The offense scored 32 points in the paint and managed 17 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds.
   
   To be clear: playing harder and earning some extra rebounds doesn’t absolve South Carolina of its issues down low. However, with Jordan Butler showing some development, and Hayden Assemian showing plenty of athletic upside, perhaps things could be improving. The Gamecocks will need more defensively from the other bigs, though, and they will need more offensively from all of them not named Elijah Strong.

One Lingering Question and What’s Next

How long will Myles Stute be out, and what might he provide upon his return?

Starter Myles Stute missed the Northwestern contest with a concussion suffered in practice. In his place, 7-footer Jordan Butler was part of the starting five. He continued to show that he is a better player than he was a year ago. Even so, he only contributed four points. With Stute out, can Butler (or anyone else) effectively step up into a bigger role? What might happen when he returns?

Frankly, the veteran Stute hasn’t had the best start to the 2025-2026 season, either. Profiling as a shooter, his jumpers haven’t fallen (he’s shooting just 24.1% on 3-point shots), and he has had some tough moments defensively, both on the wing and down low as a small-ball four.

Upon Stute’s eventual return, can he demonstrate the level of play he showed for the NCAA Tournament team two years ago when he was a capable defender who was 38.5% from downtown and made big-time, clutch shots for a winning team? The 2025-2026 Gamecocks could use that guy.

What’s Next?

Following a short break for Thanksgiving, South Carolina basketball will face off with the Charleston Southern Buccaneers on Friday, November 28th at Colonial Life Arena. The 4:00 p.m. contest will not be on traditional television but will stream on SEC Network+.

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