The 3-2-1: Three positives, two negatives, and one lingering question from South Carolina's win over Stetson

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.

In a much-needed cruise-control style victory, the Gamecocks handled the Stetson Hatters, 82-51. Let’s dive into the win.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!

Three Positives

1. Never in question
   
   Thanks to a scoring drought of over four minutes in the middle of the first half, the margin between South Carolina and Stetson wasn’t huge early on Saturday. However, the outcome was never in doubt, and once the Gamecocks started scoring again, they pulled away.
   
   The lead was 19 by the end of the first 20 minutes, and it never shrank below 16 again. Much of that came because of USC’s solid defensive performance, one in which they limited their opponent to just 32.1% shooting from the floor and 19% shooting from the perimeter.
   
   Lamont Paris’ team should have handled Stetson without much of a fight, and they did. That is a step in the right direction for a team that needs to take a few more of those to compete in the SEC once conference play begins.
   
2. Shooting returned
   
   South Carolina has established itself this season as a team that is going to shoot a lot of outside shots. In fact, the Gamecocks have jacked up at least 24 3-pointers each game and are averaging nearly 30 attempts per contest. However, in the last five games entering the Stetson matchup, USC had shot under 30% in all of them.
   
   That changed on Saturday, as Carolina went 12-for-27 from the arc.
   
   The 44.4% effort is the season-high number for the Gamecocks. Seven different players made at least one perimeter jumper, and Grant Polk led the way with four makes.
   
   Inside-the-arc shot attempts fell at a more efficient rate, as well. South Carolina went 18-for-28 on 2-point attempts against Stetson.
   
   Overall, Meechie Johnson went 5-for-5 to lead the way for an efficient offense.
   
3. Going big
   
   A previous starting lineup that included a pair of bigs in Nordin Kapic and Jordan Butler wasn’t working. On Saturday, Lamont Paris opted to go even bigger, slotting Christ Essandoko in for Kapic. That gave South Carolina two 7-footers in the lineup.
   
   Though neither Essandoko nor Butler played a huge number of minutes (they combined for less than 21), the move seemed to work against Stetson.
   
   Essandoko had his best game of the season against Virginia Tech and did some good things against Stetson. Butler didn’t get a ton of run, but he pulled down five rebounds in just eight minutes on the floor.
   
   Elijah Strong continued his strong offensive work off the bench. Nordin Kapic and Hayden Assemian didn’t play much but did a few nice things in their limited minutes.
   
   Freshman EJ Walker burned his redshirt to contribute 12 minutes. He didn’t light up the box score (just two points and two rebounds), but he played with, arguably, the best combination of size, physicality, and basketball IQ of any post player this season.
   
   South Carolina also had its best rebounding day of the season, winning the battle on the boards, 41-20.

Become part of The Insiders Forum with GamecockCentral. Start for $1 your first week, and get a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.

Two Negatives

1. Clean-ups still needed
   
   South Carolina won big over Stetson, so there isn’t much to criticize. However, after the game, Lamont Paris lamented his team’s offensive decision-making.
   
   Several ill-advised Gamecock passes resulted in turnovers, and late reads allowed the Hatters to get into transition. Carolina gave up 12 points off their nine turnovers. Several offensive possessions lacked flow and direction.
   
   Again, this is a little nitpicky, as Paris’ team played pretty well. Playing well against Stetson should be expected, though.
   
2. Non-Meechie, non-Eli minutes
   
   This year, South Carolina has relied on Meechie Johnson, Mike Sharavjamts, and Eli Ellis to own the majority of the team’s ballhandling duties. When one or two of those guys aren’t in the game, the offense bogs down.
   
   This is especially true of Johnson and Ellis. An examination of the team’s on-off numbers shows it.
   
   Against Stetson, the Gamecocks were 29 points better with Johnson on the floor than off it. They were 19 points better with Ellis on the floor than off it. Carolina was also five assists better with Johnson playing than sitting and nine assists better with Ellis playing than sitting.
   
   It’s no surprise that the duo held two of the top three +/- numbers for the game. It’s also no surprise that Lamont Paris almost always staggers their minutes to minimize the time with neither on the floor.
   
   This point is simultaneously a positive for USC’s ball-dominant guards and a negative for the team’s ability to create much on offense outside of them.

On3 APP! Get GamecockCentral notifications

One Lingering Question and What’s Next

Has Coach Paris gotten closer to figuring out what he wants to do with the post rotation?

South Carolina’s post play hasn’t been good enough this season. Because of that, head coach Lamont Paris has experimented with different lineups. Jordan Butler, Christ Essandoko, Nordin Kapic, Hayden Assemian, and Myles Stute have all started at the four or five this season. Elijah Strong was a starter this preseason, as well.

All of those players have had some positive moments and some negative moments for this year’s team. The overall struggles led to freshman EJ Walker burning his redshirt, and he could make an impact if things go well.

Contrastingly, the guard rotation has included Meechie Johnson, Mike Sharavjamts, and Kobe Knox as starters with Eli Ellis, Grant Polk, and Myles Stute (when he’s not filling in as a small-ball power forward) as the top six on the perimeter.

Will Saturday’s new starting lineup (one that included both Butler and Essandoko in the opening five) be the start to a new standard within Paris’ rotation? Time will tell.

What’s Next?

South Carolina will not play early next week as players finish up final exams for the fall semester. However, next weekend, the Gamecocks will return to the court for an in-state matchup.

The Citadel Bulldogs will be in Columbia for a 7:00 p.m. showdown on Saturday, December 13th. That contest will not air on traditional television but will stream on SEC Network+.

It will be the first of three in-state games in a row, as the Gamecocks will travel to Clemson and then host SC State after that.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!