Three things to watch for as South Carolina hosts Virginia Tech in ACC/SEC Challenge

South Carolina will have another challenge on deck when it hosts Virginia Tech in the ACC/SEC Challenge at Colonial Life Arena on Tuesday night. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on SEC Network.

Here are three things to watch for before the Gamecocks (5-2) tip off against the Hokies. 

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Another early test. Will the Gamecocks be up for it?

Based on what this team has shown so far, it’s been able to beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. The jury is still out to see if it can beat a team more on its level. Tuesday will be the latest test to see if that has changed since the Greenbrier Tip-Off.

The Gamecocks lost to both Butler and Northwestern, two teams that are ranked near or inside the KenPom top 50. Virginia Tech isn’t as good as those teams, at least according to KenPom, as the No. 76 overall team, but it will still be a challenging foe to face.

The Hokies won their first six games, highlighted by wins over Providence and Colorado State, before losing their last two games. Those losses came against Saint Mary’s and VCU, which are both solid basketball schools in their own right. So they’ve slipped about 20 spots in the KenPom rankings since then.

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Fortunately for South Carolina, it has fared well against Virginia Tech recently, having faced the Hokies in each of the last two seasons. They met in Charlotte in 2023, with the Gamecocks winning 79-77. Then last year, the Gamecocks won once again in the rematch in a 70-60 victory at the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

None of that really means anything in this third bout, especially since this is a different-looking team led by seventh-year head coach Mike Young. The same can be said for South Carolina, with so many new players this year. So that could make this a matchup that’s tougher to call on who wins.

Have to get out of this shooting funk

South Carolina may be able to get away with some poor shooting nights in non-conference play, but that won’t fly against quality competition. That’s already been proven by the losses in the Greenbrier Tip-Off. It could certainly be the case again if it happens against the Hokies.

The Gamecocks have shot less than 30 percent from beyond the arc in each of their last four games. As a team that relies a lot on its outside shooting, this will have to change. It’s also fine to rely on more of a paint presence to score points, but three-point shooting is supposed to be its bread and butter. It’s become more of an Achilles heel as of late.

How could that change for the better? It’ll have to start with Meechie Johnson, who’s been their best scorer this year. But statistically, he’s not their top three-point shooter. They’ve got some nice bench options like Grant Polk and Nordin Kapic, who are both shooting over 40 percent from deep. So the usually reliable shooters need to make their shots.

The good news for South Carolina is that the looks have been there, especially the open ones without defenders in its face. The problem is that it hasn’t made many of those shots lately. If that improves, it could make a big difference and get this team going.

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Catch VT on a bad shooting night?

On the flipside of South Carolina needing to shoot better, its hope will also be that Virginia Tech has an off night of shooting. The Hokies have averaged 82.6 points per game, but they’ve put up less than 70 points in each of their last two games. So that will be a key on defense for this matchup.

In those losses, VT shot 44 percent against VCU and 31 percent against Saint Mary’s. It was even worse from three-point range against the Gaels, finishing 7-of-30 from beyond the arc (23 percent). There are some scoring threats on this team with five players averaging double figures. At the top of the leaderboard is transfer forward Amani Hansberry, who’s averaging 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Tobi Lawal is also another name to know in the Hokies’ starting frontcourt, as he’s put up 12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds so far this year. With the Gamecocks still trying to find an identity in the paint, this could be a challenge for them to face those two players. But it’s also a chance for somebody to step up and take on that role.

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