-This was going to be a tough game for Mizzou even before the injuries were announced. Taking away Ant Robinson and Trent Pierce took away two options that Dennis Gates could've used on the perimeter. Without them, he had four scholarship players available on the bench: Curt Lewis and three posts. The Tigers were going to have to play out of their minds to win.
-While I understand there's only so many things you can do with a short bench, I do have a mild criticism on the rotations. If I were the coach, I would've tried to stagger the minutes to keep one of Sean East II or Tamar Bates on the floor at all times. And it didn't happen often or very long, but there were times that it did happen. One lineup had Nick Honor, Curt Lewis, JCM, Aidan Shaw and Jordan Butler together and you knew they were never going to score that way. Their first possession ended with Butler on the left block, Shaw on the right block and Zeus taking a shot in the middle of the paint. The spacing was atrocious. You gotta keep one of the scorers out there.
-Nick Honor played pretty big minutes in that first half and I didn't notice him at all. Noah Carter was a little bit noticeable but he had just as many bad plays as he had good ones. In a game like this, with the team shorthanded, you need your captains to step up. They haven't really
-Sean East loves the lob to Connor Vanover. It's helped keep them in the game. Why nobody else throws it, I don't know.
-Defensively, the biggest thing that South Carolina's done, really, is made 3-pointers. And the two guys who've made the most, Mack and Ugusuk, are both below-average shooters. You can live with that. They've done well turning the Gamecocks away from the rim but SC's just hit its open 3s. It would help if the Tigers didn't bite on every pump fake. It also felt like the Gamecocks started figuring out that zone toward the end of the half, Mizzou probably need to throw out another look.
-It's going to take a remarkable turnaround for the Tigers to bounce back. With the injuries the team has, there's only so many adjustments Gates is able to make.
-While I understand there's only so many things you can do with a short bench, I do have a mild criticism on the rotations. If I were the coach, I would've tried to stagger the minutes to keep one of Sean East II or Tamar Bates on the floor at all times. And it didn't happen often or very long, but there were times that it did happen. One lineup had Nick Honor, Curt Lewis, JCM, Aidan Shaw and Jordan Butler together and you knew they were never going to score that way. Their first possession ended with Butler on the left block, Shaw on the right block and Zeus taking a shot in the middle of the paint. The spacing was atrocious. You gotta keep one of the scorers out there.
-Nick Honor played pretty big minutes in that first half and I didn't notice him at all. Noah Carter was a little bit noticeable but he had just as many bad plays as he had good ones. In a game like this, with the team shorthanded, you need your captains to step up. They haven't really
-Sean East loves the lob to Connor Vanover. It's helped keep them in the game. Why nobody else throws it, I don't know.
-Defensively, the biggest thing that South Carolina's done, really, is made 3-pointers. And the two guys who've made the most, Mack and Ugusuk, are both below-average shooters. You can live with that. They've done well turning the Gamecocks away from the rim but SC's just hit its open 3s. It would help if the Tigers didn't bite on every pump fake. It also felt like the Gamecocks started figuring out that zone toward the end of the half, Mizzou probably need to throw out another look.
-It's going to take a remarkable turnaround for the Tigers to bounce back. With the injuries the team has, there's only so many adjustments Gates is able to make.
