The Gamecocks begin their road through the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday against Ole Miss. They will need to work on multiple issues if they want to progress through the tournament.
South Carolina lost its only meeting against Ole Miss 74-69 back in December. Despite the loss, the Gamecocks have had a better season and have a higher seed in the tournament.
After losing the regular season finale to Auburn, the Gamecocks have been working to improve on what they've struggled with down the stretch. During that game, South Carolina committed 20 turnovers while Auburn only had 12.
Despite Frank Booker scoring a career-high 27 points, South Carolina committed too many turnovers, which led to easy fast break points for Auburn. One notable component in the game was Chris Silva's eight turnovers against Auburn, which is unusual for the junior forward. Limiting turnovers will be crucial if the Gamecocks want to advance in this year's tournament.
The Gamecocks were able to beat LSU in the final home game of the year, but the game went into overtime due to South Carolina's 13 turnovers. Booker scored 25 points in his final game at Colonial Life Arena, where he shot 80 percent, which is ultimately what saved South Carolina.
In addition to fixing turnover issues, the Gamecocks will have to fix their foul problems. Silva has struggled with foul trouble all year even though he is consistently a top scorer for the Gamecocks. He fouled out against Auburn with three minutes and 38 seconds left, however he still finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, logging another double-double on the season.
During the loss at Ole Miss earlier in the season, two players scored 10 or more points. South Carolina struggled to get offense going, but Silva still ended up with 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Gamecocks.
If South Carolina is to advance in the tournament, the team needs to fix these issues and play to the best of their abilities to secure a spot in the NIT. Right now, the Gamecocks are predicted to be a bottom seed in the NIT, but a slip up on Wednesday could eliminate them completely from the postseason.