The South Carolina men's basketball team continued its out of conference play in Florida this past week as the team matched up against No. 22 Xavier and Virginia Tech in the Fort Myers Tipoff.
The Fort Myers Tipoff is an annual college basketball tournament held during the week of Thanksgiving that consists of mens and womens Division 1 teams from across the country. This in-season tournament accounts for two regular season games towards each team’s overall record.
The Gamecocks split the week with a loss against Xavier and a win against Virginia Tech. South Carolina finished third out of four teams in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, and now have a 4-3 record on the season.
In South Carolina’s first game of the week on Nov. 25, the Gamecocks lost 75-66 to No. 22 Xavier University.
Despite holding a five-point lead heading into halftime, the Gamecocks were outscored 46-32 in the second half on the way to the team's third loss of the season. An early surge by Xavier got them the lead just three minutes into the second half, and the Gamecocks were unable to retain the lead for the final 17 minutes of the game.
Sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles led the team with 13 points against Xavier, while also adding with three blocks and two steals to his stat line. The starting backcourt duo of senior Jamarii Thomas and senior Jacobi Wright also both recorded double-digit points, with 11 and 10 respectively.
Foul trouble, lack of aggression and giving up 12 second chance points all had a factor in the team's defeat, head coach Lamont Paris said.
“It was a hard fought game. We showed some growth in some areas, I was pleased with that,” Paris said. “But, I’m never pleased when you put yourself in a position to win the game and then you don’t get it done.”
Two days later on Nov. 27, the Gamecocks won 70-60 in its second and final game of the Fort Myers Tipoff against Virginia Tech. The win marks two consecutive seasons that the Gamecocks have beat the Hokies.
The Gamecocks held onto a 6-4 lead for the remainder of the game after senior guard Myles Stute made a three-pointer with 16:26 left in the first half. The Hokies went on runs throughout the game, but were unable to ever tie or retake the lead.
The Gamecocks' defense helped seal its victory, as the team held the Hokies scoreless for a four and a half minute stretch in crunch time. South Carolina forced a turnover and held Virginia Tech to 0/5 shooting during that span.
“On the defensive end I thought we were really, really good especially late in the game,” Paris said. “I think it took away confidence from (Virginia Tech) that they could get a comfortable shot off.”
Paris said it took a great amount of determination to effectively guard the screens that the Hokies facilitated with, and the teams overall commitment prevented the Hokies from taking quality shots.
Murray-Boyles led the team with 16 points and eight rebounds. While sophomore guard Morris Ugusuk notched double-digit points with 12 and junior guard Zachary Davis recorded 12 points and seven rebounds.
Growth
Throughout the week, Paris discussed the impact that the Fort Myers Tipoff had on the growth of the team and talked about how these games positively impact the confidence of certain players and the overall development of team concepts.
“I’m just looking for growth in our team in a couple different areas,” Paris said. “Certainly there was some of that in this game.”
Sophomore forward Jordan Butler was one of the players that Paris directly mentioned.
The seven-foot transfer from Missouri has been seeing an increase in minutes in the Gamecocks rotation as he has been improving defensively and has been stretching the floor on offense with his shot making abilities. All of Butler’s shots in the tournament were from beyond the arc, making three of his four attempts.
“I just think (Butler's) been way more active as a defender,” Paris said. “So that’s led to more minutes and then while he’s been out there he’s taken advantage.”
Paris also credited the increased confidence of junior guard Zachary Davis and freshman guard Cam Scott to the team's early growth.
Fluctuating attempts from beyond the arc
After shooting 4 for 17 from three point range against Xavier, the team nearly doubled its attempts against Virginia Tech by shooting 11 for 32. The Gamecocks not only increased its attempts, but increased its percentage from game-to-game by improving from 23.5% to 34.4%.
Paris said that the Hokies defense allowed the Gamecocks to get higher quality looks from beyond the arc as compared to Xavier and was pleased with the team's ability to convert. Ugusuk led the team with four three-pointers against Virginia Tech.
The 32 three-point attempts are the most that the Gamecocks have attempted in a game all season.
Out of conference struggles
South Carolina’s loss to No. 22 Xavier marked the teams third loss in out of conference play this year. This is a drop from the team's 12-1 out of conference record from last season.
As a result of the teams success from last season, the Gamecocks' out of conference schedule is more difficult than what it has been in the past. In addition to No. 22 Xavier, the Gamecocks have also lost to North Florida in the team's season opener and to No. 16 Indiana earlier this season. The Gamecocks only faced one ranked opponent in its out of conference schedule last season.
“I think you take the record and there’s something bigger,” Paris said. “Who are we as a team? What’s it going to look like? What does our ceiling look like?”
Despite currently sitting at 4-3, Paris knows the strength of the team is apparent beyond the teams record.
“You’re playing good teams, you’re going to lose some of those games early on,” Paris said. “So as long as you grow from them, I think it’s okay.”
What’s next?
The Gamecocks will travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to take on Boston College on Dec. 3. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and can be watched on ACC Network.