Connect with us

Hoops

Five Thoughts from OSU/South Carolina

Published

on

I wrote a piece for PFB in mid-November discussing the difficulty of Oklahoma State’s non-conference schedule. I gave respect to a few different opponents, most notably  Memphis and Maryland. I didn’t, however, have very nice things to say about South Carolina. In fact, I said this:

This is basketball and the SEC isn’t so scary anymore.

Should probably just apologize for that.

The Gamecocks scored a 75-49 win over the Cowboys in South Carolina, and at times it didn’t even feel as close as the final score indicates. I took a few notes during the game, and condensed them into five thoughts.

1. The Baskets Had Lids on Them 

As a team that seems committed to living and dying by the jumper, shooting 24% from the field just isn’t going to cut it. Phil Forte went 1/14 (including 1/10 from deep) and the team as a whole shot 5/24 from downtown.

Would have liked to have seen the ball visit the post more often, but I’m just a guy sitting at home. Something tells me the game plan needs to change when the shooters can’t hit water from a boat, though.

2. Slow Start Dagger

The Cowboys were awful out of the gate (it didn’t really get better) and immediately shot themselves in the foot. With a mixture of turnovers, missed shots and overall sloppy play, we never seemed to find a rhythm whatsoever.

It’s concerning to see this team struggle so much while playing from behind. The guys seemed panicked and began forcing shots that had no business being taken. Need to keep composure.

3. Frank Martin is Still Terrifying

I remember being terrified of Frank Martin when he was at Kansas State, and I can now verify he is still as scary. He is easily the last guy you want to see when your girlfriend asks you to meet her father.

4. Le’Bryan Nash Needs to Play Stronger

It didn’t take but a few minutes for Nash to get his shot blocked more than once. He was getting to the bucket nicely, but failing to take it up strong allowed the Gamecocks to bat it away. He needs to learn to use his body to his advantage.

South Carolina was active blocking shots all night. I knew the game wasn’t meant to be when Forte even saw a three-point attempt come back at him.

5. Bedlam

The silver lining for Travis Ford and his Cowboys is that by this evening, this basketball game will be nothing more than an afterthought. With Bedlam set for this afternoon, every orange-blooded American will be thinking about one sport and one sport only.

The Cowboys are now 7-1 and headed for a matchup at Memphis on December 13th. Hopefully Ford can get his players on the same page and we can all forget this South Carolina game ever happened.

Most Read

Copyright © 2011- 2023 White Maple Media