Florida Gators Forward Chandler Parsons nailed a three pointer as time expired to give the Gators the two point win over the South Carolina Gamecocks. At that same time, my garnet and black blood pumping heart sank.
The buzzer beater broke the heart of all gamecock fans as the game was shaping out to play into the hands of the gamecocks. The Gamecocks were doing a lot of the right things and hanging around. The Gators were having a off night. The opportunity was there.
The Gamecocks were lead in scoring by USC Guard Devan Downey, who lead all scorers, with 36 points. No other gamecock player had more than 6 points.
The Gators had 4 players in double digits and was +6 in the rebounding category.
One “tell- tell” sign of what needs to improve for Carolina is the fact they had only 5 assists as a team. Meaning lots of one-on-one play and not a lot of ball movement or the extra pass. To sum that up, not playing as a team on offense.
Stop for a second and think about this – Devan Downey scored 36 of the Gamecocks 56 points.
I don’t think I have to be the one to point out how that is not a winning formula for SEC play. In the SEC, or for any league, you must have some sort of balanced attack (meaning 2-3 players at least scoring the bulk of the points). The Gamecocks must have someone rise to the occasion and offer some scoring help or it could become a rotten season.
I suppose the lack of Archie and Holmes now sticks out like a sore thumb. But I refuse to cry over spilled milk. Coach Horn needs to finally give up on the “Evka project.” Give more time to Jefferson and Steed at the Forward spot. Also give the green light to Jackson. At this point none of it can hurt. Just seems everyone looks to Devan to score and is not creating their shot or moving without the ball well. Seems the offense is ran like this – pass to Devan, watch Devan attempt shot, get back on defense.
Devan now has his 2,000+ career points and will be All-SEC. He will be in the Gamecock Hall of Fame and truly is a great point guard. Now it is time for Devan to truly be a great player and make the players around him better. That is what I want to see.
The Gamecocks fall to 11-8 (2-3 in SEC) for the season and the Gators move to 14-5 (3-2 in SEC) overall. Next up for the Gamecocks is college basketball’s #1 team – the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday in the Colonial Life Center.
