On Saturday, December 18 at 2:00 pm, the South Carolina Gamecocks basketball team will take on the #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeye’s at Value City Arena. Currently, the Buckeye’s are 9-0 and are lead by freshman sensation Jared Sullinger. This will be the second match up this season for the Gamecocks against a Big 10 elite program. The first match up was against Michigan State back on November 16, where the Gamecocks came up short 82-73.
Let’s break this game down gy The Numbers and offer a short preview:
The Ohio State: USC:
Scoring: Jared Sullinger 17.2 PPG Bruce Ellington 13.4 PPG
David Lighty 12.5 PPG Lakeem Jackson 9.8 PPG
Rebounding: Jared Sullinger 9.3 RPG Malik Cooke 7.8 RPG
William Buford 5.1 RPG Lakeem Jackson 6.5 RPG
Assist: Aaron Craft 4.5 APG Bruce Ellington 4.1 APG
Blocks: Dallas Lauderdale 2.5 BPG Sam Muldrow 2.4 BPG
What it will take to win: The Gamecocks rely on good defense, the 3 ball and turnovers to win ball games. Carolina is a young team that has found a way to win so far as the Gamecocks are currently sitting with a 7-1 overall record. The play of Bruce Ellington and Sam Muldrow will be the key on Saturday if the Gamecocks have any chance of winning this game. Muldrow has had his moments this season on the defensive end, but tends to get lost on the offensive side of the ball at times. If the Gamecocks can not keep Sullinger and Lauderdale off the glass, it could be a long day for the Gamecocks. USC needs to have a good showing and does not need to get blown out. This will be a good “learning” game and USC has a chance to win. It is a long shot but do feel USC will keep it close in the first half with good defense and rebounding. In the end, Ohio State will show the young Gamecocks why they are the second best team in the nation and begin to pull away in the game. Thinking USC will lose by 11, something like 69-58. I do hold out hope for a upset but again it is a long shot.
