Background on South Carolina

[Silkk the Shaka]

Friend of mine who's seen them a lot this year says on offense they have a "serious case of hero ball." The numbers bear that out.

So, the keys to a win appear to be 1) focus on shutting down Thornwell, 2) protect the ball, and 3) generate good ball movement to open up space on the floor for clear looks.

Gives me bad flashbacks to Michael Young's 2H in MSG

[cheebs09]

Saw on their board that Rowsey scored 30 on them when at Asheville. Wouldn't hate a repeat of that. We are due a Jean Felix performance.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

We are due a Jean Felix performance.

Would think the equivalent would be HC going off.

[KenoshaWarrior]

Saw on their board that Rowsey scored 30 on them when at Asheville. Wouldn't hate a repeat of that. We are due a Jean Felix performance.

The only equivalent would be if someone like Cheatham went off, or a better example would be if Jon Harris came back and had 7 threes.    Jean Felix was so improbable because he averaged only about 5 per game, and was strictly in there for defensive and rebounding purposes.   
What is forgotten about that game is that Novak had a wide open look to tie the game and missed it long.   Guy never missed big shots, but he missed that one.

[GoldenDieners32]

Just now on ESPNu dino gaudio and andy katz picked SC over mu

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Just now on ESPNu dino gaudio and andy katz picked SC over mu

Dont trust ESPN when it comes to picking Big East teams at all. Not saying they're way off base but I take it with a grain of salt if its ESPN coverage.

Remember, this is the same network that replayed requiem for the Big East as we were getting 7 bids.

[GoldenDieners32]

Dont trust ESPN when it comes to picking Big East teams at all.

All 4 of the analysts picked SC that are on right now i just put those 2 because those were the 2 more popular guys

[Sir Lawrence]

andy katz

Rodent. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Good thing FTs no matta!

FT% no matta. FTAs definitely matta.

[muwarrior69]

Fouls will play an interesting role in this one. On one hand, starting forward Chris Silva has had 4 or more fouls in 19 of the last 24 games.  Tons of foul outs during that stretch. On the other hand, Sindarius Thornwell has to have one of the highest FTR's in the country. He has attempted double digit free throws in 9 games out of the 26 he's appeared in. Ridiculous.

What kind of defense do they primarily play? Man to man, zone or a mix of the two.

[Dawson Rental]

The fact that they pressure the guards scares the heck out of me.  Offense isn't difficult to generate when you're giving up steals and breakaway layups.  We have shown to be very vulnerable to this type of defense.  I'm extremely concerned about how Markus deals with this both the tournament jitters and the pressure.  So much so that I'd seriously consider playing a lot for Katin to help Rowsey bring up the ball and reduce Markus's first half minutes using him more as a shooting guard off the ball. Once we do get the ball to the half court we should establish Fish and Heldt where we should have a big advantage.  If we can establish that THEN have the centers look to pass back out for open 3s.  That is how we get the 3s working.  BUT we've got to get it up the court first.

I really can't see Markus getting tournament jitters, I'd be shocked to see that happen.  Poise is a big part of his game.  That doesn't mean that he plays perfect against the press, just that he doesn't get rattled, even if he turns it over.

[MU82]

FT% no matta. FTAs definitely matta.

Oh, so we can let him have FTs, just no FTAs. Got it!

I can never keep track of what mattas or not.

The final score ... that still mattas, right?

[GoldenDieners32]

Oh, so we can let him have FTs, just no FTAs. Got it!

I can never keep track of what mattas or not.

The final score ... that still mattas, right?

FTs will be a huge part of this game..Im excited for the game

[bilsu]

Actually, the best thing for us may have been playing Seton Hall in the BE tourney. Got that clunker out of the way and maybe we can refocus on our ball movement. By the sound of things, SC has a similar team.

Bold prediction, Markus and Rowsey don't play great but Haanif and JJJ carry the team in this one.

Reinhardt the one with actual NCAA tournament experience, so he is the most likely one.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

What kind of defense do they primarily play? Man to man, zone or a mix of the two.

High pressure man to man. Expect a lot of press.

[brewcity77]

High pressure man to man. Expect a lot of press.

I don't mind that at all. Sure, it will lead to a few turnovers, but will also lead to some offensive opportunities we can exploit, and with Reinhardt to help bring it up, we're pretty well set to deal with that kind of pressure.

[real chili 83]

Keys:

1. Don't spend a lot of time on Defense, it wastes energy when you could be scoring.
2. Shoot a lot of 3s and make 50%+ of them.

3.  Score more points than them.

[GGGG]

I would have Reinhardt be the primary ball handler against that press.  Break that press and up the tempo and I feel good.  That isn't the type of defense that has beaten us this year.

[naginiF]

I don't mind that at all. Sure, it will lead to a few turnovers, but will also lead to some offensive opportunities we can exploit, and with Reinhardt to help bring it up, we're pretty well set to deal with that kind of pressure.

I would have Reinhardt be the primary ball handler against that press.  Break that press and up the tempo and I feel good.  That isn't the type of defense that has beaten us this year.

What worries me is the first 5 minutes of play.  I'd be surprised if Katin starts (given Sr. Day and last 5/6 games) and those 5 minutes could set a tone that could be hard for us to reverse.  Do you bring Sam up the middle (please not the side), Duane gets the handle, or bring Matt up? 

[Tower913]

High pressure man to man. Expect a lot of press.

This does not bode well for MU as it relates to Rowsey and Howard.  Both struggle with intense on-ball defense/press.  Katin will be best option.  I don't see MU being able to make SC "pay" for pressing.  Rarely did we go with an aggressive style against teams that pressed us - it was instead a very methodical and conservative approach, which I agree with given our offensive prowess in the half court.

[NotAnAlum]

That isn't the type of defense that has beaten us this year.

Not so sure about that.  We didn't face teams that press full time but when teams did employee it @ St Johns when they built the lead, GT and SH @ MU 2nd half closing the gap we were VERY UNSTEADY against it.  Neither Howard or Rowsey have great handles and their size makes it hard to see over the press.  MU does not play well against teams that use tight man to man.  They need space to get off their shots.  They also aren't real strong with the ball, Katin probably being the lone exception.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

This does not bode well for MU as it relates to Rowsey and Howard.  Both struggle with intense on-ball defense/press.  Katin will be best option.  I don't see MU being able to make SC "pay" for pressing.  Rarely did we go with an aggressive style against teams that pressed us - it was instead a very methodical and conservative approach, which I agree with given our offensive prowess in the half court.

We don't make teams pay for pressing us. This is true. But we are actually very good against the press. With as many ball handlers as we have, very few presses have actually been able to turn us over. It does slow down our offense and make us start the play a lot later in the shot clock, but our press break isn't nearly as bad as some make it out to be.

[Dawson Rental]

Oh, so we can let him have FTs, just no FTAs. Got it!

I can never keep track of what mattas or not.

The final score ... that still mattas, right?

[Loose Cannon]

Oh, so we can let him have FTs, just no FTAs. Got it!

I can never keep track of what mattas or not.

The final score ... that still mattas, right?

Yep, every point is added to our Total no matta it's Source

[Herman Cain]

This game is going to be similar to our games with Seton Hall except SC does not have an Angel Delgado type ( not many do) .  I  believe if we are efficient with our possessions we can win. Take the Big East philosophy of every possession at battle into the tournament and we will be fine.