Gamecocks Prove More Than A One-Trick Pony
posted by Scott Hood on Thursday, January 31, 2008
Huh?
You heard me.
The fact the Gamecocks were able to pull out a key win over a SEC East rival despite their top player struggling bodes well for the short-term future.
Too often this season, the fortunes of the Gamecocks have been tied directly to Downey. In order for USC to have any chance to win, Downey had to have a sensational game from his point guard position.
Most of the time he delivered.
Downey came into the contest against Georgia with five straight games – all against SEC foes - of 22 points or more. USC was 1-4 in those games.
Downey has burned up the SEC in his first campaign in the league. He was the only conference player averaging more than 20 points per game for all games. His advantage in the scoring race for conference games only was more than two points per game.
But Wednesday night was different.
Downey connected on just three of 10 shots for a new season low in field goals. He did dish out five assists, close to his average and had one steal.
There’s no question Downey looked out of sync at times. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
For the first time in a long time, the offense did not go through Downey. Zam Fredrick took over with 23 points, while Dominique Archie had 13.
Translation: other Gamecock players had to step up. And they did. For one night, at least, USC found out what life without Downey bringing is ‘A’ game was all about.
To his credit, Downey was ecstatic after the game. He even described it as a “sense of relief.” He also knew he didn’t have 'it' against the Bulldogs.
Many players of Downey’s stature would have forced shot after shot, hoping to shoot themselves out of the slump. But, rather than playing selfishly, Downey made sure the ball went to the hot players – Fredrick and Archie.
By the end of the game Downey had attempted a season-low 10 shots. In crunch time, when USC urgently needed a basket to counter a Georgia rally, the ball went to Fredrick, who drove along the baseline and hit possibly the biggest shot of the game.
Downey is a fiery competitor that just wants to win. The fact USC has already lost 10 games by the end of January is killing him, and he’s let his teammates know it.
As far as Downey is concerned, the fact USC beat Georgia is everything. It’s still about winning.
I’m sure he feels the mantle was lifted off his shoulders a little bit. In the future, he won’t have to go into any game thinking he has to play flawlessly for USC to win.
But one thing didn’t change on the stat sheet for Downey – minutes played. Every starter for USC played at least 33 minutes Wednesday night.
Downey was on the floor Wednesday night for 37 minutes, which is actually three less than his total number of minutes in last Saturday’s loss at Kentucky.
By this point, it’s clear Dave Odom’s decision to rely on a smaller, quicker lineup of Downey, Fredrick, Archie, Evaldas “Efka” Baniulis and Dwayne Day in three of the last four games has enjoyed at least a moderate level of success.
The win over UGA provided the perfect background for the strategy. The Bulldogs enjoyed a considerable size advantage up front, so Odom went with the smaller lineup to draw Georgia’s big men away from the basket.
Odom acknowledged after the game USC had fallen into the trap the past two years of trying to beat Georgia “at their own game.” So he tried something different.
It worked.
The inclusion of Baniulis among the starting five is, without question, the biggest surprise of the season. The addition of touted freshmen Mike Holmes and Sam Muldrow was supposed to drive ‘Efka’ further into the background.
But it hasn’t happened. Instead, he’s thrived in the second half of the regular season. He’s played 69 minutes in the past two games and has grabbed 12 rebounds, dispelling the belief he’s a soft player.
Most importantly, Odom seems to like having him on the floor.
The same could be said of Downey.
But, as Wednesday night proved, basketball is still a team game. Having one great player typically isn’t enough at the elite level, particularly over the course of 16 conference games in the rugged SEC.
Downey is more than happy to share the load.
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The good thing about Wednesday night’s 62-56 victory over Georgia was Devan Downey had a bad game.
Huh?
You heard me.
The fact the Gamecocks were able to pull out a key win over a SEC East rival despite their top player struggling bodes well for the short-term future.
Too often this season, the fortunes of the Gamecocks have been tied directly to Downey. In order for USC to have any chance to win, Downey had to have a sensational game from his point guard position.
Most of the time he delivered.
Downey came into the contest against Georgia with five straight games – all against SEC foes - of 22 points or more. USC was 1-4 in those games.
Downey has burned up the SEC in his first campaign in the league. He was the only conference player averaging more than 20 points per game for all games. His advantage in the scoring race for conference games only was more than two points per game.
But Wednesday night was different.
Downey connected on just three of 10 shots for a new season low in field goals. He did dish out five assists, close to his average and had one steal.
There’s no question Downey looked out of sync at times. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
For the first time in a long time, the offense did not go through Downey. Zam Fredrick took over with 23 points, while Dominique Archie had 13.
Translation: other Gamecock players had to step up. And they did. For one night, at least, USC found out what life without Downey bringing is ‘A’ game was all about.
To his credit, Downey was ecstatic after the game. He even described it as a “sense of relief.” He also knew he didn’t have 'it' against the Bulldogs.
Many players of Downey’s stature would have forced shot after shot, hoping to shoot themselves out of the slump. But, rather than playing selfishly, Downey made sure the ball went to the hot players – Fredrick and Archie.
By the end of the game Downey had attempted a season-low 10 shots. In crunch time, when USC urgently needed a basket to counter a Georgia rally, the ball went to Fredrick, who drove along the baseline and hit possibly the biggest shot of the game.
Downey is a fiery competitor that just wants to win. The fact USC has already lost 10 games by the end of January is killing him, and he’s let his teammates know it.
As far as Downey is concerned, the fact USC beat Georgia is everything. It’s still about winning.
I’m sure he feels the mantle was lifted off his shoulders a little bit. In the future, he won’t have to go into any game thinking he has to play flawlessly for USC to win.
But one thing didn’t change on the stat sheet for Downey – minutes played. Every starter for USC played at least 33 minutes Wednesday night.
Downey was on the floor Wednesday night for 37 minutes, which is actually three less than his total number of minutes in last Saturday’s loss at Kentucky.
By this point, it’s clear Dave Odom’s decision to rely on a smaller, quicker lineup of Downey, Fredrick, Archie, Evaldas “Efka” Baniulis and Dwayne Day in three of the last four games has enjoyed at least a moderate level of success.
The win over UGA provided the perfect background for the strategy. The Bulldogs enjoyed a considerable size advantage up front, so Odom went with the smaller lineup to draw Georgia’s big men away from the basket.
Odom acknowledged after the game USC had fallen into the trap the past two years of trying to beat Georgia “at their own game.” So he tried something different.
It worked.
The inclusion of Baniulis among the starting five is, without question, the biggest surprise of the season. The addition of touted freshmen Mike Holmes and Sam Muldrow was supposed to drive ‘Efka’ further into the background.
But it hasn’t happened. Instead, he’s thrived in the second half of the regular season. He’s played 69 minutes in the past two games and has grabbed 12 rebounds, dispelling the belief he’s a soft player.
Most importantly, Odom seems to like having him on the floor.
The same could be said of Downey.
But, as Wednesday night proved, basketball is still a team game. Having one great player typically isn’t enough at the elite level, particularly over the course of 16 conference games in the rugged SEC.
Downey is more than happy to share the load.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.