What to Expect: Indiana vs. South Carolina

Indiana will play its only non-conference home game against a high-major opponent this weekend. The Hoosiers host South Carolina at Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock.

The Gamecocks are 2-1 with wins against South Carolina State and Towson and a loss to North Florida.

IU basketball will play its first high-major opponent this season on Saturday afternoon.

South Carolina, which won 26 games last season and earned a No. 6 seed in the 2024 NCAA tournament, is coming to Bloomington.

While the Gamecocks were picked to finish in the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference in the preseason, the roster still boasts plenty of talent to challenge the Hoosiers.

MEET THE GAMECOCKS

South Carolina is coached by Lamont Paris, a longtime Wisconsin assistant who is no stranger to Assembly Hall.

The 50-year-old Paris was on the Badgers bench from 2010 through 2017 before landing his first head coaching job at Chattanooga. In five seasons with the Mocs, Paris led that program to an 87-72 record and an appearance in the 2022 NCAA tournament.

Paris landed the South Carolina job in the spring of 2022. Last season, he was named the SEC coach of the year and a finalist for the Naismith coach of the year award.

South Carolina lost several key players from last season’s team, including Meechie Johnson, BJ Mack and Ta’Lon Cooper. However, a solid mix of returnees and transfer portal additions should make the Gamecocks competitive in a loaded SEC.

The headliner on the roster is sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound big man is averaging a double-double through three games at 21 points and 10.7 rebounds. He’s shooting 63.9 percent from the field and 73.9 percent from the free throw line. Murray-Boyles has already taken 23 free throws. He’ll be a challenge for the Indiana frontcourt and the expectation is Malik Reneau will start out guarding him.

Joining Murray-Boyles in the starting South Carolina frontcourt is graduate student Nick Pringle, who was on Alabama’s Final Four team last season. The 6-foot-10 big man is a native of Seabrook, South Carolina and had 16 points and 11 rebounds in Alabama’s Elite Eight win against Clemson last March. Pringle is averaging 8.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots in 24.9 minutes per game. He’s just a career 51.6 free-throw shooter.

Senior point guard Jamarii Thomas and senior guard Jacobi Wright are the starters in the Gamecock backcourt.

Thomas transferred from Norfolk State, where he was the MEAC player of the last year last season. He averaged 16.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 steals at Norfolk State. He was also a key transfer portal pickup for Paris and South Carolina. Thomas shot 49-for-127 (38.6 percent) on 3s last season but is only 0-for-4 from deep through three games. Through three games for the Gamecocks, he’s averaging 10.7 points, 3.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the field.

Wright came off the bench in the season opener – a loss to North Florida – but has started the last two games and has been in double figures in each of South Carolina’s first three games. The 6-foot-2 guard is averaging 16 points, 3.7 assists and two rebounds while shooting 62.1 percent from the field and 46.7 percent on 3s.

Myles Stute, a 6-foot-6 graduate student, is in his second season with the Gamecocks after playing his first three seasons at Vanderbilt. He shot 38.5 percent on 3s last season but is off to a slow start (30.8 percent) from distance in his final season. Last season, he made at least three triples in seven games and South Carolina went 7-0 in those contests.

The key reserves for South Carolina are 6-foot-7 junior Zachary Davis, 6-foot-6 freshman Cam Scott and 6-foot-4 sophomore Morris Ugusuk.

Davis is known as a stellar perimeter defender and started the team’s final 17 games last season. He’s struggled offensively through three games. Davis is shooting 42.1 percent from the field and just 10 percent on 3s. He’s averaging eight points, 5.3 rebounds and three assists in 24.5 minutes. After starting the season opener, he’s come off the bench the last two games.

Scott was a top 50 recruit out of high school and a two-time Gatorade player of the year in South Carolina. He’s averaging four points, three rebounds and is shooting just 21.1 percent through three games.

Ugusuk is a native of Helsinki, Finland and played in 30 games last season for South Carolina. Through three games, he’s averaging three points in 13.5 minutes and is 3-for-6 on 3s.

KEYS TO THE GAME

• Defend without fouling: It’s been a parade to the free throw line for South Carolina through three games. The Gamecocks have a free throw rate (FTA/FGA) of 46.5 percent through three games. Reneau has struggled to defend without fouling in the past and has the task of trying to slow down Murray-Boyles, who is attempting nearly eight free throws per game.

• Limit second-chance opportunities: Another early strength for South Carolina has been on the offensive glass. The Gamecocks rebound 36.6 percent of their missed shots, which currently ranks in the top 50 nationally. Indiana has struggled at times to block out early this season and can’t afford to give the talented and athletic South Carolina frontline second-chance opportunities.

• Don’t let South Carolina get any rhythm from the perimeter: It’s been a struggle from the perimeter for the Gamecocks through three games. South Carolina is shooting just 29.7 percent from distance on low volume. Wright (7-for-15) has been the only player connecting from distance thus far, but Davis, Stute and Thomas are all capable of getting going.

WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO

The KenPom projection is Indiana by six with a 71 percent chance of victory for the Hoosiers.

South Carolina lost its opener at home 74-71 to North Florida but rebounded with a 22-point win against South Carolina State and a 26-point win against Towson.

Like the Hoosiers, the Gamecocks are a work in progress as they integrate new players with returnees. Indiana has two comfortable wins in its first two games, but the level of competition steps up with South Carolina’s talent, particularly in the frontcourt.

Saturday will be a good gauge of early season progress for the Hoosiers, who are less than two weeks away from a trip to Paradise Island for Battle 4 Atlantis.

(Photo credit: University of South Carolina Athletics)

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