Off to the program’s first 5-0 start since 2016-17, South Carolina will return from a lengthy layoff to host Notre Dame on Tuesday in Columbia, S.C.
The Gamecocks have been idle since defeating Grand Canyon 75-68 on Nov. 19 to earn the Cactus Division title at the Arizona Tip-Off.
What’s more, the matchup with the Fighting Irish (3-2) marks South Carolina’s first home game since topping Virginia Military Institute 74-64 on Nov. 13.
That contest had something in common with the Grand Canyon game — transfer B.J. Mack led the Gamecocks in scoring. Mack is coming off a 27-point effort in the Arizona Tip-Off finale, one shy of his career high. Mack scored 21 points after halftime while drilling four of seven 3-pointers and all nine attempts from the free-throw line.
South Carolina coach Lamont Paris recently lauded Mack’s size and skill set.
“He is a perfect fit because he can shoot, he can post, he can dribble enough if you try and pressure him with a similar size guy,” Paris said. “He is effective in that area, and he can pass.”
Tuesday marks Notre Dame’s first true road game of the season. The Fighting Irish last played Wednesday, earning a 75-55 home win against Maryland-Eastern Shore, on the heels of splitting two games at the Legends Classic at New York’s Barclays Center.
Notre Dame used strong long-range shooting and solid contributions from its horde of newcomers to beat the Hawks. The Fighting Irish drilled a season-best 13 treys, while freshmen Braeden Shrewsberry (13) and Markus Burton (12) were the team’s top two scorers.
Fighting Irish coach Micah Shrewsberry said his young team is continuing to learn through games.
“It’s a little bit of a challenge as a head coach,” he said. “You want to be good now, but you also want to be good in the future. You want to have a group that understands what you’re talking about. Sometimes I’m saying things at the end of games, they have no idea what I mean or why we’re doing things.”
–Field Level Media
