Fly War Eagle
Fansided

Auburn Basketball: Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Q&A With Garnet & Cocky

By Nicholas Ian Allen

facebooktwitterreddit

The Auburn basketball team enters Saturday’s huge SEC matchup with South Carolina with a 9-7 overall record and a 1-2 mark in conference play following Thursday’s loss to Florida. Looking ahead to Saturday, what can we expect from the 10-5, 1-2 Gamecocks? We asked Chris Carey, the editor of fellow FanSided network site Garnet & Cocky.

Fly War Eagle: Expectations have risen in year two under head coach Frank Martin. How do South Carolina fans feel about the direction of the program with Martin in charge?

Jan 13, 2015; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Marcus Stroman (1) drives past Alabama Crimson Tide forward Shannon Hale (11) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Garnet & Cocky: I think that initially fans were expecting a faster turnaround but once they realized how much work was involved I think they’re feeling really good about the direction he’s taking them. I think regardless of wins or losses they’re excited about the effort the players seem to be putting in and the hustle they’re seeing out on the court. They’re definitely creating a lot of excitement in Gamecock basketball.

FWE: Taking a look at the schedule, the Gamecocks have picked up some pretty nice wins, including a 68-45 victory over arch-rival Clemson and a 64-60 victory over a ranked Iowa State team. What’s been the best victory so far?

G&C: Well I would say that any win over Clemson in any sport is always a big victory for South Carolina but so far I would say the win over Iowa State was by far the biggest. People just really seem to get amped up about the future and see not only that they won but how they played against a good school like that.

FWE: Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell are the team’s top two scorers. What can you tell us about their games?

G&C: Well I think specifically Notice got off to a little bit of a rough start but after the Charlston classic he seemed to really start to find himself and especially on defense he made a huge impact. He just seem to be all over the floor and that carried over to the offense is well and he started becoming a bigger scorer.

As far as Thornwell, I think fans are incredibly excited about the possibility but at the same time they’re still hoping and waiting for more. After last year’s breakout season I think they thought this year might be a bigger impact and so far it hasn’t quite gone that way. He can definitely be explosive though and when he’s in the zone he’s definitely exciting to watch.

FWE: Martin landed a top 100 recruit, Marcus Stroman, in his last class. How has the true freshman played this year? Are there any other new faces we need to know?

More from Auburn Basketball

Well, Stroman hasn’t put a lot of points on the board this year but that definitely doesn’t mean he hasn’t contributed. He leads the team in assists and is definitely the main ballhandler for the team which is saying a lot for the freshman.

As far as other newcomers to watch the main one would be Shamiek Sheppard. He had an injury before the season and they thought he was gone for the year but was able to recover quicker than expected and just started playing a few weeks ago. When he’s in there you can already see why they think so highly of him.

FWE: Both teams come in with 1-2 records in SEC play, but with post-season goals still attainable. Care to make a prediction?

I think this is definitely one that could be hard to predict. But I think that Frank Martin will have the Gamecocks fired up after the last couple games and they’ll come in ready to play and much more focused than they have been. I think it’ll be the Gamecocks in a close one.

Thanks Chris. We look forward to a great game Saturday night at Auburn Arena.

Next: Football Recruiting: Big Boom Weekend

More from Fly War Eagle

Home/Auburn Basketball