How To Watch: South Carolina Vs. Elon

Gameday: &nbsp;Friday, December 22nd, 2023.
Venue: Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, SC)
Game time: &nbsp;6:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN+
Radio: <a href="https://gamecocksonline.com/stream/" rel="noopener" onclick="return trackClickEvent(this, event);" target="_blank">Gamecock Radio Network
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South Carolina's men's basketball team continues their five-game homestand later tonight against another in-state program in the Phoenix

Author:
Arvon Bacon
Publish date:
Dec 22, 2023 2:34 PM EST

In their final game before the holiday break, South Carolina will host Elon at the Colonial Life Arena. Similar to the string of opponents the Gamecocks have faced as of late, they'll be taking on a mid-major team from the Carolinas to help them work out kinks before conference play begins in early January.

Elon enters Friday's contest with a 6-5 record on a one-game win streak, defeating their last opponent (Bridgewater College) by 30 plus points. Sophomore TK Simpkins is the leading scorer for the Phoenixes, averaging 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game.

The Phoenix will look to stretch South Carolina on defense, shooting 38 percent from three as a team. Head coach Lamont Paris must have the squad ready to hedge on-ball screen hard or employ zone defense, allowing their length to disrupt the Phoenix offense.

Myles Stute working to stay in front of a driving Winthrop forward (19th Dec., 2023)
Jeff Blake | USA Today Network

For the Gamecocks, it's been the Meechie Jonson show as of late, with BJ Mack hitting a cold spell all of a sudden, scoring his second-lowest point total of the season against Winthrop on Tuesday with 8 points. Lately, Ta'Lon Cooper has been another shining light of consistency, shooting 50 percent or better from the floor in the last five games. Cooper has been a spark playing the floor general role, leading the team with 4.6 assists per game. Zachary Davis has also added some much-needed depth in the front court, becoming a consistent rebounder Coach Paris can rely on in crunch time.

By now, it's no secret that USC is on the top 25 bubble. While this two-game stretch before conference play will have no merit in putting them over the top and can allow them to come into their own, they have a favorable chance to be a top-four team in the SEC.