For those of you who began following this site once the regular season started, throughout last summer we had a series of videos that showed the games of Al Durham and Justin Minaya after they signed with Providence. The intent was to get Friar fans familiar with the play of the incoming transfers by showing video of their previous stints at Indiana and South Carolina.
I plan on doing the same throughout this spring and summer with PC’s latest signees.
Here’s the disclaimer I’ll add to each of these articles throughout the offseason: These videos are not meant to be purely highlights. They will certainly highlight what each of these players does well, but I will try to include every possession I watch to balance the excitement of a signing, while setting realistic expectations.
In other words, you’ll see the good, bad, and everything in-between.
South Carolina caught Arkansas shortly after the Hogs were playing their worst basketball of the season. Arkansas, who would later reach the Elite Eight before falling to Duke, had lost its fifth of six games just ten days earlier, but had begun to turn the corner with wins over Missouri and #12 LSU.
The Gamecocks were off to a 1-4 start in SEC play, including losses to Auburn and Tennessee. When they traveled to Arkansas (on Jan. 18), Frank Martin gave freshman Devin Carter his first career start.
On a night in which South Carolina could get next to nothing going offensively, Carter led the way with 20 points and six rebounds in 31 minutes. Carter shot 6-14 from the field (3-9 from two, 3-5 from three), and 5-10 at the free throw line. It wasn’t perfect for Carter, who turned the ball over six times, but he went into attack mode seemingly every time he touched the ball.
South Carolina was up seven at the half, then saw Arkansas rip off an 18-3 run to start the second half en route to a 75-59 victory.
Both teams surged a bit following this game. The victory was Arkansas’ third in a row, and they would go on to win ten of their next 11 games, while Carter started the next six games — with South Carolina winning the first three.
Arkansas finished the season fourth in the conference behind three teams ranked in the top ten of the AP’s final poll, and South Carolina recovered from a 1-5 start to finish 9-9 in league play — putting them in a five-way tie for fifth place in the league.
The big takeaway from this one was how Carter responded to a rough start. He had a few turnovers early and got an earful from head coach Frank Martin after being pulled following a bad shot attempt. When Carter returned he immediately drove baseline for a dunk, then led a late first half surge.
Outside of Carter, South Carolina’s offense stalled. He was one of two players to score in double figures (the other had 10), and the Gamecocks shot just 6-27 in the second half.
Carter played with endless energy in this game.
Devin Carter Gets His First Start vs. Arkansas, Scores 20