The Gamecocks beat Division II Kentucky Wesleyan Friday night by a score of 75-55. My first impression is that we did not play well. The 20 point margin is relatively low for an exhibition against an inferior opponent. Wesleyan played us tough, even cutting our lead to 44-43 with about 13 minutes left in the second half. Our athletic superiority prevailed in the end, but in many important categories we will need improvement. For instance, we only shot 6-27 from beyond the arc, a percentage that reminds one of the low ebb of the Odom years. All in all, our performance Friday did not indicate ability to play at a high level in the SEC.
That said, we probably should not make too much out of this game. We were without our starting posts, Sam Muldrow and Mike Holmes. These players' absence hurt us against a team that lacked a post presence and forced us to resort to shooting lots of treys. Luckily, Holmes will be back next game, although academic Muldrow's suspension may be more serious.
Moreover, this was an exhibition game. The team is rusty, they are breaking in a new system, and lackluster performances in these types of games are not uncommon. We will get a better view of what we have when we play Jacksonville State later this Friday.