GP1 Posted December 26, 2013 Report Share Posted December 26, 2013 Columbia is one of those towns that people drive through on their way to somewhere else and don't know much about. For good reason, because it isn't set up to be a destination. I'm going to assume a 4:00 start means most people might want to go to a bar and then out to eat after the game, or not. This post is going to be a Terry Pluto type rambling in most ways. Things To Do Before the Game Wild Wing Cafe is a chain around the Carolinas. Similar to BW3. Lots of TVs and beers to pass a couple of hours before the game. This one is at The Vista, which is an entertainment area very close to downtown Columbia and USC, which is in the city. In fact, USC is very much like UofA in terms of where it is in relation to a city. I'll probably go here before the game. Carolina Ale House is nice with a good upstairs that on a nice day they open the doors and has a rooftop bar. Not as good as Wild Wing Cafe, but not bad either. Personally, I like WWC better. Could Be Done Before or After The Game Mellow Mushroom is a pizza place scattered throughout the Carolinas. Personally, I really like their pizza, but I have not been to this one so I don't know if they have a lot of TVs or not. Most have a good beer selection. Mrs. GP1, the luckiest woman in the world, and I go to the one in Winston-Salem after Wake games sometimes. If you aren't into the bar scene and just want a good salad for lunch or a nice place, but not too nice, for dinner, California Dreaming is a good place. You might recognize it from North Myrtle Beach or at the south end of Myrtle Beach. Personally, I only get the salads because I'm not a fan of the rest of their food. The salads are great if you want one. They make their own dressings and salad does not mean health food at this place. Things To Do After The Game (In addition to the above.) I absolutely love Blue Marlin. If you like fish, you will here as well. If a sauce is offered, get the Charleston Sauce. The Firecracker Shrimp appetizer is great. The shrimp are breaded and fried then served with very thin slices of a type of pepper. There is a Greek place at the Vista and I can't find it on the internet. Great food. For the college age fans.... Five Points Personally, I'm going to dinner at Terra in West Columbia after the game. It may sound far from the game, but it is only across the river a couple of miles from the arena. My wife and I met the owner/chef at Cypress one night in Charleston and promised him the next time we stayed in Columbia we would go to his place. I'm a man of my word. He was really in to the Charcuterie at Cypress and does his own at his place. Doing your own Charcuterie is very popular in the Carolinas. Let's just say Cypress has an appetizer called "Spreadable Salami".... Outside of the Box Maurice's BBQ is a great BBQ. Go with the mustard based BBQ sauce and some hash and rice. If your goal is to have a heart attack by the New Year, Lizards Thicket is your place. Places To Stay Marriott uptown is close to campus and Vista. I think it is the hotel for the Gamecocks, but it is big enough for two teams. This Courtyard is an easy 200-300 yard walk to the arena. You can also walk to the Vista from here but I'd recommend a cheap cab ride. I'm staying at Springhill Suites. Enjoy if you are going. If you stick with places around The Vista, you will be able to find something you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K92 Posted December 27, 2013 Report Share Posted December 27, 2013 Not going to the game, but I love it when people post suggestions for food & drink in areas they are familiar with. Thanks, GP1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted December 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Big day today! Will the Zips play better than on Christmas or will they continue to slouch along? I guess the real question is, do they have to do anything different to beat USC other than playing harder/the way they are capable? I think if they play they way they are capable, they win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 +1. The Zips may not be able to out-athlete South Carolina in terms of speed and hops, but they can certainly outplay them. If they play with a sense of urgency for 40 minutes and with each player's focus on what's best for the team, the Zips will win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 First time I see Betancourt off the bench in four games, and he proceeds to turn the ball over. You've got to be kidding me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 I take back what I've been saying about South Carolina. In addition to having a lot of high energy players, they are also very well coached. They're making the Zips look silly at both ends of the court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottditzen Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 I'm in California so I can only see the Zips on tv this year. But man, does this team have any sort of chemistry on offense? Please tell me it's just SC's tough defense, because we are looking bad. If SC's shots were falling - and thank God they are not - we'd be down by 20 in this lst half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 I'm in California so I can only see the Zips on tv this year. But man, does this team have any sort of chemistry on offense? Please tell me it's just SC's tough defense, because we are looking bad. If SC's shots were falling - and thank God they are not - we'd be down by 20 in this lst half. IMO it's SC's defense. We looked much better against Oregon St. This version of the Zips will be just fine in conference play where the competiton is considerably less. The question I have is: How in the world is South Carolina 4-6? They seem like they are legit better than their record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipgrad01 Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Stick a fork in this team. They are done. It isnt going to get much better in MAC play either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akronzips71 Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 We look like 5 guys playing a pickup game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Nice halftime adjustments. The offensive game plan blows. Anybody can defend that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipgrad01 Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Dambrot needs to switch to a zone, but he is too stubborn to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 If the team and coaches have packed it in for the rest of OOC, then I might have to myself. South Carolina blows. The only advantage they have is coaching, and its more than apparent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Total embarrassment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottditzen Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Wow, 18 point SC lead and we look hapless...I'm going to the beach. Good luck Zippers, hope to be at the Q again this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipgrad01 Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Nice halftime adjustments. The offensive game plan blows. Anybody can defend that! No kidding. We do not have the players to execute that offense. I shook my head as soon as the announcer said what Dambrots offensive plans were for the 2nd half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 they've seriously given up.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoZips88 Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 One FG over 18 minutes. Ouch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 And some of us seriously thought we would take South Carolina 2-0. I'm tired of getting embarrassed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDZip Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Please tell me it's just SC's tough defense, because we are looking bad. If SC's shots were falling - and thank God they are not - we'd be down by 20 in this lst half. Would you settle for 25 in the second half? Another national game, another giant turd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Lets look on the bright side, at least that jacked up scheduling and 3am game gave us the opportunity to get embarrassed 3 times in a week on national television. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipgrad01 Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 They get to the rim at will and we completely lose our man WAY TOO MUCH. I would love to see a zone!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoZips88 Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Manhattan and South Carolina Upstate won fairly handily on this same floor. 34-point deficit ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 anyone ever pay attention the bench? Seems like BJ Gladden is the only who gives a damn. He is still clapping for and encouraging teammates down 30+. I'm not opposed to burning his shirt and playing him..I mean he seems to be the only one who gives a crap. Don't mean to be so negative. I can deal with losing to teams better than us. I can deal with losing a close one to a team about equal to us. I can even deal with having an off night and losing to a team that we shouldn't. But getting our asses handed to us (understatement) to a team of this caliber is really hard for me to deal with. Best we can hope for is that the conclusion of this road trip serves as some sort of a turning point on the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipgrad01 Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 anyone ever pay attention the bench? Seems like BJ Gladden is the only who gives a damn. He is still clapping for and encouraging teammates down 30+. I'm not opposed to burning his shirt and playing him..I mean he seems to be the only one who gives a crap. Don't mean to be so negative. I can deal with losing to teams better than us. I can deal with losing a close one to a team about equal to us. I can even deal with having an off night and losing to a team that we shouldn't. But getting our asses handed to us (understatement) to a team of this caliber is really hard for me to deal with. Best we can hope for is that the conclusion of this road trip serves as some sort of a turning point on the season. This team is at that fork in the road. They had a lot of fun all off season reading their press clippings about how great they were going to be. To say they are seeing some adversity is an understatement. I guess we will see what these guys are made of because we arent just going to walk through the MAC. Right now I would put Toledo, Can't, Ohio and Eastern at our level or slightly above. For the first time in several years, however, I am questioning whether we are mentally tough enough or have that "team leader" to pull us through. If we dont have that guy step up and pull this team together things are going to spiral out of control quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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