2008 Woodie Awards
Boards key for Carolina
Holmes, Archie face potent big man onslaught from struggling LSU Bayou Bengals
Jake Luce
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Sports
With four games left in the season, the men's basketball team needs a win to build momentum if they want to make any sort of post-season appearance this year.
The Gamecocks are coming off yet another heart-wrenching SEC loss after a disappointing overtime performance against Mississippi State on Saturday.
Carolina was unable to finish despite holding a three-point lead with six seconds left in regulation.
The Bulldogs opportunity came as Ben Hansbrough was fouled while shooting a buzzer-beating 3-point shot. Hansbrough made all three of his free throws and sent the game to overtime. Carolina was outscored 11-6 in the extra period and lost 61-56.
"It's almost like how many ways can you find to lose a game," said head coach Dave Odom. "We did work on some special situations for what to do to be ready at the end of the game. It's hard to orchestrate that because you don't have a feeling of the end of the game, but just getting them to think about it and be a little more confident will certainly help us."
Tonight at 7:30 p.m., South Carolina (12-14, 4-8) hosts the LSU Tigers (10-16, 3-9), who currently sitting dead last in the western conference standings. The Gamecocks are in dire need of a win, and their performance in the SEC tournament will likely decide the team's post-season fate.
The two teams most recently faced off last March, and the loss was part of Carolina's three-game slide to close out the 2006-07 season. LSU won 61-52, as Glen 'Big Baby' Davis controlled the paint, limiting South Carolina's most explosive scorer, Tre Kelley, to the perimeter.
The men's basketball team has had a relatively unbalanced offense this season, with only three players averaging double figures in points.
First-year Gamecock guard Devan Downey has consistently put this team on his back, averaging 19.7 points per game. He has received mild assistance in the front court from Zam Frederick and Dominique Archie, but the Gamecocks have yet to find a dominant low post presence.
The Gamecocks are coming off yet another heart-wrenching SEC loss after a disappointing overtime performance against Mississippi State on Saturday.
Carolina was unable to finish despite holding a three-point lead with six seconds left in regulation.
The Bulldogs opportunity came as Ben Hansbrough was fouled while shooting a buzzer-beating 3-point shot. Hansbrough made all three of his free throws and sent the game to overtime. Carolina was outscored 11-6 in the extra period and lost 61-56.
"It's almost like how many ways can you find to lose a game," said head coach Dave Odom. "We did work on some special situations for what to do to be ready at the end of the game. It's hard to orchestrate that because you don't have a feeling of the end of the game, but just getting them to think about it and be a little more confident will certainly help us."
Tonight at 7:30 p.m., South Carolina (12-14, 4-8) hosts the LSU Tigers (10-16, 3-9), who currently sitting dead last in the western conference standings. The Gamecocks are in dire need of a win, and their performance in the SEC tournament will likely decide the team's post-season fate.
The two teams most recently faced off last March, and the loss was part of Carolina's three-game slide to close out the 2006-07 season. LSU won 61-52, as Glen 'Big Baby' Davis controlled the paint, limiting South Carolina's most explosive scorer, Tre Kelley, to the perimeter.
The men's basketball team has had a relatively unbalanced offense this season, with only three players averaging double figures in points.
First-year Gamecock guard Devan Downey has consistently put this team on his back, averaging 19.7 points per game. He has received mild assistance in the front court from Zam Frederick and Dominique Archie, but the Gamecocks have yet to find a dominant low post presence.
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