South Carolina will be without suspended head coach Frank Martin Saturday
Entering Saturday’s clash with Mississippi State, the South Carolina men’s basketball team is coming off arguably its most encouraging two-game stretch of the season. Over the last week, the Gamecocks have upset No. 24/25 Kentucky and held No. 1 Florida to a two-point halftime lead in a loss.
But when South Carolina travels to Starkville, Miss., it will be the team’s last chance to earn an SEC win away from home.
The Gamecocks will have to do so without head coach Frank Martin, who has been suspended for Saturday’s game as the result of “inappropriate verbal communication,” according to Athletics Director Ray Tanner.
Though he will not accompany the team on the trip to Mississippi State, Martin has said he hopes the team will find its first SEC road win.
“We’ve been right there in numerous road games, but we haven’t won a league road game this year,” Martin said. “So it’s a great opportunity to go out and try it again.”
Not only can the Gamecocks (11-19, 4-13 SEC) collect that elusive road victory on Saturday, but a win will give them one more conference victory than they earned a year ago.
Five conference wins would also match South Carolina’s highest mark since the 2010-11 season in which the Gamecocks went 5-11 in SEC play.
Senior guard Brenton Williams was held to just seven points against Florida, the final home game of his career, and while he will look to end his last regular season on a better note, he is doing his best to downplay the significance of Saturday’s meeting with the Bulldogs.
“We’re going to prepare for it like we prepare for any other game,” Williams said. “We’ll just try to go in there and get a win on the road.”
Williams has had a breakout campaign in his third season with the team after transferring from junior college before his sophomore year. He leads the team in scoring, with an average of 14.8 points per game, and in steals, with 32 on the season.
However, Williams’ most gaudy stat is his 95.4 free throw percentage, which is currently the best average in the country.
South Carolina and Mississippi State are currently second-to-last and last in the conference, respectively, and Saturday’s game will decide who finishes the year as the worst team in the conference.
But despite the seemingly poor quality of competition, Martin insists the SEC doesn’t get enough credit for the strength of its teams from top to bottom.
“I think this league gets beat up for no reason,” Martin said. “Mississippi State is playing good basketball. I don’t care what their record says.”
Though they’re still last in the conference, if the Bulldogs have anything to hang their hats on, it’s their experience.
MSU has returned every one of its top-six scorers from a year ago, including guard Craig Sword. The sophomore led his team in scoring last season, averaging 10.5 points a game, and he is currently Mississippi State’s top scorer for this season, upping his average to 13.2.
Aside from the pride factor, the loser of Saturday’s game will have a comparatively tougher path in the SEC tournament.
The Gamecocks will begin their tourney run on Wednesday, regardless of the result against Mississippi State, but a win will pit them against the No. 12 seed, while a loss will have them face the No. 11 seed.
And while Martin won’t be on the sidelines when his team takes on the Bulldogs Saturday, he has told his team that execution will be key if South Carolina is to earn its fifth SEC win of the year.
“We’ve got to go in there and have to understand that we have to play well,” Martin said. “We have to figure out a way to finish off a road game if we put ourselves in that situation.”