South Carolina entered the SEC tournament last week as the No. 11 seed with just six conference wins. Nonetheless, the Gamecocks surprised by reaching the quarterfinals for the second year in a row under head coach Frank Martin, beating Missouri and Ole Miss on back to back nights before finally bowing out to Georgia.
Here are a few things that stood out about South Carolina’s performance in Nashville:
1. Resilience and toughness evident
South Carolina was on the verge of a big win against Ole Miss. The Gamecocks led by three points in the closing seconds. The one thing you don't want to do at that point is foul a three-point shooter. But that’s exactly what sophomore guard Duane Notice did, and Ole Miss senior guard Jarvis Summers completed the four-point play to put the Rebels ahead by a point with less than four seconds.
Just like that, victory seemed to be snatched from South Carolina’s hands, but somehow, some way, the Gamecocks were able to win as senior guard Tyrone Johnson registered a foul when attempting a three-pointer with less than one second remaining. The veteran leader for the Gamecocks then proceeded to knock down all three of his free throws to win the game for South Carolina.
That type of finish was both foreign and refreshing for South Carolina in a season in which the Gamecocks were in position to win a lot of games, but just couldn’t finish the deal. However, South Carolina was able to fight back against the Rebels and did the same in its two other tournament games.
“That’s the beauty of college basketball,” Martin said. “Our guys didn’t pout and whine.”
When Missouri shrunk a double-digit deficit down to two points in the second half against South Carolina, the Gamecocks didn’t let the Tigers come any closer. In its loss to Georgia, South Carolina rallied from an 11-point second half deficit and actually held a lead momentarily before falling to the Bulldogs.
2. Sindarius Thornwell is still South Carolina’s most important player
When Martin convinced sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell to commit to South Carolina back in October of 2012, it was clear that the Gamecock program was getting a good player. Thornwell attended the prestigious basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in high school while having a strong freshman campaign as a Gamecock.
But this season, Thornwell has seen his shooting percentage, three-point shooting percentage and points per game tally fall.
Despite that, Thornwell elevated his play down the stretch in the SEC tournament and South Carolina appeared to be an improved team because of that.
Thornwell averaged 12.66 points and four assists per game over the Gamecocks’ last three contests, and he scored most of his points in the second half when the Gamecocks needed him the most in their wins against Missouri and Ole Miss.
Clearly, Thornwell is the Gamecocks’ most skilled player. He possesses a unique combination of size, strength and explosiveness. Thornwell can dribble well, and Martin has called him South Carolina’s most disciplined defender.
The statistics may not back up his value to South Carolina, but a successful day for Thornwell usually translates into a successful day for the Gamecocks.
As South Carolina awaits a pivotal 2015-2016 season, Thornwell should play a huge role in whether or not the Gamecocks can take a step closer to the NCAA tournament, which they haven’t been to since 2004.
3. Future looks promising, but depth, better shooting needed
Whether it be junior forward Michael Carrera’s improved play or Notice’s hot streak behind the three-point line, there were several signs during the SEC tournament that pointed toward a promising future for South Carolina.
As a team, the Gamecocks played much better as the season went on. After starting off 2-8 in its first 10 conference games, South Carolina went 6-5 the rest of the way, riding a three-game winning streak before losing to Georgia.
South Carolina did all of that with a shrunken rotation as sophomore forward Demetrius Henry and freshman guard/forward Shamiek Sheppard were suspended in mid-February.
If Henry and Sheppard return to the team, South Carolina will carry over 85.4 percent of its offensive production from this season into next year.
Still, South Carolina needs more players to step up and play consistently.
It’s hard to ignore the Gamecocks’ shooting percentage as a team (40.4 percent) and South Carolina’s bench production was less than desired.
But on the flipside, Martin had his team playing good defense throughout the season, ranking 27 nationally in defensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com.
The Gamecocks have scored just 65 points per game this year, though, and South Carolina’s offense must improve in order to climb up the ladder in the SEC.
South Carolina has a good base with Thornwell, Notice and Carrera, but guys like junior forward Laimonas Chatkevicius and junior forward Mindaugas Kacinas must become more viable scoring options on a consistent basis.
P.J. Dozier, the 35th best prospect in the country according to Rivals.com. and ranked 25th in 2015 ESPN's 100 recruits, will be a freshman next year. His arrival should definitely help the Gamecocks in what could be could be promising season for South Carolina next year.