For those who didn't watch Tuesday night's men's basketball game, let me give you a quick summary of what happened. South Carolina played really poorly in the first half. Then, Sindarius Thornwell scored 25 second-half points to lead a massive comeback and force overtime. In the eventual four overtimes, Thornwell made big play after big play, but couldn't get enough help to secure a Gamecock victory.
When the final buzzer sounded, the senior guard had scored 44 points and grabbed 21 rebounds while playing an eye-popping 56 minutes. It was probably South Carolina's worst game of the season, and Thornwell carried the team as far as he possibly could, nearly coming out with a win.
There's no question he's the heart and soul of this team (go check out the six games he missed), but what Thornwell is doing is making waves in the conference.
The Lancaster native is averaging 20.4 points per game, trailing only Kentucky's Malik Monk. What's even more impressive is Thornwell's rebounding stats, averaging 7.7 boards per game as a 6-foot-5 guard, ranking him second in the conference and a full two rebounds per game above the next-highest player at the position.
He stands out on the defensive end as well. Thornwell leads the conference with 2.3 steals per game, and he's often matched up on the opponent's best defender. His conditioning is exceptional, as he's being tested on both ends of the floor while playing a team-high 33.4 minutes per contest.
In addition to filling up the stat sheet, Thornwell's versatility is unmatched. He's played every position on the floor this year, guarding players one through five and running the offense from the wing and the low post. With starting bigs Maik Kotsar and Chris Silva struggling with foul trouble, the Gamecocks have gone small a lot this season, making Thornwell's flexibility all the more valuable.
Missing six games could be a small knock against the senior, but he's played in every conference game, where his stats have been even more impressive, averaging over 21 points and eight rebounds per game.
He's willed the Gamecocks to victories on several occasions this season, and when PJ Dozier has struggled (or sat out, as he did against Kentucky), it's been on the senior leader to lead the charge for the Gamecocks.
In the SEC, no one plays a more complete game than Thornwell, and there's no player that matters more to his team, especially a team tied for first place in the conference. Thornwell plays grind-it-out basketball, and he's the backbone of the Gamecocks, who wouldn't be 9-2 in SEC play without him.