Column: Gamecocks' NCAA run reflects on Frank Martin, team's journey
Yes, it's real. Carolina is one of the last eight teams standing in the NCAA Tournament.
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Yes, it's real. Carolina is one of the last eight teams standing in the NCAA Tournament.
There was no need for a second half comeback this time.
When South Carolina takes the floor at Madison Square Garden Friday night, the Gamecocks will be looking to reach their first Elite Eight in program history. On the other hand, their opponent, the No. 3 Baylor Bears, is no stranger to this stage, having reached the Elite Eight in 2010 and 2012 and playing in the Sweet 16 as recently as 2014 under current head coach Scott Drew.
Heading into the 2016-17 season, South Carolina senior guard Sindarius Thornwell noted how much he was looking forward to playing at the “Mecca of Basketball.” When the Gamecocks took the floor at Madison Square Garden in December against Seton Hall, Sindarius Thornwell was there — on the bench.
South Carolina took care of No. 20 Kentucky on Saturday before toppling No. 6 Mississippi State Sunday to claim its third straight SEC Tournament trophy — and they did it without All-SEC center Alaina Coates.
South Carolina won the last two SEC championships, including last year's victory over Mississippi State in the final, but it was a player who could only watch 2016's title game who secured the three-peat for the Gamecocks.
The South Carolina women's basketball team survived a second-half surge from Kentucky Saturday, securing a 89-77 win in the final minutes.
South Carolina has two All-American post players in A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates, but lately, the team has enjoyed a lot of success with four guards on the floor, including in Friday's SEC quarterfinal win over Georgia.
For a few minutes, it looked like South Carolina may be in for a dogfight Friday, just like the two regular season matchups with Georgia this season. But quickly, the Gamecocks clamped down defensively and found a rhythm on offense, putting the game away by halftime en route to a 72-48 victory.
It wasn't the smoothest of roads, but the Gamecocks got it done.
Gamecock Nation was spoiled for those final three years under Ray Tanner, as the South Carolina baseball team reached three straight College World Series finals, winning two back-to-back while creating a national powerhouse. The Gamecocks would host a Super Regional in three of the next four seasons, including last year, only missing out in the disappointment of 2015.
This was supposed to be the year the UConn women's basketball dynasty would end at the hands of a team like South Carolina, but that certainly hasn't happened. Instead, the Huskies earned their 100th consecutive victory Monday night, pulling away from the Gamecocks in the second half to secure the 66-55 win.
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.
One of Will Muschamp's main focuses on the recruiting trail was to secure top-flight in-state talent, and he certainly accomplished that goal in his 2017 class, his first full year bringing in recruits. The top six South Carolina prospects in Rivals' rankings will wear the garnet and black next season, and five of them were committed before National Signing Day.
They'd been surviving against inferior opponents, but the No. 4 Gamecocks finally faltered in conference play Monday against Tennessee. Some of South Carolina's recurring problems from recent games reared their ugly heads against the Volunteers, which might not be the worst thing at this time of the season.
In the 2017 football recruiting cycle alone, 630 (and counting) players have decommitted from coaches and teams after announcing their verbal commitments. By the time you read this, that number could be up to 650, or maybe even 700. That's because high schoolers are dishonoring their pledges at an unprecedented rate this cycle, as was the case with the 2016 class.
Author's Note: Sometimes it's hard to fully digest all of the storylines that come out of a game. In all the craziness that the final minutes can be, it's easy to forget some of the key moments that happened earlier on that shaped the game. That's why I've created The Morning After, a column to take a look back at some things that you (and I) may have overlooked on game day. I'll be checking in from time to time, giving you some of my more level-headed takes, the morning after. I hope you enjoy.
Led by a 26-point performance from A'ja Wilson and 16 second-half points from Allisha Gray, the No. 5 South Carolina Gamecocks came back and then held on to defeat No. 4 Mississippi State 64-61. Monday night, extending their conference home winning streak to 30 games and claiming sole possession of first place in the SEC.
When it was announced that second-leading scorer PJ Dozier would miss the Gamecocks' matchup with No. 5 Kentucky, it could be expected that it would be a struggle offensively for No. 24 South Carolina. Despite Sindarius Thornwell's career-high 34 points, the Gamecocks couldn't keep up with the Wildcats' potent scoring attack, failing to keep up in the 85-69 loss.
South Carolina women's basketball has reached the national spotlight in the last couple years, as Dawn Staley has led the Gamecocks to three straight SEC titles and the program's first ever Final Four. Much of the attention has gone to Staley, the leader of the turnaround, and plenty went to former All-American Tiffany Mitchell, the most decorated player in the team's history.