Gamecocks eye top four seed as they host Georgia on Senior Night
South Carolina has everything to play for when they take the Colonial Life Arena court Thursday night to square off with border rival Georgia.
With the Gamecocks owning a 23-6 overall record, 10-5 in the SEC, some analysts contend USC is already into the NCAA Tournament. Frank Martin, though, won’t take anything for granted with games against the Bulldogs and on the road at Arkansas plus at least one game in next week’s SEC Tournament.
Instead, he is enjoying the ride compared to two years ago when the Gamecocks finished 14-20 overall, 5-13 in the SEC and the last few weeks of the season were taxing.
The short-term goal? Finish among the top four teams in the SEC and earn the double bye into the quarterfinals on Friday, March 11.
“It’s fun to enter the last week of the regular season and be in the conversation for one of the top four seeds when you take into consideration where we were at two years ago,” Martin said. “It shows why my continued trust and faith in the group of kids we have in that locker room continues to get stronger with each passing day.”
USC enters Thursday’s game in fifth place in the SEC standings, one-half game behind LSU (11-6) and Vanderbilt (11-6) and 1-1/2 games behind co-leaders Kentucky (12-5) and Texas A&M (12-5). Thus, if the Gamecocks want to finish in the top four, Thursday’s home game against Georgia is essentially a must-win situation for USC.
Even a win over Georgia might not be enough. The Gamecocks own the tiebreakers over LSU and Vanderbilt, but a victory at Arkansas Saturday in what Martin described as “one of the most difficult home court environments in the country” could be needed to seal the deal.
LSU and Vanderbilt conclude the regular season Saturday with road games at Kentucky and Texas A&M, respectively, so the schedule appears to be in USC’s favor as far as the race for a top four seed is concerned.
Either way, the Thursday-Saturday schedule is solid preparation for the postseason, Martin said.
“When the conference tournament rolls around, you’d better be ready to roll every single day and if you’re fortunate to play after that, those are the type of things you have to be prepared to experience,” Martin said. “It’s good for us to experience that.
“The regular season tells you who you are. Then you have to refocus, take a step back and then move forward. Postseason and regular season are two completely different animals. Sunday morning, we’ll refocus there.”
The Gamecocks are No. 40 in the latest NCAA RPI released Wednesday, third highest in the SEC behind Kentucky (No. 11) and Texas A&M (22). At the moment, the Gamecocks are behind LSU in the conference standings, but are ranked 48 spots higher than the Tigers in the RPI. Unless it rises dramatically in the RPI over the next 10 days, LSU has little chance of earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Michael Carrera has been slowed by an ankle injury, but Martin surmised he “would figure out a way to get through it” and play against Georgia on Senior Night.
“Michael is banged up, but so are other players,” Martin said. “Everyone who plays as hard as Michael is banged up this time of the year. His ankle hurts and he is not comfortable right now, but he’s a gamer. He’ll figure it out.”
SEC RESULTS (March 1-2)
Kentucky 88, Florida 79
Vanderbilt 86, Tennessee 69
Texas A&M 81, Auburn 63
LSU 80, Missouri 71
Ole Miss 86, Miss. State 78 (3/2)
Arkansas 62, Alabama 61 (3/2)
SEC SCHEDULE (March 3-5)
(Thur. March 3)
Georgia at South Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPN)(3/3)
(Sat. March 5)
Ole Miss at Tennessee, noon (SEC Network)
Vanderbilt at Texas A&M, noon (ESPN2)
LSU at Kentucky, 2 p.m. (CBS)
Auburn at Mississippi State, 2:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Alabama at Georgia, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
South Carolina at Arkansas, 5 p.m. (SEC Network)
Florida at Missouri, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
CURRENT SEC STANDINGS: Kentucky 12-5, Texas A&M 12-5, LSU 11-6, Vanderbilt 11-6, South Carolina 10-6, Ole Miss 9-8, Arkansas 9-8, Georgia 8-8, Alabama 8-9, Florida 8-9, Tennessee 6-11, Mississippi State 6-11, Auburn 5-12, Missouri 3-14.
