LSU win puts Gamecocks on doorstep of national respect
Skeptics of South Carolina pointed to the Gamecocks’ supposedly weak non-conference slate for the widespread lack of respect given USC by national analysts, pollsters and various people whose opinion allegedly matters.
Nonetheless, the once eardrum-piercing volume of the criticism has lessened considerably in the wake of USC’s consecutive wins over Texas A&M last Saturday in College Station (81-78) and Wednesday night’s 94-83 slugfest over LSU at Colonial Life Arena.
Saturday, the Gamecocks can silence their skeptics for good (translation: shut them up) and take a major step forward from a credibility standpoint with a victory over Kentucky (noon, ESPN) in front of a sellout home crowd in Columbia.
Kentucky (No. 22) was one of just two SEC teams ranked in the AP Top 25 in the latest poll released Monday (Texas A&M is NO. 15). Just two of the five SEC teams with seven or more conference wins are nationally ranked.
Neither the Gamecocks nor LSU were nationally ranked when Wednesday night’s game tipped off at Colonial Life Arena despite both teams occupying two of the top four spots in the SEC standings. The Bayou Bengals, in fact, occupied the top spot.
Is that a problem? Depends on who you ask. Frank Martin has been the first engineer on the ‘SEC gets no respect in basketball’ train since the day he arrived in Columbia in March 2012.
“That was a high level game once again,” Martin said following Wednesday night’s win. “What’s frustrating for me is you have two teams that are that good and they are in first and second place in the league and neither team is ranked. LSU is a deep NCAA team. Why either one of those two teams are not nationally ranked makes no sense.
“What other BCS league in the country and the first place team is playing the second place team and neither team is ranked. That’s frustrating to me. But I don’t give that to the players. With the players, it’s all about right now and the only thing that matters is the next day and the next game.”
Beating Kentucky in basketball is comparable to beating Alabama in football. Regardless of their record, those programs are always perceived to be good. Thus, any win over those teams buys you a lot of cache with pollsters and national pundits.
In many ways, the SEC’s biggest issue from a perception standpoint is the league is frequently viewed by many basketball outsiders as Kentucky and 13 dwarfs.
Martin, of course, doesn’t share that opinion.
“I don’t get out of bed worried about what people think about us,” Martin said. “I worry about the kids in the locker room and what I have to do to help them. That’s what drives me and that’s what me got into coaching in 1985. It still drives me today. (But) it is frustrating the way our league is viewed.”
After five straight losing seasons (2009-2014) and a 17-16 record last year, Martin understands why the Gamecocks suffer from a lack of respect nationally.
“I can’t complain about our publicity,” Martin said. “We haven’t been relevant. We have to earn that. You don’t get that because you win a game in February. We have to earn it over a period of time. Right now, we have to stay in the moment.”
Typically, Kentucky attack you with waves of personnel. They are not seemingly invincible as perceived in past seasons, but USC must follow the same formula they have utilized all season – gain an advantage in rebounding and free throws. Wednesday, the Gamecocks outrebounded LSU (36-33) and made just one fewer free throw (27) than the Tigers attempted from the charity stripe (28).
Additionally, the Gamecocks received important contributions from seldom-used role players such as Raymond Doby, who registered five points (303 FT), one assist and one steal in seven minutes. Nine Gamecocks played 11 or more minutes.
“Ray has come a long way,” Martin said. “His practices have been better and better and better. When guys practice (well) and they start doing what we ask them to do, it’s my job to put them on the floor. Ray was good. I was proud of him.”
Martin credited Doby with preventing LSU from scoring on the final possession of the first half by smartly rotating on defense.
“He made a defensive rotation at the end of the first half and he prevented a basket from happening,” Martin said. “I told him at halftime, ‘You don’t understand this yet, that’s a huge play. If they score, they go into the locker room pounding their chest. Instead, we get a stop and we go into the locker room feeling good.”
SEC RESULTS (Feb. 9-10)
Tennessee 71, Auburn 45 (2/9)
Florida 77, Ole Miss 72 (2/9)
Kentucky 82, Georgia 48 (2/9)
Miss. State 78, Arkansas 46 (2/9)
South Carolina 94, LSU 83 (2/10)
Alabama 63, Texas A&M 62 (2/10)
Vanderbilt 86, Missouri 71 (2/10)
SEC STANDINGS (After Games of 2/10): South Carolina 8-3, LSU 8-3, Kentucky 8-3, Texas A&M 7-4, Florida 7-4, Georgia 6-5, Vanderbilt 6-5, Arkansas 5-6, Ole Miss 5-6, Tennessee 5-6, Alabama 5-6, Auburn 3-8, Miss. State 3-8, Missouri 1-10.
