Home sweet home: USC’s postseason home winning streak
By Rixon Lane
27 games in a row.
That’s how many consecutive home games South Carolina has won in the NCAA tournament.
The Gamecocks can extend the streak to 30 by going undefeated in the Columbia Regional this weekend. However, whether the streak is snapped or not, there is no denying that South Carolina’s dominance at home during the postseason is remarkable. Here are some of the numbers behind the streak:
4,374 – When the Columbia Regional begins on Friday night, it will have been 4,374 days since South Carolina last lost a home game in the NCAA tournament. That’s 11 years, 11 months and 22 days.
25.9 – Druing the streak, South Carolina has scored 10 or more runs in 25.9% of its games. In the six full postseasons when the Gamecocks have been at home during the streak, 2012 was the only year where South Carolina never scored 10 runs at home.
16 – The Gamecocks have beaten 16 teams during the streak; Bucknell, Charlotte, Clemson, Connecticut, East Carolina, Georgia Southern, Liberty, Manhattan, Miami, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Saint Louis, Stetson, The Citadel, Virginia Tech and Wofford. South Carolina’s biggest victim during the streak has been North Carolina. The Gamecocks have beaten the Tar Heels four times.
6 – South Carolina postseason home winning streak spans eight seasons; 2002, ’03, ’04, ’07, ’10, ’11, ’12 and ’13. In six of those years, the Gamecocks advanced to Omaha. South Carolina missed the College World Series in 2007 and 2013. North Carolina eliminated the Gamecocks both years.
4.67 – In South Carolina’s 27 consecutive home postseason victories, the Gamecocks have outscored their opponents by an average of 4.67 runs per game. Last year’s 19-3 win over Liberty was the largest margin of victory in the streak.
2 – The Gamecocks have only tossed two shutouts during the streak and both occurred in 2012. Colby Holmes took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of South Carolina’s 7-0 win over Manhattan in the Columbia Regional. The Gamecocks then blanked Oklahoma 5-0 in Michael Roth’s final start at Carolina Stadium in the Super Regional.
More tournament coverage: Check out our Road To Omaha section