Big 2 Weeks Ahead For Gamecocks Sports

When the clock ticked down at the end of the Gamecocks bowl game victory against Miami, there were a lot of fans who felt a sense of sadness, like somehow sports seasons were over for a while.  It’s not surprising since basketball is usually in a break then, and not much else is happening.  Fast forward a month, and now the first half of February is huge for Gamecocks sports.  Huh?  February?  Seriously?  Yep, from here till Valentine’s Day, there’s so much going on it’s almost hard to keep up.

• February 3 – Gamecocks Men’s Basketball travels to Arkansas to take on the 16-5 Razorbacks in a tough SEC matchup.  The Gamecocks have looked much better against Kentucky, LSU, and finally winning against Georgia on Saturday, but this will be another really tough conference game.  Arkansas looks really good at home, and is playing really well and will present a big challenge.
• February 4 – National Signing Day as the football team hopes to solidify up to 30 recruits and maybe pull off even a couple surprises, in what will help shape the upcoming season.  Although not a single snap is taken, this day has become one of the biggest days of the year for college football.  Will Arden Key stick with LSU?  Will local star Matt Colburn find a home?  Where will Gamecocks finish in recruiting rankings?
• February 5 – Dawn Staley and the 21-0 #1 ranked Lady Gamecocks travel to Athens to take on the 17-5 Georgia Bulldogs.  The Bulldogs are coming off a close loss to Kentucky and they are doing everything they can to pack their arena in hopes of taking out the #1 team in the nation.  The Gamecocks A’ja Wilson was just named SEC Freshman of the Week for the 4th time already and will be looking to extend their winning streak.
• February 7 – Men’s Basketball on the road again, this time against Vanderbilt in Nashville.  The Commodores are 11-10 and would love nothing more than to knock off the Gamecocks at home Saturday.
• February  9 – in what will rival signing day as the biggest day in the next couple weeks, the Lady Gamecocks will play the biggest game of the season as they are on the road to take on #2 Connecticut.  The Huskies are 20-1 and have 8 votes for #1 in the latest women’s poll.  This will be a huge test for South Carolina as many people are saying the Huskies offense is too strong for the Gamecocks.  This will be nationally televised and will certainly play a big part in the post-season tournament ranks
• February 10 – the Men’s Basketball team returns home Tuesday night to take on 7-14 Missouri in what will hopefully be a solid game for the Gamecocks, and a chance to improve in the SEC conference.
• February 12 – the Lady Gamecocks return home for an SEC matchup against 12-9 LSU
• February 13/14/15 – the Gamecocks baseball team opens their season in a tough matchup at home against the College of Charleston.  South Carolina has been ranked as high as #5 in the pre-season ranks but will be taking on the Cougars who advanced to the Super Regionals last year.  The Gamecocks will be trying to prove something to themselves after a disappointing end to last season.
• February 14 – Men’s Basketball travels to Kentucky in a rematch against the #1 team in the nation.  The Gamecocks were leading in the first game with just over four minutes to play in the first half.   However, Kentucky took control from that point on, and despite playing well in a lot of ways, South Carolina only shot 22% from the field and were never really in it again.  Somehow over the years, the Gamecocks have always found a way to play at a higher level against the Wildcats and they will definitely need to if they want a Valentine’s Day victory.

Whew.  There you have it.  In just over 10 days, there is a ton going on in the Gamecocks’ sports’ world, enough for any fan to get their fix.  There could be some really high highs, and some really low lows, considering the events ahead.  Either way, it’s an exciting time for Gamecocks’ fan, even if it’s February.