The SEC released its tournament pairings today, and in looking at it, the question remains can Gamecock men pull upset? South Carolina finished its season an even 15-15 overall and 6-12 in the SEC after a 60-49 victory over Tennessee on the final day of regular season..
The Gamecocks enter the tournament as the #11 seed, just one victory away from getting a first round bye. However, instead they will face Missouri, a team they beat earlier this season and the last seed overall. The game will tipoff Wednesday night probably around 9pm in Nashville, Tennessee.
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The first round game is one they should win. From there the next night they would take on Ole Miss, who they lost to this year. Although the Rebels are the #6 seed, the Gamecocks have a shot at winning depending on which team shows up to play. If it’s the team that played yesterday, then they have a real shot, but if it’s the team that got blown out by out Mississippi St. Recently, then the tournament and maybe the season, will be over.
If they can find a way to win there, then Friday the Gamecocks would taken on the #3 seed Georgia, a team they have somehow dominated twice this year. In fact, beating the Bulldogs twice has probably been the highlight of the season, in addition to beating then #9 Iowa St.
this Gamecock team has been Jekyll & Hyde, sometimes even in the same game, and especially near the end. But it’s also a team that can be very good at the foundational pieces rebounding, low turnovers, and swarming defense. If they can limit their mistakes and make a few baskets, they could find themselves in the semifinals on Saturday.