South Carolina basketball: Jon Rothstein reveals SEC projections

One expert is high on the South Carolina basketball team this season.

Jon Rothstein, a respected insider and analyst within the college basketball world, recently revealed his projections in the Southeastern Conference for the upcoming 2020-21 season. Rothstein is much higher on the Gamecocks than most, placing Frank Martin’s group in the top five of the league standings, ahead of notable programs Arkansas, Alabama, and Auburn.

Rothstein also has the Gamecocks ranked as the 36th best team in his preseason top 45.

That fifth-placed ranking is actually right where GarnetandCocky put the Gamecocks in its SEC preseason projections, which should indicate that there’s a lot to be excited about leading into the year. That would represent a one-spot jump from last year’s finish in what should be a highly competitive league, particularly at the top with Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, and LSU.

The South Carolina basketball team will hope to keep its name in that conversation as the season moves forward.

The Gamecocks return a ton of talent from an 18-win team in 2019, including leading scorer AJ Lawson, who opted to return to school for his junior season. Lawson has paced the team in back-to-back years, averaging just a tick over 13 points a game for his career.

The Gamecocks also return Keyshawn Bryant, who Rothstein mentions as a potential breakout candidate. Bryant is coming off of his most productive season at South Carolina, where he scored 9.1 points a game on 46% shooting. He’s known for throwing down some monster dunks and is an absolute freak on the court. He’s easily the most athletic player on the team.

Back, too, are Justin Minaya, Jermaine Couisnard, and Alanzo Frink, who project to be in the mix for starting roles. All in all, the Gamecocks return eight of their top 10 scorers from a year ago.

Though Frank Martin does bring a solid core back to Columbia, there will be a major piece missing. Senior and four-year starter Maik Kotsar is gone after an all-SEC campaign where he finished among the top three Gamecocks in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, and assists.

While Kotsar’s loss was expected, the Gamecocks also lost shooting guard Jair Bolden after just one season. Bolden announced his intent to transfer to Butler back in May.

In to help fill those voids are newcomers Seventh Woods, Patrick Iriel, and Ja’Von Benson. Woods will provide depth and hopefully a spark in the South Carolina backcourt after spending three seasons with North Carolina. He helped bring home a championship to Chapel Hill in the same season that the Gamecocks made their Final Four run.

As a Tar Heel, he averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 assists a game. Rothstein sees Woods getting an opportunity to play a lot of minutes in Columbia, naming him as one of the league’s top impact transfers and a key piece to the success of South Carolina’s season.

Iriel and Benson may be looking at a year on the sidelines as freshmen with the Gamecocks returning Jaylin McCreary, Alanzo Frink, and Wildens Leveque at the big positions.

STRENGTHS

The strength of the team should be the guard play. Jermaine Couisnard excelled after taking over the starting point guard role last year. The freshman should be poised for another breakout year after leading the team in scoring during SEC play.

Trae Hannibal should be back making an impact, too, after a productive freshman campaign. He’s a tough-nosed kid that can come off the bench and get the team going with a quick steal and finish.

Combine that with the returns of previously mentioned Lawson, Minaya, Bryant, and Woods, and the Gamecock backcourt sets up nicely.

QUESTION MARKS

Losing Kotsar will hurt, and he’ll be impossible to replace with a single player. A combination of Frink, McCreary, and Leveque will need to work together to match the output of South Carolina’s do-it-all center.

Leveque brings size, standing 7-foot tall. He was also very efficient with the ball last season, shooting at a 61% clip from the field. He should continue to grow as a scorer, and will continue to benefit the team on the defensive side of the ball by forcing blocked and contested shots.

McCreary and Frink are proven scorers, and they’ll likely rotate at the forward position, while also spelling Leveque when the lineup plays small.

OUTLOOK

Frank Martin has to be excited about what he’s got coming back this season. The roster seems to have the experienced backcourt needed to make a postseason run, and if the bigs play up to their potential, the Gamecocks should almost certainly see themselves in the field of 64 when NCAA Tournament time rolls around.

Look for this team to improve upon a solid 2019 campaign and meet Rothstein’s projections by finishing in the top half of the Southeastern Conference.