March Madness is here. One of the year’s best sports days is upon us. The NCAA Tournament has begun. Legends will be made. Brackets will be busted. South Carolina basketball has done enough to make the Big Dance for the first time in 7 years, and fans can't help but reminisce about the last time the Gamecocks were in the NCAA Tournament.
In what was the greatest run in program history (and arguably the greatest team in program history), South Carolina knocked off perennial powers like the Marquette Golden Eagles, Duke Blue Devils, Baylor Bears, and Florida Gators en route to the Final Four.
It remains to be seen just how far the 2023-2024 Gamecocks can go now that the Madness of March has begun, but South Carolina basketball fans can always think back to the end of March in 2017.
Here are the 10 best moments leading up to the 2016-2017 Final Four.
No. 10: PJ Dozier’s Buzzer Beater Gives South Carolina Basketball the Win over NCAA Tournament Team Monmouth
This moment might not be that well-remembered because of what followed the rest of the season. However, in just the third contest of the year, the Gamecocks were in a rock fight with Monmouth, an eventual NCAA Tournament team. After having a large lead in the second half, the South Carolina offense faltered and allowed Monmouth to send the game to overtime.
In the overtime period, the game looked lost before Dozier hit a ridiculous shot to win the game. Duane Notice made an ill-advised pass across the court that Dozier jumped up to catch. With not enough time to come down and shoot, #15 flicked the ball back into the air. The celebration was on as the basketball tickled the nylon. It was not an impressive victory, but it shaped the Gamecocks in the 2016-2017 season as they overcame some self-induced adversity.
No. 9: South Carolina Basketball Loses to Alabama in 4 Overtimes, But Only after Sindarius Thornwell Put on a Show
If there was one team in the SEC that gave Frank Martin fits during his tenure in Columbia, it was the Alabama Crimson Tide. This was no different during the Final Four season, as the Gamecocks lost to the Tide twice. In Columbia, the Gamecocks lost in 4 overtimes but only after a superhuman effort from Sindarius Thornwell sparked a 17-point comeback.
South Carolina got off to a terrible start against the Tide, and old foe Riley Norris was killing the Gamecocks. A 17-point first-half lead and foul trouble for Chris Silva and Maik Kotsar made things seem out of reach. When the two bigs fouled out, Thornwell approached Coach Martin and asked to play center despite only being 6’4″. Thornwell, Duane Notice, and PJ Dozier played over 50 minutes each in the shootout, and Thornwell and Justin McKie played out of position down low. Thornwell notched an astonishing 44 points and 21 rebounds before the team ran out of gas.
No. 8: South Carolina Basketball Dismantles Tennessee to Round Back into Tournament Form
South Carolina basketball fans were starting to think that the 2016-2017 season was going to end just like the previous year: with the Gamecocks sitting at home in March with a bitter taste in their mouths. Three straight SEC losses in February painted a bleak picture of what was to come. However, they righted the ship when the Rick Barnes-led Tennessee Volunteers came to town.
In the season’s third-to-final regular season game, the Gamecocks got their groove back. In an absolute dismantling of the Volunteers, the Gamecocks outscored the Vols by 19 in the second half. The 27-point final margin seemed closer than the game felt, and it rekindled the fanbase’s hope in the postseason.
No. 7: Chris Silva Punishes the Rim in South Carolina Basketball’s Victory over Mississippi State in Home Finale
In case fans thought the Tennessee victory was a fluke, South Carolina won its final home contest of the 2016-2017 season against a good Mississippi State team. The game was tightly-contested, and the raucous crowd had the environment feeling like the NCAA Tournament. The highlight of the game came in the first half when Chris Silva did irreparable damage to the rim at Colonial Life Arena with a ferocious dunk over two Bulldog defenders. Thankfully, those rims could be replaced after the game. The play provided Silva with some much needed confidence for the March run.
The game also solidified Sindarius Thornwell as the SEC’s Player of the Year as he had an efficient 28 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, and a block with just one turnover and zero fouls! The game was indicative of his entire season, as Thornwell led the Gamecocks in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and was second in blocks.
No. 6: Maik Kotsar Bursts onto the Scene as South Carolina Basketball Takes Down Two Blue Bloods in a Row
A baby-faced freshman forward from Estonia named Maik Kotsar started the majority of the season during the Gamecocks’ magical run to the Final Four. He would eventually go on to be an All-SEC player in his later years, but even as a freshman, Kotsar was vitaly important to Frank Martin’s squad.
Early in the season, Carolina took on Michigan and Syracuse in back-to-back contests. The Gamecocks passed the early-season tests with flying colors, beating both teams by double-digits. Kotsar established himself as a useful post presence for the team both on offense and defense as he scored an extremely efficient 26 points in the two games and was a stone wall down low on the other end of the court. He also revealed a nice mid-range jumper that would feature prominently in March.
No. 5: South Carolina Basketball Advances to the Elite Eight after a Demolition of the Baylor Bears
After what had transpired the previous two games, fans felt like South Carolina’s matchup with the 3-seed Baylor Bears somehow was going to be an easy Gamecock win. As it turned out, the fans were right.
A 15-13 lead for the Bears turned into a 31-15 Gamecock lead after an 18-0 run flipped the game for good. Carolina cruised in the second half on their way to a 20-point victory (70-50) and a date with the Florida Gators in the Elite Eight. The 20-point margin tied the school’s NCAA Tournament record sent just two games prior against Marquette. Sindarius Thornwell, PJ Dozier, and Chris Silva led the way as they combined for 48 points, 19 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 blocks. After beating Marquette and Duke with offense, the Gamecock defense won the day.
No. 4: In the Program’s First NCAA Tournament Victory since 1973, the Gamecocks Beat Marquette
A 44-year drought ended when the South Carolina Gamecocks finally broke through and won an NCAA Tournament game. Marquette led most of the first half, but the Gamecocks started surging around the mid-point of the second period. A tight game got out of hand fast as the normally defense-first Carolina squad saw their offense hit a new gear.
Powered by 40 combined points on 19-33 shooting from Sindarius Thornwell and PJ Dozier, the Gamecocks would not be denied. Their 93 points scored was an NCAA Tournament record for the school, as was the 20-point margin of victory. The gym exploded with just over 3:30 to play as the Gamecock fans in the building recognized the reality of what was happening before them. Sindarius Thornwell drove the lane for a tough and-one to put their team up 17 and secure their first victory of the Tournament.
No. 3: The South Carolina Basketball Team Played in the Final Four
Even though it was a losing effort, just how cool was it that the Gamecocks made it to the Final Four and played competitively? An unfortunate flu bug went around the team in the lead up to the Final Four, and Sinadarius Thornwell reportedly had it worse than anyone. He, Maik Kotsar, and Rakym Felder had their worst games of the Tournament against Gonzaga in the aftermath of the bug.
Despite having to overcome sickness, the Gamecocks played a very close game with the Bulldogs. In the end, Nigel Williams-Goss (Thornwell’s matchup) proved to be too much as the Gamecocks fell 77-73. Thanks to a virus, a season for the ages ended with fans asking the question, “what if?”
No. 2: The Best Second Half of South Carolina Basketball Ever Propels the Gamecocks over Old ACC Rival Duke
The Gamecocks trailed after a dysmal shooting first half 23-30. A record-breaking 65 points in the second half, however, was too much for the Duke Blue Devils to keep up with. The Gamecocks got 69 points from Sindarius Thornwell, PJ Dozier, Chris Silva, Duane Notice, and Rakym Felder. The offensive onslaught had the building rocking as the Gamecock faithful partnered with North Carolina fans (who hate South Carolina but hate Duke even more) to create one of the loudest Tournament environments ever.
It was appropriate for this team that senior leader Justin McKie had the opportunity to salt the game away. A very important player during the 2016-2017 season, McKie did not light up the box score most nights but had two dunks at the end of the game for his only four points to keep the score out of reach for Coach K’s crew. Riding the offensive momentum built up in the drubbing of Marquette in Round 1, the Gamecocks won 88-81 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
No. 1: South Carolina Basketball Punches Their Ticket to the Final Four with a Big Win over a Familiar Foe in the Elite Eight
The Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks split their two-game season series with each home team coming out on top. The third matchup certainly would be the most important asa trip to the Final Four was the prize. A truly back-and-forth game found two unlikely candidates making the difference on the scoreboard late.
With just under 2:00 to play in the game, freshman Maik Kotsar made his second of two clutch mid-range jumpshots to keep his team ahead. As the clock dwindled, Duane Notice iced the game with a huge (and extremely rare) dunk that whipped the pro-Gamecock crowd into an absolute frenzy as the inevitable victory was sealed.