South Carolina Basketball: 10 best Gamecock moments leading up to the 2017 Final Four
By Kevin Miller
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.