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