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South Carolina Basketball: 10 best Gamecock moments leading up to the 2017 Final Four

The 10 greatest moments on South Carolina basketball's run to the 2016-2017 Final Four

By Kevin Miller

The South Carolina basketball team made it all the way to the Final Four at the end of the 2016-2017 season. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The South Carolina basketball team made it all the way to the Final Four at the end of the 2016-2017 season. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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South Carolina Basketball
Forward Maik Kotsar would prove to be a very important player during South Carolina basketball’s run to the Final Four. Back-to-back games against Michigan and Syracuse would be his coming out party. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

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