Are we all in a toxic relationship with South Carolina men's basketball? Because if heartbreak was a sport, the Gamecocks would be national champions. Let's be real, no one wants to be the best at being the worst, but ESPN's Jay Bilas put it in the most fitting way possible during South Carolina's SEC Tournament matchup against Arkansas when he said:
“I can’t imagine we’ve ever seen a team in last place as good as South Carolina. I don’t think there’s ever been one.”
Excuse me while I go cry myself to sleep now...
It is indeed the ultimate backhanded compliment, but he isn't wrong. Lamont Paris and company might have finished dead last in the SEC standings, but they were really good at being so close to winning several games this season. Does last place just mean more too?
The worst part about this season for the Gamecocks is that they didn't really get blown out this year. They just barely kept losing, making it one agonizing, nail-biting season of defeats. South Carolina lost to Auburn and Vanderbilt by just three points They fell to Florida by one point after leading for almost 40 minutes of the game. And let's not talk about the heartbreaking overtime losses this season, like the Mississippi State game (65-60).
South Carolina has also been competitive; they have the talent. It seems like they just could never get those last few minutes of the game to cooperate. The Gamecocks aren't bad, they just weren't quite good enough either. Going forward, there's only one way up, right? With a little more luck and a lot more made free throws, South Carolina could rebound next season and go from being the best worst team to being just... a good team.
And if not, maybe there will be a "30 for 30: How the 2025 South Carolina Gamecocks became the best team to ever be the worst."