South Carolina Basketball: Keys to the Gamecocks winning the SEC Tournament

The SEC Tournament begins on Wednesday with the opening round games between Arkansas and Vanderbilt and between Georgia and Missouri. South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris and his team have a bye through to the 2nd round, where they will face off with the winner of Arkansas-Vanderbilt.

The Gamecocks are a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, so many have opined that the SEC Tournament "doesn't matter" for USC. That isn't true, however, as South Carolina basketball has a long history of futility in the SEC Tourney. With the chance to rewrite that narrative and the opportunity to set a new program record for wins, Carolina's trip to Nashville does matter.

The Gamecocks have never won the SEC Tournament. They have finished as the runner-up twice (after the 1997-1998 regular season and after the 2005-2006 regular season), but in the last 9 seasons, South Carolina basketball has just 1 total victory in the conference tournament.

Even in the 2016-2017 Final Four run, the Gamecocks did not win an SEC Tournament game. As things stand today, Carolina is just one win away from tying the all-time single-season wins mark that the team set that season. The 25 wins (so far) this season is tied for 2nd with the 2015-2016 team and the 1969-1970 team.

A strong showing in Nashville would help turn the tide of the Gamecocks' conference tournament losing ways and could lead to the record books needing some revisions.

So, how can South Carolina basketball come out on top in the SEC Tournament?