FINALLY … SOUTH CAROLINA BASKETBALL SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE
By FITSNEWS || The University of South Carolina is playing its best basketball ever under third-year head coach Frank Martin – putting together back-to-back blowout wins over quality opponents.
On December 6, Martin’s Gamecocks (6-3, 0-0 SEC) thumped Big XII power Oklahoma State 75-49. After an extended layoff, South Carolina showed no signs of rust in laying the wood to arch-rival Clemson – taming the Tigers 68-45 on Friday night at Colonial Life Center. Trailing by two points at halftime, Carolina went crazy in the second half – embarking on a 26-2 run that turned a dogfight into a drubbing.
Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame hit a three-pointer five minutes into the second half to tie the game at 35 points – but the Tigers (6-4, 0-0 ACC) wouldn’t score again for more than ten minutes.
By that time, it was over …
The dagger came at the 4:33 mark of the second half when South Carolina – up 61-39 – had an inbounds play with just four seconds left on the shot clock. Martin called a timeout and drew up a play for sophomore guard Duane Notice – who responded by draining his fifth three-point shot from the baseline by the Carolina bench.
Notice led all scorers with nineteen points, while guard Tyrone Johnson doled out nine assists in the game.
Brad Brownell‘s squad is no pushover, either. Clemson has three big wins over SEC schools so far this season – including a 68-65 overtime win over then-No. 18 Arkansas earlier this month.
“They turned it up another notch in the second half,” Brownell said after the game. “Offensively it was hard for us, once they got the crowd into the game and got some momentum it was tough sledding for us.”
Wait … a crowd? At Colonial Life Arena? That’s right: Official estimates put the attendance for this rivalry game at 11,992 – and for once it looked as though that number wasn’t inflated.
Carolina’s back-to-back blowouts come at a critical time in the evolution of the program under Martin – whose first two seasons in Columbia, S.C. have been downright abysmal.
After racing out to a 10-3 start in 2012-13, Martin’s team finished the year 4-15. Last season, the Gamecocks limped to a 14-20 mark without the services of two-sport star Bruce Ellington – who chose to forego his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
Martin also put an embarrassing exclamation point on the 2013-14 season with a profanity-laced outburst directed at Notice during a game against Florida.
Yeah … not good. Especially given the expectations that accompanied Martin from Kansas State, where he never won fewer than 20 games and led his team to four NCAA tournaments in five seasons.
Obviously Martin inherited a team in shambles … and it hasn’t helped him that South Carolina’s other high visibility programs (football and baseball) have experienced unprecedented success in recent years. Oh, and South Carolina’s women’s basketball team? They’re No. 1 in the country.
Still, for the first time in a long time it looks as though Gamecock basketball has a fighting chance …
IN PICS >>>
USC-CLEMSON BOX SCORE (.pdf)
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24 comments
Obama bailed Castro out…now the Gamecocks bail FITS out…FITS can diver attention, w/ a hoops win…
The Sweetheart Deal FITS swore he knew about for Metts was Bull-$#!t…
And FITS wants to talk about anything but the Liberal Racists at SONY, and N. Korea punking Obama, and the head-burying RonPaul “let evil thrive” policy……
Not to mention, Bill Cosby – is not raping – but screwing Hillary…by association…and not a word from FITS as the whole rotting mess is making him look like the Dumb@$$ he is….Hahahahaha…
And SCPSD looks like a genius…
And SCPSD looks like a genius..
Prolly should put that *genius* back in the bottle, Chief.
How convenient….LMAO…You all, always have lots to say about me, yet you claim I’m irrelevant…
But not a word about your god-and-puppet-master FITS, as he chokes on the gaspipe of his failed admonitions to his gaggle of fools and imbeciles…in the ignorance-based world of the lost the Liberal-Tarian.. ..
What’s the diver about?
Your strange …
“his gaggle of fools and imbeciles”
That’s what you should be shootin’ for hoss, it’ll get you off the dole.
It’s so funny to see posts like this and posts like the ones I saw on social media and message boards last night. Anyone who has halfway paid any attention has seen this team ever so methodically building and improving to where they are. And guess what? They have two major recruits on the way in Dozier and Silva. This year will be improved,but next year they will be an NCAA tourney team.
I believe you might be exaggerating there. A strong opponent would have capitalized on USC consistently throwing the ball away in the first half. Poor fundamentals, but Clemson had no answer.
Psssst…. Justin Mckie hit the 3 pointer with 4 seconds left on the shot clock.
Maybe the myth is true; there must be a coach named “Frank” in order for Gamecock BKB to prosper.
USC definitely on the upswing in hoops while Clemson is on downswing…..opposite could be said for football.
Carolina had one down year. And the two programs are flip-flopping? Clemson is losing everybody on defense. And you lost your offensive coordinator. Clemson will be worse next year.
66-42-4. USCe has had 66 down years, They’ll come back, and we hope they do.
let me ask you Frankie, does Spurrier own Clemson?
SC leads series 89-76 in Basketball.
Most people don’t remember when Carolina was a basketball school.I was at this game,and it was good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88sI41IsN-E
I was there as well. Most crowd noise I’ve heard at a game since Charley Beans took a swing at Purvis Ellison back in the eighties. Clemson scored only 15 points in the second half. Martin has them bought in on defense.
Heady days.
I think there was some more news relating the Gamecocks athletic department that came out last night/today, but I can’t seem to find it on FITS?
Why is that?
I hope that the same approach that helped USC build a fine Baseball program works for Basketball too. That is: leave the coach alone for years and let him build the program a little at a time. Remember, it took Coach Tanner 12 years to get the USC baseball team into National winning form. Patience will win in the end.
The last season I attended most games,was when Eddie Fogler was coach.They should have kept him.It’s been a long time since Carolina has given a coach a chance to build/rebuild a team..
Yeah get excited about a CU team that lost its heart and soul from last year and is in serious re-build mode.
Enjoy uSC! You are so easily entertained.
here you go again with a post 5 days after the fact acting like you have an opinion that matters. What’s the matter princess, your ACC not as high and mighty as you think or act? UNC, Miami, Louisville, Notre Dame, etc… all rocked by scandals so you come slumming over here again after saying you will never come back (but here you are). get a life idiot!!