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South Carolina Basketball: South Carolina Gamecocks 2015-16 Season Preview

By Bryce Bennett

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South Carolina Gamecocks

2014-2015 Record: 17-16 (6-12, SEC)
Postseason: None

Can Frank Martin’s South Carolina Gamecocks finally break through? That is the question of the season for the 2015-16 version of the Gamecocks.

After three years of a combined conference record of 15 – 39, Martin is going to need to show faster improvement in year four.

The good news for Martin and Gamecock fans is that he may have the roster this year to put South Carolina in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004.

Let’s check-out the games and players that could propel South Carolina into NCAA tournament conversations this March.

 Newcomers

G – P.J. Dozier (#37 Rivals)
F – Chris Silva (#134 Rivals)
G – Jamall Gregory
C – Travon Bunch
F – Eric Cobb
F – Raymond Doby

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 20-23 Paradise Jam – South Carolina will have a great opportunity to earn some Power 5 victories against like-minded teams in The Paradise Jam tournament.

First up is a match-up against DePaul (12-20, 6-12 Big East) who South Carolina should handle. Next up is Florida State in Round Two.

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Florida State, like South Carolina, projects to be a bubble team come March and a resume-building win here could propel the Gamecocks to a Paradise Jam championship and early confidence for the young team. The Gamecocks would even take a 2-1 trip in this set of games.

Dec. 18 at Clemson – South Carolina’s first true road game figures to be a tough test against their in-state rival from the ACC. Clemson was basically South Carolina last season, so it should give the Gamecocks a progress report before entering SEC conference play.

Both teams will play tough defense and might struggle to score, so this game might be on the ugly side, but South Carolina will take the victory regardless.

Dec. 22 vs St. John’s – The Gamecocks last non-conference game comes against the Johnnies in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout.

This neutral-site game will probably have the Gamecocks favored and gives the team another opportunity for a quality win. These types of victories are essential for South Carolina to achieve post-season success.

Key Players

P.J. Dozier – The highly-touted 6’6″ freshman point guard/shooting from Columbia, SC decided to stay home for school and the impact could be program-changing for South Carolina. Dozier’s versatility will allow Martin to play him at multiple positions.

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    • Dozier’s length is also a dream in Martin’s tough, in-your-face defense that he prides his program’s to emulate. On the offensive end, Dozier’s passing ability and court vision will make his teammates and South Carolina’s offense better. A lot is expected from Dozier this year, let’s hope it’s not too much for the freshman.

    Duane Notice – South Carolina’s leading scorer returns for his junior season looking to improve field goal percentage (37.9% last year) and scoring consistency. Notice’s last third of the season was what South Carolina needs as he was in double figures for 8 out of 9 games. The offensively challenged Gamecocks will need more from Notice if they have the NCAA tournament in their eyes.

    Season Outlook

    The South Carolina Gamecocks feels like a NIT-bound team this season. If that occurs, the question will be “is that enough for Frank Martin?”.

    South Carolina fired its previous coach after four NCAA tournament-void seasons, but Martin will have shown clear improvement.

    That seems to be the takeaway from the Gamecocks. Things are improving and will be improving more into the future, it just might be taking longer than people expected.

    Next: Tennessee Volunteers 2015-16 Season Preview

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