March Madness: Top 10 candidates for Final Four most outstanding player

9. P.J. Dozier, South Carolina

P.J. Dozier’s emergence as Sindarius Thornwell’s sidekick this season is a major reason that South Carolina is in the Final Four. The Columbia, South Carolina native struggled mightily as a freshman last year for his hometown Gamecocks, averaging 6.7 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 38.7 percent from the field.

Dozier rededicated himself to the weight room this offseason and accepted his role as the team’s secondary scorer. The 6-6 sophomore guard has scored in double-figures 20 times, including eight games of 20 or more points, during the regular season. That means that there were still 11 occasions where he was held to single digits. In three of those 11 games, he scored four or less points, which includes putting up a goose egg against Michigan on Nov. 23. He is currently second on the team in scoring (13.6), behind Thornwell (21.6 points), though he has taken 26 more field goal attempts than any other player on the team.

Dozier has increased his efficiency during the NCAA tournament. Dozier has scored in double-figures in all four tournament games and is averaging 15.2 points while shooting 53 percent from the floor. He had his best game in the opening game of the tournament against Marquette, tallying 21 points — on 9-of-14 shooting — along with four rebounds as well as four assists. He tallied 13 points in the second half as the Gamecocks took control. Additionally, he poured in 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the Elite Eight against Florida.