South Carolina basketball: 2017-18 preview for the Gamecocks

Frank Martin took South Carolina to their first ever final four last year. But with so much talent gone, is the NIT more likely to happen?

It’s amazing how a tournament run can change the perception and outlook of a season. The Gamecocks were a good team that played great defense last season, led by the SEC player of the year Sindarius Thornwell. He upped his average by eight points from the previous year to 21.4 ppg.

Besides him, however, the rest of the team struggled on offense, creating some head scratching losses. Those games slid them down to a seven seed for the big dance. They had a great first-round matchup in the tournament against Marquette, who couldn’t stop anyone defensively last season. After blowing by the Eagles, they were supposed to get destroyed by Duke.

That didn’t happen though, as the Gamecocks blitzed past Duke in an offensive explosion. They took the momentum from the massive upset to defeat both Baylor and SEC foe Florida onto their first-ever Final Four appearance.

In the biggest game in school history, South Carolina fought from a double-digit deficit to make it a compelling second half but ultimately fell to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. It was still an incredible moment for anyone affiliated with the basketball team.

The euphoria from the moment has subsided, with Martin having to find a way to replace his top players. Thornwell and Duane Notice graduated, PJ Dozier went pro, and Rakym Felder has been suspended for the fall semester after getting into another public altercation that resulted in an arrest. It’s been a busy few months for the coaching staff to replenish the talent pool.