Busting Brackets
Fansided

SEC Basketball: Way-too-early 2019-20 preseason power rankings

By Dakota Cox

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - MARCH 09: Jalen Hudson #3 of the Florida Gators handles the ball while being guarded by Keldon Johnson #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half at Rupp Arena on March 09, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - MARCH 09: Jalen Hudson #3 of the Florida Gators handles the ball while being guarded by Keldon Johnson #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half at Rupp Arena on March 09, 2019 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 15
Next
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: Sedee Keita #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts from the bench against the Baylor Bears in the first half during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: Sedee Keita #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts from the bench against the Baylor Bears in the first half during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

10. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina’s season was a bit surprising for most. After having a losing record in the non-conference portion of their schedule, they managed to earn the 4-seed in the SEC Tournament. Had they won a few more of their games earlier in the year, they could have made it to the NCAA Tournament.

A big problem for the Gamecocks is that they have three seniors who will be leaving the program. The toughest to handle is easily Chris Silva, the leading scorer and rebounder from last year’s team.

South Carolina also has a deep class, but their best player is a 3-star. In most cases, that would be a concern, but Frank Martin has made a career out of finding tough players that will play his brand of basketball. If he thinks these are the guys to get it done, he will make it happen over their South Carolina careers. However, it probably won’t be a lot in the first year.

The best returning player is clearly the Canadian guard AJ Lawson. His perimeter play was strong, and he will have to have the ball in his hands even more without point guard Hassani Gravett. This will come naturally for Lawson. he led the team in assists the past year, and I would expect him to do that again.

The biggest question will be whether or not South Carolina’s SEC success was a flash in the pan. Many doubt that they will play as well as they did last year without Silva, but there is still enough talent on the roster and in the coaching room for them to exceed expectations once again.

Home/SEC