Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: 6 biggest breakout candidates for 2019-20 season

By Brian Rauf

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: NBA Hall of Famer and former Georgetown Hoyas player Patrick Ewing is introduced as the Georgetown Hoyas' new head basketball coach John Thompson Jr. Athletic Center on April 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: NBA Hall of Famer and former Georgetown Hoyas player Patrick Ewing is introduced as the Georgetown Hoyas' new head basketball coach John Thompson Jr. Athletic Center on April 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – FEBRUARY 13: Frank Martin the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks gives instructions to his team against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 13, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – FEBRUARY 13: Frank Martin the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks gives instructions to his team against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 13, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

South Carolina Gamecocks

It feels like a long time since South Carolina made the Final Four in 2017, and that also happens to be the only time the Gamecocks have made the NCAA Tournament in his first seven seasons with the program.

At the same time, they’ve also finished in the top four in the SEC in three of the last four seasons.

We know South Carolina will be solid defensively. It has been offense that has held the Gamecocks back, but that doesn’t appear to be the case this year. Following a scrimmage against Illinois over the weekend (Underwood is a former assistant of Martin’s), the Gamecocks head coach spoke fondly of his offense and the way they handled the Illini’s tough defense.

"“They weren’t letting us do certain things to try to play offense a certain way, so we had to play, and I was real happy we were able to do that. The last couple of years, we would have gotten very stagnant. Yesterday, we kept playing, so I was happy to see that.”"

There are reasons for this newfound offense for South Carolina despite losing two of their top three scorers. Versatile 6-6 guard A.J. Lawson, a projected first round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is back along with the supremely athletic Keyshawn Bryant, who is one of the nation’s best dunkers. Justin Minaya also returns after redshirting due to a knee injury, giving the Gamecocks another viable offensive option.

Yet the biggest reason for optimism outside of Lawson’s star potential is guard Jermaine Couisnard, who redshirted last year but was the talk of the program all summer.

With improved depth thanks to a solid freshman class and Tennessee Tech grad transfer Micaiah Henry, South Carolina is in prime position to take advantage of a weak middle of the SEC. Don’t be surprised to see the Gamecocks finish fourth in the conference again.

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