NCAA Basketball: North Carolina, Kentucky, Auburn rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
16. South Carolina (25-6)
In a season where the great teams in the SEC have all looked pretty great, South Carolina has certainly been the surprise of the league. Lamont Paris has lead a monumental turnaround in his second season in Columbia and will have the Gamecocks dancing for the first time in seven years. These Gamecocks aren’t just beating up on weaker schools, boasting wins over Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida, though they came up short against one of them this week.
Wednesday’s home finale did not go as planned, as South Carolina fell 66-59 against Tennessee. Meechie Johnson scored 18 and Collin Murray-Boyles had a double-double, but the Volunteers took care of business on the road. Fortunately the Gamecocks bounced back nicely this weekend, outlasting Mississippi State 93-89 for an overtime win on the road. B. J. Mack paced the Gamecocks with 25 points while Murray-Boyles had another nice performance with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.
All things considered, this regular season couldn’t have gone much better for South Carolina. Not only have they established a winning culture this season, but they’ve been doing it against some really strong teams. The SEC is no joke, and that’ll be on full display in the conference tournament next week. With a return to March Madness a certainty, could we see more Gamecocks magic on display at the SEC Tournament and deeper into March?