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USC likely to miss big dance despite 10 SEC wins

Written by SETH EMERSON

semerson@thestate.com
Posted on 03.15.09
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South Carolina coach Darrin Horn leaves the court following their 82-68 loss to Mississippi State on Friday at the Southeastern Conference men's tournament in Tampa, Fla.

TAMPA, Fla. — The USC basketball team arrived home Saturday morning, their plans for tonight suddenly in flux.

Before the SEC tournament, the Gamecocks figured they would be watching the NCAA tournament selection show to find out where they were seeded. But after a one-and-done exit, experts have the Gamecocks missing out.

And that was only after Friday. Saturday’s games only deepened South Carolina’s hole.

So as players watch tonight’s show, there will be nervousness and uncertainty.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be tough,” junior guard Brandis Raley-Ross said after Friday’s 82-68 loss to Mississippi State. “Nobody in this locker room’s experienced that. So it’s going to be new for everybody — except for the coaches.”

South Carolina’s slim chances are pinned on hoping the selection committee takes three things in consideration:

• It’s overall consistency.

• Winning a share of first place in the SEC East.

• Winning 10 league games in the regular season. No eligible 10-win SEC team since 1992 has been left out.

The difference this year is the weakness of the SEC, which is why South Carolina is on the bubble.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi consistently had South Carolina in the field the past week. But after Friday’s loss, Lunardi pushed USC all the way out, not even among the first eight teams to miss.

Jerry Palm of CollegeRPI.com and CBSSports.com went further, taking South Carolina off his list of “fence-sitters,” or teams still under consideration.

The road became even tougher Saturday.

Southern California’s Pac-10 championship took away a bid from someone, since the Trojans were not expected to get an at-large bid.

Mississippi State’s upset of LSU, the league’s regular-season champion, put the Bulldogs in position to either win the SEC’s automatic bid, or at least be considered for an at-large spot.

The possibility still exists for the SEC to only get two bids, which would be unheard of in recent memory for a power conference. Tennessee and LSU are the only certainties for an at-large spot. If the SEC gets a third team, and it’s not Mississippi State as the champion, South Carolina may still be behind Auburn and Mississippi State in the pecking order.

Why is that, despite an impressive overall record of 21-9? Because South Carolina’s resume’ took another hit Saturday.

Losses by Auburn and Baylor pretty much ensured that South Carolina will not own a win against a team in the RPI’s top 50. Unless Auburn or Florida gets a bid, the Gamecocks also will be without a win against a team in the 65-team field.

While coach Darrin Horn made the case for his team on Friday, his players were less sure. The players in the stunned postgame locker room mostly said they weren’t sure what would happen.

“It’s not up to us anymore,” junior forward Evka Baniulis said. “It’s up to some people who select.”

Senior guard Zam Fredrick, who runs the risk of never playing in the NCAA tournament, went the furthest in arguing his team’s case.

“I think we played well enough and our resume is good enough where they’re going to consider us to make the tournament,” Fredrick said. “We don’t know how they make their selection or what goes into it, or who does what or who’s even in there. So we can’t say if it slipped away. We’re just going to wait until Sunday to see if it happens.”

Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.

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