HOLY MACKEREL! Gamecocks advance in NCAAs!
They weren’t playing to end any streak. They were playing for themselves.
So consider South Carolina’s 93-73 NCAA Tournament win over Marquette on Friday a thank you to everybody that came before, a sigh of relief for those that will follow – but most of all, a round of applause for the 2016-17 team.
The Gamecocks are moving on.
USC (23-10) snapped a 44-year winless streak in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to play ACC champion Duke at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Sunday, with the winner of that game headed for the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden. Talk of the skid had crept into every conversation about the Gamecocks leading to Friday’s game; now that it’s over, there’s a new line.
Why stop now?
“For these guys who have never been on this stage, our school hadn’t won one since ’73, I’m just so proud of my guys,” coach Frank Martin said. “These kids have taken me on an unbelievable ride.”
USC overcame a bad start where it didn’t attack a defense known for giving up buckets of inside points, things changing when P.J. Dozier relentlessly drove the lane in the second half and Sindarius Thornwell being the SEC Player of the Year he was all season. Rakym Felder supplied the bench points, Chris Silva was a bull in the paint and USC began taking advantage of what Marquette gave it.
The Golden Eagles (19-13) were always going to be threats to shoot, but USC’s tenacious defense, led by Duane Notice on the ball, started causing turnovers. The lead grew and grew until it reached 11 with 5:30 to go, and the crowd began to feel it, in a mix of nervousness and excitement.
Here was where so many games had disappeared, USC refusing to accept prosperity. Here was where the past would rise.
But Friday was a new day.
The Gamecocks stretched the lead to 18 as Thornwell picked up a loose ball and finished the three-point play with 3:42 to go, and Marquette was officially in panic mode. Not enough shots fell as the Gamecocks bled out the clock and their opponent.
Thornwell finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds while Dozier had 21. Silva and Notice had 10 each.
The final minute was a massive celebration at the sold-out Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Martin, who inherited a mess five years ago and vowed to fix it, brick-by-brick, laid the last trowel of cement on a fine house on Friday.
“That’s what we signed up for,” said Thornwell. “We signed up to put this program in a situation where when it’s time to leave, we’re playing with the best teams in the country.”
Follow on Twitter at @DCTheState
SOUTH CAROLINA 93, MARQUETTE 73
MARQUETTE (19-13)
Heldt 0-1 0-0 0, Wilson 2-5 0-0 4, Howard 5-10 0-0 13, Hauser 4-7 2-2 12, Rowsey 3-9 5-6 13, Fischer 4-6 0-0 8, Cheatham 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 5-9 3-4 16, Reinhardt 2-7 2-2 7, Marotta 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-54 12-14 73.
SOUTH CAROLINA (23-10)
Silva 3-6 4-4 10, Kotsar 4-9 1-2 9, Notice 4-12 0-0 10, Dozier 9-14 2-6 21, Thornwell 10-19 6-7 29, Keita 0-0 0-0 0, Gravett 1-3 0-0 2, Blanton 0-0 0-0 0, Hinson 0-0 0-0 0, McKie 2-2 0-0 5, Felder 3-4 0-0 7. Totals 36-69 13-19 93.
Halftime—Marquette 40-39. 3-Point Goals—Marquette 11-28 (Johnson 3-5, Howard 3-6, Hauser 2-4, Rowsey 2-7, Reinhardt 1-6), South Carolina 8-24 (Thornwell 3-6, Notice 2-10, McKie 1-1, Felder 1-2, Dozier 1-3, Gravett 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Marquette 26 (Johnson, Fischer 6), South Carolina 35 (Thornwell 11). Assists—Marquette 12 (Howard, Johnson 3), South Carolina 18 (Notice, Dozier, McKie 4). Total Fouls—Marquette 20, South Carolina 13.
This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 11:59 PM with the headline "HOLY MACKEREL! Gamecocks advance in NCAAs!."