Seventh Woods: UNC-USC title matchup would be best of both worlds

Like most of Columbia, Seventh Woods is excited to see South Carolina men’s basketball playing in the Final Four.

But the former Hammond standout and North Carolina freshman will have a conflict if the Gamecocks and Tar Heels both win Saturday.

“If they win and we win, it is the best of both worlds, really,” Woods said. “I am so happy for them. Coach Frank Martin has been reconstructing that team, and to finally see it pay off. I know Columbia is happy and, honestly, I’m so happy and proud of them.”

Woods called being in the Final Four a dream come true in his freshman season. The freshman guard has seen his minutes shrink in the last two tournament games but he and Nate Britt might be called upon for added minutes if guard Joel Berry’s ankle gives him trouble.

“There is no telling what can happen. I’ve just got to make the most of my minutes,” Woods said.

Slowing down Gonzaga big guys

South Carolina has faced teams with size in the NCAA Tournament, but Gonzaga might be the toughest challenge yet.

The Zags play three players 6-foot-9 or taller – Przemek Karnowski, Johnathan Williams and Zach Collins. Karnowski, who has the most famous beard in the tournament, comes in at 7-foot-1, 300 pounds and averages 12.2 points per game. USC forward Chris Silva said Karnowski reminds him of Kentucky forward Bam Adebayo.

“He’s huge, and he tries to impose his will on you,” Silva said of Karnowski. “They are always passing him the ball, so we’ve got to try to not allow the ball to get inside, and make it difficult for them.”

No nerves

Gonzaga players said they aren’t nervous playing in the Final Foul, despite comments made by South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell.

Zags players were told Thornwell said Gonzaga should be the most nervous team in the Final Four.

“We’re fine. We haven’t been nervous before,” Gonzaga guard Jordan Matthews said. “Guys from Northwestern said we should be nervous, guys from West Virginia said we should be nervous, guys from Xavier said we should have been nervous. We’re just going out there, and we’re going to play.

Team bonding

South Carolina and Gonzaga each had a bonding experience before their seasons began.

The Gamecocks played two games in Costa Rica and practiced with the Costa Rica national team in August. The Zags had a little camping trip in September and left coach Few questioning his team’s toughness after a few days in the wilderness.

“I had no idea we were going to end up here based on my observations then. I would have put a lot of money that it wouldn’t have happened,” Few said. “Just amazing that they would be so frightful of being out in God’s country, in the dark where there’s absolutely nothing that could do anything to them, but yet they have no issues wandering the streets of South Chicago or Los Angeles at night.

“But it helped. I’m telling you, it was unbelievable how – the unwritten story for this team is just how they assimilated so quickly with so many new faces. And that little 48 hours really, truly helped us.”

Tip-ins

After its open practice at University of Phoenix Stadium on Friday, the Gamecocks held their normal practice at Grand Canyon University. Former Phoenix Suns star Dan Majerle is coach at Grand Canyon. … In four tournament games, USC and its opponents have each scored 132 points in the first half while the Gamecocks have outscored their foes 196-141 in the second half. ... The Gamecocks have forced 15 or more turnovers in 30 of their 36 games this season. … A win over Gonzaga would even USC’s all-time NCAA Tournament record at 9-9.

This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Seventh Woods: UNC-USC title matchup would be best of both worlds."