Charleston charges into Palmetto Madness Final Four along with USC, Clemson

When March Madness rolls on, teams assume a “survive and advance” mentality and the “no-free-lunch” takes its place in the tournament vernacular.

That is, the better teams move on and competition stiffens, whether in the real NCAA tournament, canceled this year due to the coronavirus, or the Palmetto State Madness tournament — a work of fun and fiction designed to give the basketball junkie a fix in these times of uncertainty.

The journey into “fantasy land” started with 16 teams with each college in South Carolina that has had a team in the Big Dance represented. Choosing the entries provided an exercise in subjectivity and guaranteed debate. So do the results. Imaginations can run wild.

They’re in the Elite Eight today with the field set to be whittled to a precious four. One team romped; the other found truth in the there is “no-free-lunch” adage.

No. 1 South Carolina (1970) 91, No. 9 Furman (1974) 78

South Carolina: John Roche 31 points; Tom Riker 14 points, 14 rebounds; Tom Owens 16 points, 10 rebounds.

Furman: Clyde Mayes, 14 points, 14 rebounds; Bruce Grimm 27 points; Craig Lynch 17 points, 7 rebounds.

Game Summary: The longtime rivals — they first played in 1908 — engaged in one of those run-and-gun shootouts with neither team in danger of committing a shot-clock violation.

Scoring aces John Roche for the Gamecocks and Bruce Grimm for the Paladins engaged in an anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better sideshow. Roche scored 31 points on 11 of 16 shooting from the floor; Grimm went 9 for 15 and finished with 27.

Meanwhile, a man’s game unfolded inside with Furman’s Clyde Mayes and Fessor Leonard battling USC’s formidable front line of Tom Owens, John Ribock and Tom Riker.

USC led early 24-12. Furman caught up at 31-31 and the teams went to halftime all square at 39-39. The Gamecocks broke the game open with a 10-0 run midway through the second half.

No. 5 College of Charleston (1997) 66, No. 4 Clemson (1997) 65

College of Charleston: Thaddeous Delaney 14 points, 14 rebounds; Anthony Johnson 19 points, 6 assists.

Clemson: Greg Buckner 17 points; Terrell McIntyre 14 points, 8 assists. Harold Jamison, 10 points, 10 rebounds.

Game Summary: They called Charleston’s 6-foot-8, 240-pound Thaddeous Delaney “The Shaq of the TAAC” and he showed why against the Tigers in the Elite Eight. He earned the nickname against lesser competition in the Trans America Athletic Conference (now the Atlantic Sun), but he looked like the real Shaq — LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal — against Clemson.

The teams staged a 40-minute monument to competition and the result came to this: With Clemson down a point and the clock racing toward 0:00, the Tigers’ Terrell McIntyre drove the lane. There to meet him stood Delaney.

No last-second heroics for the Tigers this time. No Greg Buckner jam at the final horn that shocked North Carolina in the 1996 ACC tournament. Instead, Delaney forced McIntyre into an off-balance effort that hit the rim and bounced away.

The winning point? An Anthony Johnson free throw with 1:12 on the clock. Who would have thought? Neither team scored again.

No. 3 South Carolina (2017) 71, No. 6 Wofford (2019) 66

South Carolina: Sindarius Thornwell 20 points, 9 rebounds; PJ Dozier 14 points; Chris Silva 9 points, 12 rebounds.

Wofford: Fletcher Magee 14 points; Nathan Hoover, 16 points; Cameron Jackson 15 points, 9 rebounds.

Game Summary: The pairing — SEC vs. Southern Conference — sounds one-sided, but Wofford is not the stereotypical Southern Conference team. The Terriers do such things as beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill and South Carolina in Columbia these days.

Wofford’s key to success is its 3-point shooting prowess, among the best in the country at more than 41%. But if the Terriers are off just a bit from long range, trouble looms.

The Gamecocks defended the 3-point line superbly, limiting Wofford to 5 of 22 on long ones. Still, the win did not come easily for Carolina; Wofford trailed by six points with five minutes remaining and had possession with a three-point deficit in the final minute.

Fletcher Magee, the NCAA’s all-time leading 3-point scorer, found himself swarmed by defenders and his shot to tie missed. Sindarius Thornwell’s two free throws accounted for the final margin.

No. 2 Clemson (1980) 69, No. 10 Winthrop (2007) 63

Clemson: Larry Nance 18 points, 12 rebounds; Billy Williams 14 points; John Campbell 15 points, 8 rebounds

Winthrop: Michael Jenkins 11 points; Torrell Martin 17 points; Craig Bradshaw 20 points.

Game Summary: A grueling ACC schedule prepared the Tigers for moments like this: a nose-to-nose battle with every possession a precious one.

Winthrop dictated the pace, refusing to be lured into an up-and-down track meet. Nevertheless, Clemson moved in front 21-14 midway the first half and nursed a 32-27 lead at intermission.

With leading scorer Billy Williams in foul trouble, the Clemson attack struggled in the second half. Craig Bradshaw brought the Eagles back even at 45-45, then gave Winthrop a two-point lead with a pair of free throws. Williams returned to nail a 3-pointer from the corner to put the Tigers back in front and Clemson maintained the upper hand the rest of the way, sewing up the victory on Bobby Conrad’s late free throws.

Palmetto State Madness scores, schedule

Sweet 16 scores

▪ No. 1 South Carolina (1970) 87, No. 16 Charleston Southern (1997) 64

▪ No. 9 Furman (1974) 73, No. 8 Clemson (1990) 71

▪ No. 5 College of Charleston (1997) 63, No. 12 USC Spartanburg (1982) 57

▪ No. 4 Clemson (1997) 75, No. 13 Winthrop (2020) 61

▪ No. 3 South Carolina (2017) 81, No. Coastal Carolina (1991) 69

▪ No. 6 Wofford (2019) 82, No. 11 College of Charleston (1983) 61

▪ No. 10 Winthrop (2007) 77, No. 7 South Carolina (1997) 70

▪ No. 2 Clemson (1980) 95, No. 15 South Carolina State (1998) 81

Elite Eight scores

▪ No. 1 South Carolina (1970) 91, No. 9 Furman (1974) 78

▪ No. 5 College of Charleston (1997) 66, No. 4 Clemson (1997) 65

▪ No. 3 South Carolina (2017) 71, No. 6 Wofford (2019) 66

▪ No. 2 Clemson (1980) 69, No. 10 Winthrop (2007) 63

Coming Monday: Final Four

▪ No. 1 South Carolina (1970) vs. No. 5 College of Charleston (1997)

▪ No. 2 Clemson (1980) vs. No. 3 South Carolina (2017)