Two former Gamecocks will be in NCAA tournament with their new teams
Former South Carolina basketball player Trae Hannibal is heading to the NCAA tournament.
The former Gamecock and Hartsville High standout transferred to Murray State this offseason after his sophomore campaign at USC, and the move is paying off with a trip to the Big Dance.
The Racers went a whopping 30-2 in the regular season, rank No. 19 in the most recent AP Top 25 and sealed an NCAA tournament bid by winning the OVC tournament title on Saturday.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hannibal has been a key player off the bench for Murray State this season, averaging 8.9 points and five rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game. Hannibal was among seven players who transferred away from the Gamecocks this season. Hannibal essentially traded places with former Murray State guard Chico Carter Jr., who has played sparingly off the bench for USC (18-12, 9-9 SEC) this season.
None of the other USC transfers will make the NCAA tournament with their new teams with the exception of Justin Minaya, who transferred to Ed Cooley’s No. 11 Providence (24-4) team before the season. The Friars are projected as a No. 4 seed in Joe Lunardi’s most recent ESPN bracket and is considered a lock to make the NCAAs. Providence is the top seed in the Big East tournament that begins this week.
Much like he was for the Gamecocks, Minaya has been a key glue player for Cooley and the Friars, playing 33.1 minutes per game and averaging 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds.
