South Carolina makes quick exit from SEC tournament. Will an NIT bid follow?
Forget any dreams of an NCAA tournament appearance.
With a 73-51 loss to No. 10-seed Mississippi State in the team’s first game of the SEC tournament Thursday, the No. 7-seed South Carolina men’s basketball team (18-13) dashed its slim hopes for the Big Dance.
Down just two points at halftime, an ugly second half in which USC made just four field goals buried the Gamecocks. The NIT remains in play for USC, but the team will have to wait until Sunday to learn its fate.
USC’s postseason fate is uncertain
Coming into the game ranking 90th in the NET, the Gamecocks are firmly out of the NCAA tournament picture and needed a deep SEC tournament to work their way onto the bubble.
With the loss, any hope of an appearance in the Big Dance — however slim — has vanished.
The Gamecocks do remain in the NIT picture, however. NIT bracketologist John Templon has the Gamecocks in his most recent NIT projected bracket, and he told The State he believes the Gamecocks would get in even with a one-and-done SEC tournament appearance.
But there are no certainties for the Gamecocks as they wait until Selection Sunday. The NIT bracket is revealed Sunday night after the NCAA tournament is set.
Battle of the guards
The Gamecocks knew they would have their hands full with star Mississippi State guard Iverson Molinar, the team’s leading scorer during the regular season with 17.8 points per game and a thorn in the side for USC over the years.
Molinar delivered, weaving in and around the South Carolina defense to score 19 points and help facilitate the Mississippi State offense. He consistently drew contact near the rim and made six of seven free-throw attempts.
On the other end, USC veteran guard Erik Stevenson and freshman Devin Carter did their best to keep the Gamecocks close. The sharp-shooting Stevenson made four 3-pointers and led the Gamecocks with 18 points, and Carter surged in the second, making key free throws and finishing with 10 points.
But the rest of the Gamecocks struggled to shoot with any consistency. After shooting 44.8% as a team in the first half, the Gamecocks made just four field goals in the second half, going 4-for-31 as a team — good for just 12.9%.
Fouls and turnovers
Two of the issues that have plagued South Carolina throughout the season re-emerged against the Bulldogs. The Gamecocks committed 10 turnovers in the first half alone against MSU, with the Bulldogs scoring 10 points on those turnovers.
Excessive fouling was an even bigger problem for the Gamecocks, as they sent the Bulldogs to the line 27 times — and MSU made 20 of those attempts.
Combined with a poor second-half shooting performance, the Gamecocks dug themselves into too deep of a hole.
SEC men’s tournament scores, schedule
FIRST ROUND — Wednesday, March 9
Game 1: No. 12 Missouri 72, No. 13 Ole Miss 60
Game 2: No. 11 Vanderbilt 86, No. 14 Georgia 51
SECOND ROUND — Thursday, March 10
Game 3: No. 8 Texas A&M 83, No. 9 Florida 80
Game 4: No. 5 LSU 76, No. 12 Missouri 68
Game 5: No. 10 Mississippi State 73, No. 7 South Carolina 51
Game 6: No. 11 Vanderbilt vs. No. 6 Alabama, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
QUARTERFINALS — Friday, March 11
Game 7: No. 8 Texas A&M vs. Auburn, noon, ESPN
Game 8: No. 5 LSU vs. Arkansas, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 9: No. 10 Mississippi State vs. Tennessee, 6 p.m., SEC Network
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Kentucky, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 8:20 PM.
