Why the Gamecocks are being nonchalant about their ‘cute’ No. 15 ranking
Collin Murray-Boyles called the South Carolina men’s basketball’s No. 15 ranking “cute.” Ta’Lon Cooper nearly doubled over at the remark, trying to hold back a laugh.
The Gamecocks have waited for their chance to own a Top 25 ranking for weeks. They finally got it Monday afternoon.
Seven years in the making, USC (20-3, 8-2 SEC) is ranked, and Murray-Boyles used that word to describe it.
“It’s always nice to have that little number by your name,” he said. “It’s cute.”
Cooper, surprised at Murray-Boyles’ choice of words, made it clear “cute” doesn’t describe his freshman teammate. It made him laugh more.
One of South Carolina’s many goals the season was to be ranked, so that can be checked off the to-do list. The next task is to keep that ranking and the nation’s eyes on the Gamecocks. They’re proving they can handle the pressure.
Head coach Lamont Paris now owns his third-career 20-win season, after sneaking away with a 68-65 victory over Ole Miss on Tuesday. He’s not only a front-runner for SEC Coach of the Year, but is emerging as a contender for National Coach of the Year.
An AP Top 25 ranking is a fragile thing and can be taken away at any given moment. One or two losses, and just like that, it’s gone.
But South Carolina has been consistent this season. It’s made shots, gotten the needed stops and it has more than one scorer. They can share the ball, having at least 11 assists in their last five games.
Some people might call that impressive; Paris calls it South Carolina basketball.
“They’re doing the yeoman’s work in this whole process,” Paris said. “But we’re focused on something. We’ve done certain things that have allowed us to be successful as a basketball team. Our mission is to continue to do those things.”
That doesn’t mean there won’t be an occasional speed bump, including the one they hit Tuesday night.
Paris called the Gamecocks’ offensive stall in second half against Ole Miss a bit “uncharacteristic,” but said his team is still learning.
He said USC hasn’t reached its peak yet. Just when it’s possible to think South Carolina has surpassed every expectation, the Gamecocks raise the bar.
“This game that we just had, how close it was, it just shows how we can just weather the storm under any circumstance,” Cooper said. “Yeah, so we’re just gonna play South Carolina basketball.”
The Gamecocks didn’t panic as they waited for that “cute” little number to appear, and didn’t change when it did. South Carolina plans to keep on rolling.
“It’s just got to be us,” Murray-Boyles said. “At the end of the day, just play the same way we’ve been playing. That number has nothing to do with us.”
Next four games
- Feb. 10 vs. Vanderbilt, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 14 at Auburn, 8:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 17 vs. LSU, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
- Feb. 24 at Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
This story was originally published February 7, 2024 at 7:33 AM.
