Coach from Eastern Kentucky helps South Carolina Gamecocks succeed in March Madness

SC wasn’t done winning after beating the Blue Devils.

“They were just the better team, honestly, that’s all it was”, said Gators senior guard Kasey Hill. They made some hard shots in the first half and it was against our zone more than anything. The Gamecocks did and the show is scheduled for April 5.

We were supposed to be setting up for the defending national champion versus the name-brand team in college hoops, with streams of Philly commuter fans versus NY grads and carpetbagger fans, sharp-dressed coach versus Hall of Famer, Villanova versus Duke, epic showdown in Madison Square Garden, the toughest ticket in the NCAA tournament. The 3 by Lindsay was the team’s first points since the 9:58 mark, ending a 7:47 stretch with no points.

The fourth-seeded Gators had taken a 40-33 halftime lead. However, on the biggest stage of the season for Baylor, was outrebounded 41-36 by SC despite holding an advantage on the offensive end, 15-11. The game was tied with two and a half minutes left, but SC was able to pull away in the end with the help of three forced turnovers, on top of stellar free-throw shooting, while Florida couldn’t hit a shot from the outside. He outplayed UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball, who finished with eight assists but just 10 points on 4 of 10 shooting. The Tar Heels never let their lead get under double digits in the second half.

The Bears used a 10-0 spurt to get within 49-38 with 10:41 to play, but would get no closer the rest of the way. The score remained 55-38 at the under eight media timeout with 7:44 to play.

It had to feel achingly familiar for Florida, which went 0-for-17 from 3-point range in the January 18 loss to SC. SC held a 63-41 edge at the final media timeout with 3:58 left.

After 14 lead changes, the game was tied at 63 with just over two minutes to go, and the noise cascading down toward the floor from 20,047 sounded like the roar of a waterfall pounding rocks. Now they needed some separation, and they had just the man to provide it in Sindarius Thornwell, a player so shape-shiftingly creative he seemed nearly boneless. It suited Sindarius Thornwell to the tune of 26 points, with 21 of them coming either at the line or in the paint.

SC also got a major boosts from P.J. Dozier (17 points) and Chris Silva (13 points, nine rebounds), who made three free throws in the final minute.

The Bears were plagued by foul trouble in the first half and SC took advantage, making 9 of 12 from the line. The Gamecocks did not trail after regaining the lead, 18-15, on a Notice 3 with 8:25 left in the opening half. But that’s a necessary trade-off for the way Frank Martin wants the Gamecocks to defend.

Jordan Bell of the Oregon Ducks with an iconic dunk as Kansas players look on. Berry says it’s called March Madness because anything can happen. Gary Waters retired after 11 seasons that included back-to-back nine-win campaigns in his last two years.

The Gamecock defense held Baylor to a season-low 50 points.

UCLA, led by freshman phenom Lonzo Ball, has the nation’s top-scoring offense at 90.2 points per game.

This is just the second time in history that the SEC has had three teams make it to the Elite 8. The Gators entered the game with an all-time 44-24 record against the Gamecocks, including 1-2 under White. He was named a unanimous selection to the AP All-SEC First Team and he earned USBWA All-District III (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland) honors and he was named a Basketball Times Third Team All-American.