South Carolina Gamecocks 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Post Season

South Carolina Gamecocks

Southeastern Conference (15-16, 6-10)

Seed: #

Big Wins: 12/16 Richmond (76-58), 1/26 Kentucky (68-62), 3/6 at Vanderbilt (77-73)

Bad Losses: 11/22 at Miami (70-85), 12/30 at Boston College (76-85), 2/17 at Arkansas (79-92)

Coach: Darrin Horn

Why They Can Surprise:

South Carolina has done a great job creating turnovers. It is the team’s leader on and off the floor who paves the way. The last statistic one would notice from Devan Downey is his defense, but he nabs nearly three steals per game. Downey is also the catalyst of the offense and averages 22.5 points and 3.5 assists. However, his leadership on the defensive end is equally as important as his amazing offensive production and that allows the Gamecocks to win games by creating easy buckets off turnovers.

Sam Muldrow and Johndre Jefferson help the turnover margin by blocking shots. Muldrow is a beast under the basket and has really picked up his game as an upperclassman. He is the team’s best rebounder and an offensive weapon inside and out, but his 3.1 blocks per contest make it difficult for anybody to score in the paint against South Carolina. Jefferson, a 6-9 junior college transfer, does not play too many minutes, but he is a big time rebounder and shot blocker when he is on the floor.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Despite Muldrow’s and Jefferson’s best efforts, Coach Darrin Horn’s team is not very good on the glass. That is understandable however. Dominique Archie was lost after five games and Mike Holmes only played in seven games. A year ago those two led the team in rebounding, not to mention the fact that they both averaged double figures in the scoring column. Losing those two was a big blow to this team. A handful of inexperienced players have had to step up and try and fill the void. Lakeem Jackson has been starting all year long, but has been forced into playing more power forward than most would prefer. The 6-5 freshman has done an admirable job on the glass and is a good slasher, but he lacks the size to battle against most power forwards. Austin Steed will start some games at power forward, allowing Jackson to slide down to his natural small forward spot. Steed brings more size, but he is not much of a scorer. The same can be said for Evaldas Baniulis, who spends most of his time taking outside shots.

Who To Watch:

When Steed is not starting, freshman Ramon Galloway joins Brandis Raley-Ross on the wings. Galloway had some decent scoring outputs early in the year, but the grind of Southeastern Conference play has slowed him down. Raley-Ross is the other scorer on this team besides Downey. Raley-Ross is the most efficient outside shooter and he can have some great games when the opposition is worrying a little too much about Downey.

Probable Starters:

Devan Downey, Senior, Guard, 22.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.7 spg

Brandis Raley-Ross, Senior, Guard, 10.6 ppg, 1.4 apg

Lakeem Jackson, Freshman, Forward, 7.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg

Johndre Jefferson, Junior, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg

Sam Muldrow, Junior, Forward, 10.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.1 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Evaldas Baniulis, Senior, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg

Ramon Galloway, Freshman, Guard, 7.8 ppg, 1.2 apg

Austin Steed, Junior, Forward, 2.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 72.1 (98^th in nation, 8^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 71.0 (234, 10)

Field-Goal Percentage: 42.0 (242, 11)

Field-Goal Defense: 44.9 (264, 11)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.1 (74, 4)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.0 (235, 9)

Free-Throw Percentage: 64.8 (286, 12)

Rebound Margin: -5.2 (308, 12)

Assists Per Game: 10.0 (323, 12)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (59, 1)

Joel’s Bracket Says: