2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The team's head coach, Frank Martin , was in his sixth season at South Carolina. The team played its home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference . They finished the season 17–16, 7–11 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 11th place. They defeated Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC tournament before losing in the second round to Arkansas .
Previous season
The Gamecocks finished the 2016–17 season 26–11, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Alabama .[ 1] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed in the East region.[ 2] In the First Round, they defeated No. 10-seeded Marquette , the school's first NCAA Tournament win since 1974 .[ 3] They then defeated No. 2-seeded Duke to earn a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.[ 4] In the Sweet Sixteen, they blew out No. 3 seed and No. 12-ranked Baylor by 20 points to earn a trip the Elite Eight.[ 5] In the Elite Eight, they defeated fellow SEC-member No. 4-seeded Florida to advance to the first Final Four in school history.[ 6] There the Gamecocks lost to the West Region's No. 1 seed, Gonzaga .[ 7] The 26 wins marked the most wins in school history.
Offseason
Departures
Name
Number
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Notes
Sindarius Thornwell
0
G
6'5"
211
Senior
Lancaster, SC
Graduated/2017 NBA draft
Rakym Felder
4
G
5'10"
210
Freshman
Brooklyn, NY
Suspended from the team due to an assault[ 8]
TeMarcus Blanton
5
G
6'5"
206
RS Sophomore
Locust Grove, GA
Retired from basketball due to a hip injury[ 9]
Duane Notice
10
G
6'2"
225
Senior
Woodbridge, ON
Graduated
Ran Tut
14
F
6'9"
210
Junior
Melbourne, Australia
Graduate transferred to Angelo State
PJ Dozier
15
G
6'6"
205
Sophomore
Columbia, SC
Declare for 2017 NBA draft
Justin McKie
20
G
6'4"
204
Senior
Columbia, SC
Graduated
Sedee Keita
24
F
6'9"
240
Freshman
Philadelphia, PA
Transferred to St. John's
Jarrell Holliman
31
F
6'7"
206
RS Junior
Alpharretta, GA
Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
John Ragin
34
G
6'2"
177
Sophomore
Eastover, SC
Walk-on; didn't return
Incoming transfers
2017 recruiting class
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
David Beatty #32 SG
Philadelphia, PA
Imhotep Institute Charter High School
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Nov 14, 2016
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Ibrahim Doumbia #32 PF
Miami, FL
Miami Country Day School
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Sep 28, 2016
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Felipe Haase #56 C
Los Angeles, CA
Cathedral High School
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
250 lb (110 kg)
Nov 10, 2016
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jason Cudd C
Myrtle Beach, SC
Socastee High School
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
250 lb (110 kg)
Sep 12, 2016
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : N/A
Justin Minaya SG
Old Tappan, NJ
Northern Valley Regional High School
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
May 10, 2017
Star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout : 28 Rivals : 23 ESPN : 23
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
2018 recruiting class
Roster
2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
0
David Beatty
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
Fr
Imhotep Institute Charter HS
Philadelphia, PA
G
1
Kory Holden
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
197 lb (89 kg)
RS Jr
J.B. Bennett Delaware
Salisbury, MD
G
2
Hassani Gravett
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
RS Jr
Alexander Pensacola State College
Villa Rica, GA
G
5
Frank Booker Jr.
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
208 lb (94 kg)
RS Sr
Westside HS Florida Atlantic
Augusta, GA
G
10
Justin Minaya
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Fr
Northern Valley Regional HS
Old Tappan, NJ
F
12
Khadim Gueye
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
248 lb (112 kg)
So
Victory Rock Prep
Dakar, Senegal
F
13
Felipe Haase
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
249 lb (113 kg)
Fr
Miami Christian School
Osorno, Chile
F
14
Ibrahim Doumbia
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
Fr
Miami Country Day School
Miami, FL
G
15
Wesley Myers
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
RS Sr
Boys and Girls HS Maine
Brooklyn, NY
G
20
Tommy Corchiani (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
So
Ravenscroft
Raleigh, NC
F
21
Maik Kotsar
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
So
Sunrise Christian Academy
Tallinn, Estonia
G
23
Evan Hinson
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
So
Deltona HS
Deltona, FL
G
25
Christian Schmitt (W)
5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
So
Mars Area HS
Mars, PA
F
30
Chris Silva
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
223 lb (101 kg)
Jr
Roselle Catholic HS
Libreville, Gabon
F
33
Jason Cudd
7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
255 lb (116 kg)
Fr
Socastee HS
Myrtle Beach, SC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2017 *7:00 pm
Erskine
W 85–44
15 – Silva
12 – Haase
3 – Gravett/Haase
Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
Nov 5, 2017 *2:00 pm, SECN+
Virginia Tech Hoops 4 Hurricane Relief
L 67–86
15 – Gravett
7 – Haase
3 – Gravett/Haase
Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Wofford
W 72–53
1–0
13 – Kotsar
10 – Silva
4 – Kotsar
Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (3,400)Spartanburg, SC
Nov 13, 2017 *8:00 pm, SECN
Western Michigan Puerto Rico Tip-Off non-bracket game
W 78–60
2–0
15 – Gravett
10 – Silva
3 – Haase
Colonial Life Arena (12,136)Columbia, SC
Nov 16, 2017 *11:30 am, ESPN2
vs. Illinois State Puerto Rico Tip-Off quarterfinals
L 65–69
2–1
10 – Booker /Gravett/Silva
9 – Gravett
5 – Gravett
HTC Center (700)Conway, SC
Nov 17, 2017 *10:30 am, ESPNU
vs. UTEP Puerto Rico Tip-Off consolation round
W 80–56
3–1
15 – Silva
7 – Silva
9 – Gravett
HTC Center (987)Conway, SC
Nov 19, 2017 *2:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Western Michigan Puerto Rico Tip-Off 5th place game
W 79–66
4–1
14 – Myers
5 – Myers
6 – Gravett
HTC Center (1,774)Conway, SC
Nov 27, 2017 *7:00 pm, CBSSN
at FIU
W 78–61
5–1
26 – Silva
10 – Gravett/Silva
7 – Gravett
FIU Arena (1,335)Miami, FL
Nov 30, 2017 *9:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Temple Under Armour Reunion
L 60–76
5–2
14 – Beatty
9 – Silva
2 – Beatty/Kotsar/Myers
Madison Square Garden (6,081)New York, NY
Dec 2, 2017 *2:00 pm, SECN+
Massachusetts
W 76–70
6–2
17 – Minaya
10 – Haase
4 – Gravett
Colonial Life Arena (10,832)Columbia, SC
Dec 6, 2017 *7:00 pm, SECN+
Wyoming
W 80–64
7–2
19 – Silva
10 – Silva
3 – Haase/Myers
Colonial Life Arena (10,205)Columbia, SC
Dec 9, 2017 *12:00 pm, SECN
Coastal Carolina
W 80–78
8–2
19 – Booker
9 – Silva
4 – Gravett
Colonial Life Arena (11,734)Columbia, SC
Dec 19, 2017 *7:00 pm, ESPNU
at Clemson Rivalry
L 48–64
8–3
12 – Silva
9 – Silva
1 – Gravett/Minaya
Littlejohn Coliseum (8,031)Clemson, SC
Dec 27, 2017 *3:00 pm, SECN+
Limestone
W 74–45
9–3
17 – Booker
8 – Haase
6 – Myers
Colonial Life Arena (11,305)Columbia, SC
Dec 31, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPN2
at Ole Miss
L 69–74
9–4 (0–1)
21 – Booker/Silva
13 – Silva
5 – Myers
The Pavilion at Ole Miss (5,849)Oxford, MS
Jan 3, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2
Missouri
L 68–79
9–5 (0–2)
18 – Silva
5 – Booker/Silva
2 – Kotsar/Minaya/Myers
Colonial Life Arena (9,846)Columbia, SC
Jan 6, 2018 6:45 pm, SECN
Vanderbilt
W 71–60
10–5 (1–2)
27 – Silva
8 – Silva
2 – Haase
Colonial Life Arena (11,391)Columbia, SC
Jan 9, 2018 7:00 pm, SECN
at Alabama
L 62–76
10–6 (1–3)
15 – Myers
5 – Kotsar/Minaya
2 – Minaya/Myers
Coleman Coliseum (10,909)Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 13, 2018 1:00 pm, SECN
at Georgia
W 64–57
11–6 (2–3)
17 – Booker
9 – Silva
4 – Silva
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)Athens, GA
Jan 16, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 18 Kentucky
W 76–68
12–6 (3–3)
27 – Silva
8 – Silva
5 – Gravett
Colonial Life Arena (16,200)Columbia, SC
Jan 20, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 21 Tennessee
L 63–70
12–7 (3–4)
16 – Minaya
5 – Silva/Kotsar/Minaya
5 – Kotsar
Colonial Life Arena (18,000)Columbia, SC
Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm, SECN
at No. 20 Florida
W 77–72
13–7 (4–4)
Myers – 22
12 – Silva
4 – Kotsar/Myers
O'Connell Center (10,151)Gainesville, FL
Jan 27, 2018 *12:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 14 Texas Tech Big 12/SEC Challenge
L 63–70
13–8
16 – Silva
7 – Kotsar
4 – Myers
Colonial Life Arena (14,142)Columbia, SC
Jan 31, 2018 8:30 pm, SECN
Mississippi State
L 76–81
13–9 (4–5)
23 – Booker
6 – Silva/Beatty
7 – Gravett
Colonial Life Arena (11,042)Columbia, SC
Feb 3, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN2
at Texas A&M
L 60–83
13–10 (4–6)
16 – Minaya
8 – Silva
4 – Gravett
Reed Arena (10,504)College Station, TX
Feb 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN2
at Arkansas
L 65–81
13–11 (4–7)
12 – Gravett
7 – Gravett
4 – Gravett/Minaya
Bud Walton Arena (14,956)Fayetteville, AR
Feb 10, 2018 12:00 pm, CBS
Florida
L 41–65
13–12 (4–8)
17 – Booker
5 – Silva/Kotsar
2 – Gravett/Minaya
Colonial Life Arena (14,629)Columbia, SC
Feb 13, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 18 Tennessee
L 67–70
13–13 (4–9)
19 – Booker
9 – Silva
4 – Gravett
Thompson–Boling Arena (13,126)Knoxville, TN
Feb 17, 2018 3:30 pm, SECN
No. 10 Auburn
W 84–75
14–13 (5–9)
19 – Booker
11 – Silva
3 – Gravett/Booker
Colonial Life Arena (14,995)Columbia, SC
Feb 21, 2018 6:30 pm, SECN
Georgia
W 66–57
15–13 (6–9)
15 – Silva/Myers
9 – Kotsar
5 – Gravett
Colonial Life Arena (11,529)Columbia, SC
Feb 24, 2018 3:30 pm, SECN
at Mississippi State
L 68–72
15–14 (6–10)
19 – Gravett
12 – Silva
3 – Gravett
Humphrey Coliseum (8,612)Starkville, MS
Feb 28, 2018 6:30 pm, SECN
LSU
W 83–74
16–14 (7–10)
25 – Booker
7 – Myers
4 – Myers/Gravett
Colonial Life Arena (11,269)Columbia, SC
Mar 3, 2018 3:30 pm, SECN
at No. 14 Auburn
L 70–79
16–15 (7–11)
27 – Booker
11 – Silva
4 – Booker/Haase
Auburn Arena (9,121)Auburn, AL
SEC tournament
Mar 7, 2018 9:30 pm, SECN
(11)
vs. (14) Ole Miss First round
W 85–84
17–15
21 – Silva/Booker
11 – Silva
7 – Gravett
Scottrade Center (8,190)St. Louis, MO
Mar 8, 2018 9:30 pm, SECN
(11)
vs. (6) Arkansas Second round
L 64–69
17–16
15 – Silva/Kotsar
11 – Silva
3 – Beatty
Scottrade Center (11,752)St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Eastern Time .
See also
References
^ "Alabama beats South Carolina 64–53 in SEC Tournament" . NCAA Men's Basketball . March 10, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2017 .
^ "They're in! Gamecocks make NCAA Tournament" . thestate . Retrieved October 9, 2017 .
^ "NCAA tournament live updates: North Carolina to face Gonzaga in NCAA championship game" . Los Angeles Times . ISSN 0458-3035 . Retrieved October 9, 2017 .
^ Schonbrun, Zach; Glier, Ray (March 20, 2017). "South Carolina Upsets Second-Seeded Duke" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved October 9, 2017 .
^ "South Carolina vs. Baylor – Game Recap – March 24, 2017 – ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved October 9, 2017 .
^ "NCAA Tournament 2017: South Carolina holds off Florida, makes first Final Four" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved October 9, 2017 .
^ Crouse, Karen (April 1, 2017). "Gonzaga Beats South Carolina in Final Four for Shot at Another First" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved October 9, 2017 .
^ "South Carolina sophomore G Rakym Felder suspended indefinitely after second arrest" . ESPN. Retrieved August 16, 2017 .
^ "S. Carolina's TeMarcus Blanton gives up basketball due to hip injury" . ESPN. Retrieved August 31, 2017 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA Final Four appearances in italics