Frank Martin says it ages him. The way South Carolina digs itself an early hole before waking up and rallying past an SEC opponent, that recent trend isn’t making the Gamecocks’ 52-year-old coach any younger.
His hair thins. His voice grows more hoarse.
USC was at it again Tuesday against Ole Miss. Instead of putting an end to their maddening ways and rolling the Rebels from the opening tip, the Gamecocks played to their narrative. They couldn’t crack the lid on the basket on one end and allowed everything to swish on the other. Coveted fourth place in the SEC was on the line and to get in an 11-point deficit less than four minutes wasn’t ideal.