ST. LOUIS – The stretch was brief – a total of 77 seconds – but it was enough to turn South Carolina into believers.
USC, the No. 11 seed in this SEC tournament, had a daunting task Thursday evening. Sixth-seeded and NCAA tournament-bound Arkansas was the opponent that had things the Gamecocks didn’t – experience, dynamic ball-handlers and athleticism at all five positions. The matchup, as shown previously this season in Fayetteville, wasn’t favorable for Frank Martin’s team.
But before the Razorbacks polished away a 69-64 win that advanced them to Friday’s quarterfinals, the Gamecocks posed a couple threats.