GAMECOCKS beat the dawgs

68-51 was the final. UGa went cold in the 2nd half and the Cocks were able to pull away. All round good play on defense and offense. Seems USC corrected some of the ills from the last 2 games but still need Muldrow and Archie to begin to play good as now it is one and done time. Holmes had a double double and Zam / Devan combined for 38 pts.

LOHD Player of Game not named Devan Downey---- Evaldas Baniulis w/ 11pts 7 rbs 2 asts and 3 3pointers

We need Bama to beat UT on Sunday so we can share the SEC East! I feel we are in the NCAA tourney now as we got that 10th SEC win today! Highest is a 7 seed and lowest is a 12 seed.
Go cocks!

In the Finale --- Gamecocks v Bulldogs

I know we have stated how the UK game was the biggest game for USC then this past UT game was the biggest game but the game today may just be the biggest game for USC. As the NCAA tourney hopes linger around this game....win and USC is in....lose and USC is NIT bound barring a SEC tourney run. At least most experts feel this way and I have to agree. The NCAA looks, among various factors, at the last 12 games which Carolina is 8-4....but have lost 3 of last 5 games.

Garnet and Black Attack has the recap of the last game that I feel sums up my exact thoughts---

Tennessee at South Carolina: A Quick Recap

Georgia (12-18, 3-12 SEC) owns a slight 46-45 lead in the all-time series with South Carolina. The series is tied 5-5 in the last 10 meetings between the two schools, however, UGA has won three of the last five.

South Carolina (20-8, 9-6 SEC) has a RPI of 46 and a strength of schedule of 83. Good news is Carolina has already got a 1st round bye in the SEC Tourney . But a win today is a must! The last two games have been, outside the College of Charleston loss, the worst games Carolina has played. Time for the ego check at the door and get back to playing team basketball on both offense and defense.

The Bulldogs have caught fire of late, winning two of their last three contests, including a 90-85 victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Wednesday.

Carolina must stop Terrance Woodbury , Trey Thompkins and Dustin Ware for UGa as they are the shining stars of a bad bulldog team. If USC can slow these 3 or at least 2 then SC is okay.

USC must do these 5 things today to win as UGa is going to come out swinging---

1. Go back to playing USC basketball --- SC must play as a unit and control the pace of the game. USC needs good shot selection today and not rush things. Carolina must do something they have not down in the last two games b/c of lack of effort on the surface-- get back to high octane pressure defense and their interior D to reverse the weak play. But that leads to point #2

2. Carolina has to step it up defensively--- Two weak areas have to improve - interior and perimeter. Need to help out on the weak side and eliminate easy baskets for UGa. USC guards have to play at a high level on D today. Box out and win the rebounding war today. USC must stop the penetration of the opposing guard and watch the dish. Really, USC justs needs to tighten up their D.

3. USC Offense needs Muldrow/Holmes/Archie to be more active---Zam and Devan will be just fine. Zam just needs to take better shots and Devan will continue to shine. BUT USC needs Archie/Holmes/Muldrow to step their offensive game up today. USC plays best win 7 or 8 players are sharing the scoring load and the burden is not on Devan or a 3 from Zam.

4. Eliminate mistakes---USC has to think in this game, don't rush things, communicate, help each other, rotate off ball screens,be active on the glass, don't get in foul trouble and stopping the TOs.

5. Intensity---USC has to forget those teams from Tennessee and the losses. We need the fight of Gamecock Jesus on display. Coach Horn knows Gamecock Pride is on the line today and the Gamecocks need to be hungry. 40 mins of flat out basket to basket high level of desire to win! Get after it and I want to see some diving for loose balls, ripping down rebounds, power dunks.....emotion is a must today!

LOHD says Gamecocks by 13 today!

Related coverage ---

• Men's pregame: USC at Georgia
• USC needs win after hit at home
• Gamecocks try to rebound at Georgia
• Gamecocks still have work to do

LOHD is also a huge Bama fan this weekend as South Carolina could still earn a share of the SEC Eastern Division title with a Gamecock victory over Georgia and a Tennessee loss to Alabama on Sunday.

***Visit the live game thread at the Garnet and Black Attack today***

Gamecocks beat Dirtbags

This was probably, in my opinion, the best game for the USC baseball team this season as the Gamecocks pounded out 19 hits on their way to a 15-8 victory against Long Beach State.

USC Sam Dyson (2-0) allowed just three hits and two walks in seven innings while striking out six.

D Mack and Ebert had back-to-back homers. Ebert and Bradley had 3 hits each, while five other USC players had two hits each — Mack, Merrifield, J Jones, Crisp, and Haney.

A great win as Carolina rolls to 7-0 and Long Beach goes to 2-6.

The series continues on Saturday afternoon with first pitch at Carolina Stadium set for 4 p.m.

Related news---
Gamecocks Pound Out 19 Hits In 15-8 Victory Over Long Beach State

Gamecock News

Here is a healthly dose of gamecock news.......

• USC's Mangus takes over QBs, Garcia
• Notebook: Auguste stands out on first day
• USC recruits take center court in Columbia
• Darrin Horn is a finalist for the 2009 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award
• Horn is not a finalist for the 2009 Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award
• Joe Person of The State lists five Carolina football players to keep an eye on this spring.
• Travis Haney of The Charleston Post & Courier serves up five questions facing the Cocks
• Norwood named to Lombardi watch list
• It’s time for Garcia to become a leader at USC
• Five Things That Could Happen This Spring
• All eyes on offense after South Carolina shakeup
• Garcia is just one of the topics Spurrier covers in a new interview with ESPN’s Chris Low
• Joe Person of The State in Columbia provides five questions for Gamecock fans to ponder
• Here is Mr. Person’s projected two-deep roster for SC
• ESPN.com’s Chris Low has already picked out five SEC newcomers to keep an eye on and one is a gamecock
• College Football Fast-Forward: 2009 Impact Freshmen Running Backs --- Gamecock Giles gets some love
• Steve Spurrier in South Carolina: Is the Fun and Gun Gone Forever?
• SC breakdown by bracket guru Jerry Palm Carolina doesn’t have any such wins…
• 2009 USC Spring Football Guide
• Joe Person of The State brings you all the notes from Day One of spring practice

Other related news stuff---

The AJC has profiled five potential candidates for the UGa job......is Capel the leader of the pack?

SEC Basketball Power Poll

Week 9! Check out Ghost of Chucky for the results.

My ballot---

1. LSU
2. UT
3. USC
4. UF
5. UK
6. Aub
7. MSU
8. Vandy
9. Ole Miss
10. UGa
11. Bama
12. Ark

Don't hurt the players

Per the state newspaper, Bob Knight visited the Gamecocks first spring practice before Thursday's basketball game. 

Gamecock Jesus is the man

The man leading the Garnet Army last night.....LOHD has declared that Gamecock Jesus is hereby duly appointed the General of the Garnet Army.

Coach Horn got our memo to wear Garnet

Seems Coach Horn read the LOHD blog entry stating how he needs to wear garnet and black more. Just check out that Garnet tie he sported last night! Great job Coach!

Gamecocks lose to UT

Vols brought their "A" game as USC collapsed in the 2nd half and seemed to lose their fight after being out hustled, out rebounded and playing poor defense.

final score 86-70

more later....

USC vs. Tenn --- Clash for the SEC East

Tonight it is for all the marbles.....this is part II of the battle tonight as we won the 1st.

The winner of Thursday's contest between the Gamecocks and Vols secures at least a share of the SEC East title. Carolina has already got a 1st round bye in the SEC Tourney but I want to see USC win the EAST!!

S. Carolina is 9-5 in the SEC and 20-7 overall and in their last 12 games they are 8-4. Tennessee is 9-5 in the SEC and 18-10 overall and 7-5 in their last 12 games. The game is being played in Columbia a place were USC is 16-1 this season and undefeated in SEC play. So "We must protect this house" one more time against a UT team that was the favorite to win the SEC East to start the year due to winning it last year. Those pesky gamecocks were picked to finish 5th...so much for that forecast. Tennessee leads the all-time series with South Carolina, 30-23, however, the Gamecocks hold a 14-8 advantage in games played in Columbia.

UT comes in hot with recent wins over MSU and Florida so they are peaking at the right time. Carolina must do these 5 things to win tonight -

1. Erase the Vandy loss from their minds and focus one game at a time....UT is beatable as they are 7-5 in last 12 games just play the game like USC has done all season. Don't for one minute think about the bulldogs this weekend. This is the biggest game of the year.
2. Stop UT Freshman guard Scotty Hopson.....I know we need to concern ourselves with Chism or Tyler Smith but really Hopson has been the spark plug to get UT looking like the SEC Contender that everyone thought they were going to be. USC must slow him down. Really it will go down to stopping penetration and SC playing excellent perimeter defense.
3. Play big...USC must win or at least keep up in the rebounding battle. Box out! USC is not a big team nor a deep team so they have to play fundamental basketball against a team like UT. Do not get in foul trouble so don't try to block every shot just play solid D.
4. USC Offense has to stand out....from pressuring the ball to being scrappy and getting lose balls. USC has to bring their A game tonight. We have seen it before just need it to come out vs. UT. I want to see some driving and dishing to go along with some raining 3's mixed in with timely FT making.
5. USC has to want it.....simple here....the USC men's basketball team and the fans their tonight must want this game. Play above the rim!

Interesting stats to think about....

• The Gamecocks are 12-4 in games in which a Carolina player scores at least 20 points.
• A team that uses its defensive prowess to spark its offensive performance, South Carolina is 19-1 in games in which it scores more points off turnovers than that of its opponent.
• Carolina is 19-4 in games in which it forces 15 or more turnovers.
• The Gamecocks rely heavily on their starting lineup for the majority of their point production on the season. Carolina is 20-3 when its starters outscore the starting five of its opponent.
• Gamecock starter points account for just better than 80 percent of South Carolina's overall point production on the year.

ESPN will be in the house...
Brent Musburger, Bob Knight and Holly Rowe will be on hand to take in the game. The contest against Tennessee marks the 22nd of 23 regular-season televised games for South Carolina, and the third game on the ESPN family of networks this season for the Gamecocks.

What else is special about tonight besides a big game...tonight will serve as senior day for South Carolina's two seniors - Branden Conrad and Zam Fredrick.

So let's not only win one for Gamecock Jesus but let's get the 'W' for Conrad, Fredrick, Coach Horn, future SEC Player of the Year Devan Downey and the garnet army.

Related coverage---

• Chism has unfinished business
• Q&A with Brent Musburger
• A lot on the line
• Tennessee Basketball Notes - South Carolina Game

---Make sure to visit the Garnet and Black Attack this evening to participate in the live game thread!---

USC gets first round bye in SEC tourney

Seth Emerson pointed out this morning on his blog at www.thestate.com that with UK losing last night to Georgia, USC has clinched a first round bye in next week’s SEC tournament.   Seth also goes on to point out that even if we beat Tennessee tonight we still need to beat Georgia on Saturday to win the SEC east.  You would think if we could knock off UT tonight that beating UGA would be a given.   As Corso would say, “Not So Fast My Friend”  UGA has won their last 3 games against SEC East opponents. 

Gamecocks beat Charleston Southern

A little baseball action occurred yesterday and the result was another Carolina win. This time the victim was Charleston Southern and USC won 6-4.

Nick Ebert had a great game going 2-for-4 with his first career home run as well as two RBI and junior outfielder DeAngelo Mack continued to be 'tha man' adding three hits. This combined with good pitching from 5 USC players resulted in a good win before a weekend series with Long Beach State.

Beat UT for Gamecock Jesus

New Devan Downey Website

Check this site out....little marketing effort for Devan Downey and SEC Player of the Year?


http://www.downey2therim.com/

USC Basketball Intro Video

The South Carolina intro video for the 08-09 basketball season.

USC Baseball Wins vs. Georgia State

USC improves to 5-0 and will remain in the top 25 after a strong pitching performance and timely hitting.

USC won 2-0 thanks to LOHD Player of the Game USC OF Whit Merrifield's 2 run blast over the fence in the first. That was all the 'cocks needed to cruise to their fifth win of the season.

Next up Charleston Southern on Wednesday.

USC Spring Football Practice Begins This Week

The Univeristy of South Carolina Football teams takes the field today to begin spring practice. The team will work out at the Bluff Road practice fields from 4-6 p.m. on both Tuesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 5. All spring practices are open to the public.

Some interesting questions linger during this time like -

• Who will become the leader(s) of the team on offense and defense?
• Who will emerge the #1 RB?
• How will Garcia do as #1?
• Who will emerge the backup QB?
• What adjustments will the new coaches bring?
• How will the newbies, the freshman that enrolled early just for this reason, respond to a faster pace of football?

These are just a few...what are you guys thinking out there.......

Gamecocks Coach Horn Finalist for Coach of Year

Congrats to Coach Horn! I will say he gets SEC Coach of Year! Just start wearing some garnet!

Darrin Horn Finalist For 2009 Jim Phelan National Coach Of The Year Award

Gamecock Baseball in Top 25

The South Carolina baseball team has returned to the Top 25 as the Gamecocks come in at No. 18 in this week's latest NCAA Division I poll by Collegiate Baseball.

They should have been ranked in the preseason but I guess it took a win over clemson to prove that these young kids can play ball. I look for Carolina to remain in the top 25 for most of '09. I feel this team is going to surprise many especially with the coaching staff assembled by Tanner.

USC Caption Comments

Use the comment section to fill in the blanks of what Coach Horn is telling Devan Downey.....

Gamecock News

Here is some gamecock news for your snow day -

• Change is operative word for Spurrier's team
• USC, Clemson could meet at Fluor Field
• Clemson-USC baseball postponed
• Track: SEC titles for USC
• Baseball: Rain slows USC in rivalry
• Recruiting News from around SC
• Gamecock Athletics Launches Operation Garnet For UT Game ---I hope Horn wears some Garnet also!!!!!
• Arkansas QB Mallett charged with intoxication
• Steve Spurrier in South Carolina: Is the Fun and Gun Gone Forever?

Our Pal SNEAD created a Google Calendar for the 2009 USC baseball schedule...Check it out HERE.

Ron Morris has an article up on the contrasting recruiting philosophies of Ray Tanner (JUCOs) and Jack Leggett (all HS players).

Also here is a FYI.....South Carolina Baseball returns to action on Tuesday, Mar. 3 vs. Georgia State with first pitch at Carolina Stadium moved to a 4 p.m. start time due to weather.

Here is the upcoming slate of games for Tanner's team --

• 3/3 - vs. Georgia State (4 p.m.)
• 3/4 - vs. Charleston Southern (7 p.m.)
• 3/6 - vs. Long Beach State (7 p.m.)
• 3/7 - vs. Long Beach State (4 p.m.)
• 3/8 - vs. Long Beach State (1:30 p.m.)