SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL
When Jair Bolden jogged out for pregame warmups Sunday, he saw a face sitting courtside he had only ever seen on TV.
As he got in his shots, college basketball analyst Jay Bilas sat there doing his own pregame work. See Bilas was on the call for the Gamecocks’ game against UVA, which was the Gamecocks’ first network game of the season.
What Bilas saw was a 70-59 win from South Carolina with the Gamecocks never shying away from the moment in an upset win and their third road win of the season.
“They knew everybody was going to be watching not on iPads but watching them play. Fans of the ACC, fans of basketball and not just the SEC are watching them play,” Frank Martin said. “They get a little jacked up for those opportunities. That’s part of the process, part of building a program is being used to playing on that stage. You go out on pregame and see Jay Bilas. They’ve never had Jay Bilas call a game.”
Also see: What we learned from Sunday's big win
The Gamecocks put on a clinic in front of a national audience, scoring 70 points and shooting 55 percent against the nation’s best defense that had given up 60 points just once all season.
It’s the first time Virginia’s lost a non-conference home game since 2016 against West Virginia.
But it signifies something else as well, and that’s the Gamecocks (8-4) have strung together back-to-back wins against ACC programs.
They’ve now won back-to-back games against Clemson and Virginia and are a perfect 3-0 on the road this season.
Over their last three wins—all on the road against UMass, Clemson and Virginia—the Gamecocks are averaging 73.7 points and allowing 64.3. South Carolina’s shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three.
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Opponents are shooting 39.3 percent from the field—34.2 from long range—and averaging just shy of 20 turnovers per game.
Of the 353 teams in Division I basketball, only 36 have three true road wins. Of those, only four haven’t lost a road game: South Carolina, Wright State, San Diego State, Gonzaga.
“Obviously beating Virginia at Virginia, it’s a great day for our basketball team. Unfortunately, like I told you guys after we lost that there’s 21 more games to play, we have 19 more to play,” Martin said. “This can go in the rearview mirror soon if we don’t keep building on the habits we’ve been fighting to create. Confidence in not just how we play but in what we’re doing and trust amongst the players.”
And Martin’s right.
This marquee non-conference win could not matter at the end of the year if the Gamecocks don’t capitalize on this in conference play, which starts in two weeks.
But what it does give the Gamecocks as they head into a short four-day holiday break is the belief their work is paying off.
“A win like this shows you we’re putting in the work, trying to get better individually and collectively,” Bolden said. “I don’t think there’s any reason we will stop here. We’re trying to get better so we’re playing our best basketball in March.”
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The Gamecocks are still a work in progress but getting closer to what they will look like during the thick of the season.
They notched a Quad I win Sunday and will need to continue to pick up good wins in SEC play if they want to be dancing come March.
“As a coach, you’re always fighting to get kids to believe in what you’re teaching and how you’re asking them to play and accepting the roles you’re giving them. When you lose, it creates doubt in everyone’s head and it makes it harder," Martin said. "When you can go on the road and win, there’s a greater buy-in by everyone to accept what you’re asking them to do."
