Gamecocks taking 'game for game' approach down the stretch

This time of year, as the calendar turns to February, teams are starting to put together NCAA tournament resumes and start thinking about how many wins or upsets they need to make the big dance in March.

The Gamecocks, who sit at 10-10 overall right now and have lost back-to-back games for the first time in over a month, can’t afford to think like that right now, and they aren’t.

“I think we have to go game for game. You can’t just thing about the future,” Tre Campbell said. “You have to go game for game, practice for practice and see where it goes from there.”

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Right now the Gamecocks sit at 5-2 in the SEC with a little bit more than half of their conference slate still left to play.

They sit at No. 118 in the NET rankings, the NCAA’s new metric to determine if a team is worthy enough for the tournament in March and 109th in the KenPom rankings that measure a team’s efficiency ratings.

There are a few opportunities to build a unique resume with nine games remaining against teams in the NET top 100, including the game Saturday against Georgia (No. 91), with four games against teams in the top 50.

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Saturday’s matchup (1 p.m./SEC Network) against the Bulldogs is the first since sweeping the series last year, including a 64-57 win in Athens. It’s also the first matchup with Georgia (10-10, 1-6 SEC) since Tom Crean took over before the season.

“They play different now. They have a new coach; the whole game play is a little different now. Obviously they have a really tall team, a really big team now,” Maik Kotsar said. “They like to play on the perimeter, and we have to get accustomed to that.”

South Carolina’s resume is a little unique right now. After struggling to a 4-8 record in non-conference play against with losses to good teams like Michigan, Virginia and Clemson—all top 50 in NET—the Gamecocks had a few bad losses, like to Wyoming at No. 314 in NET.

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But, since starting SEC play, the Gamecocks have won five of their last eight games and have three wins against teams ranked in the top 50 of the NET: at Florida (No. 39) and then home wins over Mississippi State (26) and Auburn (24).

They’re now .500 after 20 games and in sole possession of third place in the SEC.

Even with the good start to SEC play, the Gamecocks are still saddled with 10 losses and can’t get caught up in looking to far ahead and losing focus on the game in front of them.

“It’s not really that hard,” he said. “The way we practice and the way Coach (Frank) Martin wants us to practice, it’s not hard at all. We just have to concentrate and play.”