Heading into the season, there was a quiet level of confidence and optimism around South Carolina’s program.

Monday, Frank Martin took the quiet optimism and said it out loud, going to bat for his team and the talent they have on the roster.

“How many schools return guards that both averaged 13 points a game? One of which, averaged 13 points two years in a row and both of which were picked to the All-Freshman team,” Martin said. “ Does that mean we win games? It doesn’t mean anything. It just means we have good players.”

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The answer, on a national level, is harder to find, but the Gamecocks are one of three schools in the SEC to return two players who averaged 12 points per game last season: AJ Lawson averaged 13.4 and Jermaine Couisnard averaged 12.1.

Alabama (John Petty and Jaden Shakelford) and LSU (Javontae Smart and Trendon Watford) are the other two, and both of those teams were picked to finish top five in the SEC and South Carolina was projected to finish eighth.

The last time the Gamecocks returned two players who averaged 12 points per game the previous year was for the 2008-09 season with Devin Downey and Zam Fredrick.

South Carolina has two players on the coaches’ All-SEC teams—Lawson first team and Couisnard second—one of five schools with two players on the list.

Martin wants to know they have a roster full of talent like that coming off an 18-win season last year.

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“How good our players are. The coaches voted AJ preseason first team and Jermaine preseason second team. When’s the last time that’s happened around here. Keyshawn Bryant, the last five games around here averaged 15 points and nine rebounds a game. Justin Minaya, before he hurt his thumb, was basically a three-year starter,” “He’s a heck of a player for us. We were rolling last year.”

It’s the same story for the last few years, and it’s nothing new for the Gamecocks to fly under the radar heading into the season, and they’re itching to show just how good they can be.

“For all the years I’ve been here we’ve always had that underdog mentality. We always feel like we haven’t been respected to the level we should be,” AJ Lawson said. “It adds extra fuel to the fire and we’re going to come out hungry, just like we’ve been practicing.”

The Gamecocks return four starters from last season, eight of their top scorers and minute-getters while getting transfer Seventh Woods into the fold after his sit-out year.

“I definitely feel like we’re going to surprise a lot of people. We’re pretty much 15 guys deep that can all go out there and produce,” Woods said. “I don’t think there are a lot of teams that can go out there and say that. On paper we look great, we just have to produce on the court.”

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South Carolina begins its season Wednesday with an exhibition against Coker (6:30 p.m./SEC Network) before heading to Kansas City to play Liberty Saturday and either TCU or Tulsa Sunday.