South Carolina takes on Arkansas Thursday night in the second round of the SEC tournament. I decided to wait to write this until after the first round, to get a better feel for the tournament.
It’s a good thing I did. In a span of about six hours Wednesday, everything we thought we knew about the tournament changed.
1. Kotsar’s shoulder
First, the injury news. Two sentences: “South Carolina senior forward Maik Kotsar sustained a right shoulder injury during Tuesday's practice prior to departure for Nashville and is questionable for tomorrow evening's SEC Tournament contest. The Gamecock medical staff will continue to evaluate and treat Kotsar's injury and updates will be released when available.”
Kotsar and Jalyn McCreary collided going for a loose ball in practice, and Kotsar’s right shoulder popped out of place. Kotsar had x-rays done and the results were negative. He traveled with the team to Nashville where he had an MRI done. Those results, plus Kotsar’s pain tolerance, will determine whether he can play.
“That’s a decision that has to be made by the doctors,” Frank Martin said. “If they give the thumbs up, Maik has to be at peace to play at that discomfort he might have. I feel really bad for him, because he’s been tremendous for us as a player and teammate.”
If Kotsar can’t play, Alanzo Frink will slide over to center and Justin Minaya, who has played just one game since returning from a thumb injury, will start at power forward.
Kotsar is averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season and was named second team All-SEC.
2. Coronavirus concerns
(I know we have started calling it COVID-19, but I just learned to spell coronavirus, so I’m going to use it a little while longer.)
Around 4:30 pm Wednesday, the NCAA announced that it would bar fans from the men’s and women’s tournaments. After that announcement, it seemed certain it was only a matter of time before the conferences followed. The SEC held out as long as it could. It was the last of the power five conferences to decide to play its tournament without fans (the Big East waited even longer than the SEC). But in between the first round games Wednesday night, Commissioner Greg Sankey made the announcement.
The SEC has some experience with empty arenas. The 2008 “tornado” tournament had to be moved from the damaged Georgia Dome to an empty Alexander Memorial Coliseum. That tournament also involved making Georgia play two games in one day, so it was more unpredictable than what we will see this year.
It will certainly be strange to watch, and it will be odd for players with no fans to feed off of. We will probably be able to hear on TV everything the players and coaches say. That presents an issue for the famously foul-mouthed Martin (which as a similarly foul-mouthed reporter, I enjoy, dammit).
Martin and players talked about playing in an empty arena yesterday, before the announcement was made. You can read more on that here:
Gamecocks react to potentially having to play in empty arenas
3. Looking ahead
If I had to guess, we won’t see the effect of the empty arena too much on Thursday. But Friday and especially Saturday and Sunday, it will be noticeable. As teams get to playing for the third or fourth day in a row, they get a much-needed energy boost from the crowd.It’s especially true for underdogs, who tend to benefit from having the unaffiliated fans get behind the lower seeds.
It’s not a huge factor, but it doesn’t do any favors for a team like South Carolina.
There’s also the unlikely, but very real, chance that the entire tournament gets cancelled before Sunday. It may seem far-fetched, but if I’d told you at 4:00 pm yesterday the NBA would suspend its season, you would have laughed. And yet by 9:30 pm when the NBA made the announcement, it seemed obvious. All it takes is for one player, coach, or staff member to test positive.
4. Late nights on Broadway
We’ve all spent a late night or two on Broadway, maybe even an early morning, and the Gamecocks will get their taste Thursday. It’s usually a disadvantage to play in the late game. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30, but it often doesn’t tip until after 10. That’s late, even for 18-22 year olds, and the energy level and focus is often lacking. With no crowd to help provide energy, players might be even more sluggish.
But I also think playing in the night session will be an advantage, although it may be lessened by the final game. Nobody knows how to approach these games, and at least if you are in the late session you have a chance to observe two games in Nashville, plus games in the Big Ten, ACC and other tournaments. That will at least give Martin and Arkansas’ Eric Musselman a chance to make an informed guess about what to do.
5. Scouting the Razorbacks
A five-game losing streak in February derailed Arkansas’ season. That coincided with the time missed by Isaiah Joe, who was sidelined after knee surgery. Since Joe returned, Arkansas is 4-2, including Wednesday night’s win over Vanderbilt in the first round of the SEC tournament. Joe averaged 16.8 points this season, and despite missing six games, led the SEC in three-pointers made and attempted.
Arkansas is of course led by Mason Jones, who led the SEC in scoring at 22.0 points per game on the way to first-team All-SEC honors. Jones torched South Carolina for a career-high 34 points and 12 rebounds in the first meeting, and went 15-1from the foul line.
Fouls were a major point of contention in that game, despite South Carolina’s winning 79-77. South Carolina was whistled for 33 fouls and Arkansas attempted 40 free throws. But the Razorbacks only shot 65 percent of those, failing to take advantage of all the trips to the line.
AJ Lawson led South Carolina with 19 points in that game. Kotsar had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Trae Hannibal had 11 points off the bench.
The Ws
Who: #6 South Carolina vs #11 Arkansas
When: Approximately 9:30 pm
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Watch: SEC Network
