COLUMBIA — Vanderbilt's Saben Lee ran his mouth, received a technical and sent South Carolina's Hassani Gravett to the line. Two shots and the ball meant a five-point opportunity.
But come on. What are the odds of the Gamecocks getting those five points? They had to be as long as completing an 80-foot pass from the baseline to a center who got behind two defenders for a game-clinching dunk.
There are casinos in Baton Rouge, where USC plays Saturday, and with the way the Gamecocks are winning these days, they could bankrupt all of them.
“I think it says a lot about our chemistry as a team,” Gravett said after USC's 74-71 win at Vanderbilt on Wednesday. “Everybody pulls through and comes together and makes sure we all keep fighting. Nobody lets up.”
Gravett did his share against Vandy, hitting both free throws after the technical foul, drilling a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game, then snaring a defensive rebound and clinching the game with two more free throws.
That win bookended a 4-0 SEC start for the Gamecocks, begun when Chris Silva received an 80-foot pass and slammed it home to defeat Florida.
USC, a team that was beaten up, down and sideways during the non-conference season, sits tied with Tennessee, perhaps the country’s best team, and LSU atop the conference standings.
USC (9-7 overall) is at LSU on Saturday. The Tigers (13-3, 3-0 SEC) are favored.
A five-point lead with 106 seconds to play favored Vanderbilt, too.
“I’ve liked this team from Day 1. They’ve got a lot of resolve,” coach Frank Martin said. “We didn’t throw the towel in when we lost some games earlier. It doesn’t mean we’re going to win the next six, it just means when the game’s going, I know they’re not throwing the towel in.”
Martin’s teams have traditionally played better at the end of the season and this one has somehow gotten better while getting smaller. The Gamecocks are still limping into each game.
Freshman Alanzo Frink, who’s already missed several games with knee and ankle injuries, re-sprained his ankle Tuesday but still played against Vandy. T.J. Moss is out for the year, Jason Cudd is likely to follow the same path and Justin Minaya is close, but still not back, from November knee surgery.
With those injuries, with the rotten start to the season, how are they doing what they’re doing?
The best answer is they’re just doing it.
“They’re fun,” Martin said. “They’re fun to be around.”
