2016–17 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team

The 2016–17 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach, Frank Martin, was in his fifth season at South Carolina. The team played its home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 26–11, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Alabama. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Marquette, Duke, Baylor and SEC member Florida to advance to their first final four in school history where they lost to Gonzaga. Their final total of 26 wins is the most wins in school history.

2016–17 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational champions
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
Record26–11 (12–6 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaColonial Life Arena
Seasons
2016–17 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Kentucky 16 2   .889 32 6   .842
No. 10 Florida 14 4   .778 27 9   .750
Arkansas 12 6   .667 26 10   .722
No. 6 South Carolina 12 6   .667 26 11   .703
Ole Miss 10 8   .556 22 14   .611
Alabama 10 8   .556 19 15   .559
Vanderbilt 10 8   .556 19 16   .543
Georgia 9 9   .500 19 15   .559
Texas A&M 8 10   .444 16 15   .516
Tennessee 8 10   .444 16 16   .500
Auburn 7 11   .389 18 14   .563
Mississippi State 6 12   .333 16 16   .500
LSU 2 16   .111 10 21   .323
Missouri 2 16   .111 8 24   .250
2017 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Gamecocks finished the season 25–9, 11–7 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Georgia. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated High Point in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Georgia Tech.

Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Marcus Stroman 1 G 6'2" 183 Sophomore Columbia, SC Transferred to Louisiana–Lafayette
Raymond Doby 2 F 6'7" 230 Freshman Cahokia, IL Transferred to John A. Logan College
Jamall Gregory 4 G 6'4" 180 Freshman Washington, D.C. Transferred to Jacksonville State
Laimonas Chatkevičius 14 F 6'11" 251 Senior Klaipėda, Lithuania Graduated
Eric Cobb 23 F 6'10" 275 Freshman Jacksonville, FL Dismissed from the team due to BB gun incident[1]
Michael Carrera 24 F 6'5" 212 Senior Anzoátegui, Venezuela Graduated
Mindaugas Kačinas 25 F 6'7" 227 Senior Klaipėda, Lithuania Graduated
Brian Steele 35 F 6'5" 195 Senior Greenville, SC Graduated

Incoming Transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Kory Holden 1 G 6'2" 180 Junior Salisbury, MD Transferred from Delaware. Under NCAA transfer rules, Holden had to sit out the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of eligibility left.
Hassani Gravett 2 G 6'2" 180 Sophomore Douglasville, GA Junior college transfer from Pensacola State College; was immediately eligible.
Ran Tut 14 F 6'9" 210 Junior Melbourne, Australia Junior college transfer from Monroe College; was immediately eligible.

Recruits

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Sedee Keita
#22 PF
Philadelphia, PA 22ft Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Nov 2, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Rakym Felder
#70 PG
Fort Mill, SC Lincoln High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Mar 6, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPN: 
Maik Kotsar
PF
Tallinn, Estonia Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Mar 7, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 28   Rivals: 23  ESPN: 23
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "South Carolina 2016 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  • "2016 South Carolina Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 17, 2016.

Roster

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2016–17 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Sindarius Thornwell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 211 lb (96 kg) Sr Oak Hill Academy Lancaster, SC
G 1 Kory Holden (I)   6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 181 lb (82 kg) Jr J.B. Bennett
Delaware
Salisbury, MD
G 2 Hassani Gravett 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg) RS So Alexander
Pensacola State College
Villa Rica, GA
G 4 Rakym Felder 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Lincoln Brooklyn, NY
G 5 TeMarcus Blanton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 206 lb (93 kg) RS So Luella Locust Grove, GA
G 10 Duane Notice 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr St. Thomas More School Woodbridge, ON
F 12 Khadim Gueye 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Victory Rock Prep Dakar, Senegal
G 13 Tommy Corchiani (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 173 lb (78 kg) Fr Ravenscroft Raleigh, NC
F 14 Ran Tut (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Edison Academy
Monroe College
Melbourne, Australia
G 15 PJ Dozier 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Spring Valley HS Columbia, SC
G 20 Justin McKie 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Sr Irmo HS Columbia, SC
F 21 Maik Kotsar 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy Tallinn, Estonia
F 24 Sedee Keita 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr 22ft Basketball Academy Philadelphia, PA
F 30 Chris Silva 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 223 lb (101 kg) So Roselle Catholic HS Libreville, Gabon
F 31 Jarrell Holliman (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Alpharetta HS
Elmhurst College
Alpharetta, GA
G 34 John Ragin (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 177 lb (80 kg) So Cardinal Newman HS Eastover, SC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Source: [1]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
11/06/2016*
4:00 pm
Newberry W 107–89 
 34  Thornwell   11  Thornwell   5  Thornwell  Colonial Life Arena 
Columbia, SC
Non-conference games
11/11/2016*
6:30 pm
Louisiana Tech W 85–76  1–0
 18  Thornwell   7  Thornwell   6  Thornwell  Colonial Life Arena (13,344)
Columbia, SC
11/13/2016*
6:00 pm
Holy Cross W 81–49  2–0
 20  Thornwell   8  Silva   5  Tied  Colonial Life Arena (9,270)
Columbia, SC
11/15/2016*
6:30 pm
Monmouth W 70–69 OT 3–0
 23  Thornwell   10  Silva   6  Thornwell  Colonial Life Arena (9,779)
Columbia, SC
11/18/2016*
6:30 pm
South Carolina State W 92–50  4–0
 22  Thornwell   8  Kotsar   6  Dozier  Colonial Life Arena (10,159)
Columbia, SC
11/23/2016*
5:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 25 Michigan W 61–46  5–0
 21  Thornwell   10  Thornwell   4  Gravett  Colonial Life Arena (13,051)
Columbia, SC
11/26/2016*
2:00 pm, ASN
vs. No. 18 Syracuse
Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational
W 64–50  6–0
 16  Tied   10  Dozier   5  Thornwell  Barclays Center (8,733)
Brooklyn, NY
12/01/2016*
6:30 pm, SECN+
No. 20 Vermont W 68–50  7–0
 21  Dozier   6  Tied   9  Thornwell  Colonial Life Arena (11,579)
Columbia, SC
12/04/2016*
2:00 pm, SECN+
No. 20 FIU W 70–54  8–0
 27  Notice   7  Tied   4  Felder  Colonial Life Arena (10,587)
Columbia, SC
12/12/2016*
9:00 pm, FS1
No. 16 vs. Seton Hall
Under Armour Reunion
L 64–67  8–1
 20  Dozier   9  Silva   3  Dozier  Madison Square Garden (7,558)
New York City, NY
12/17/2016*
1:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 16 at South Florida W 77–66  9–1
 23  Dozier   9  Kotsar   5  Tied  USF Sun Dome (2,489)
Tampa, FL
12/21/2016*
9:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 22 Clemson
Rivalry
L 60–62  9–2
 26  Dozier   8  Tied   5  Dozier  Colonial Life Arena (17,026)
Columbia, SC
12/27/2016*
7:00 pm, SECN
Lander W 90–62  10–2
 20  Felder   11  Tied   5  Gravett  Colonial Life Arena (10,088)
Columbia, SC
12/30/2016*
9:00 pm, ESPN2
at Memphis L 54–70  10–3
 13  Dozier   8  Silva   2  Tied  FedEx Forum (10,812)
Memphis, TN
SEC regular season
01/04/2017
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at Georgia W 67–61  11–3
(1–0)
 24  Dozier   11  Thornwell   5  Dozier  Stegeman Coliseum (8,856)
Athens, GA
01/07/2017
1:30 pm, CBS
Texas A&M W 79–68  12–3
(2–0)
 19  Notice   7  Thornwell   4  Dozier  Colonial Life Arena (14,249)
Columbia, SC
01/11/2017
6:30 pm, SECN
at Tennessee W 70–60  13–3
(3–0)
 22  Thornwell   8  Kotsar   4  Thornwell  Thompson–Boling Arena (13,794)
Knoxville, TN
01/14/2017
6:30 pm, ESPNU
Ole Miss W 67–56  14–3
(4–0)
 16  Tied   11  Silva   3  Tied  Colonial Life Arena (15,202)
Columbia, SC
01/18/2017
6:30 pm, SECN
No. 24 No. 19 Florida W 57–53  15–3
(5–0)
 20  Thornwell   9  Kotsar   3  Felder  Colonial Life Arena (15,638)
Columbia, SC
01/21/2017
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 24 at No. 5 Kentucky L 69–85  15–4
(5–1)
 34  Thornwell   6  Thornwell   4  Tied  Rupp Arena (24,389)
Lexington, KY
01/24/2017
6:30 pm, SECN
No. 23 Auburn W 98–69  16–4
(6–1)
 27  Notice   8  Tied   5  Thornwell  Colonial Life Arena (14,356)
Columbia, SC
01/28/2017
8:30 pm, SECN
No. 23 at Missouri W 63–53  17–4
(7–1)
 16  Thornwell   11  Thornwell   2  Tied  Mizzou Arena (10,190)
Columbia, MO
02/01/2017
6:30 pm, SECN
No. 19 at LSU W 88–63  18–4
(8–1)
 17  Tied   8  Silva   4  Dozier  Maravich Center (6,478)
Baton Rouge, LA
02/04/2017
2:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 19 Georgia W 77–75  19–4
(9–1)
 21  Dozier   7  Tied   3  Tied  Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Columbia, SC
02/07/2017
6:30 pm, SECN
No. 19 Alabama L 86–90 4OT 19–5
(9–2)
 44  Thornwell   21  Thornwell   2  Tied  Colonial Life Arena (14,450)
Columbia, SC
02/11/2017
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 19 at Mississippi State W 77–73  20–5
(10–2)
 28  Thornwell   5  Tied   4  Thornwell  Humphrey Coliseum (7,635)
Starkville, MS
02/15/2017
6:30 pm, SECN
No. 21 Arkansas L 76–83  20–6
(10–3)
 27  Thornwell   8  Silva   3  Thornwell  Colonial Life Arena (13,001)
Columbia, SC
02/18/2017
8:30 pm, SECN
No. 21 at Vanderbilt L 62–71  20–7
(10–4)
 21  Thornwell   7  Dozier   3  Notice  Memorial Gymnasium (10,471)
Nashville, TN
02/21/2017
7:00 pm, ESPN
at No. 13 Florida L 66–81  20–8
(10–5)
 23  Thornwell   10  Thornwell   3  Dozier  O'Connell Center (11,051)
Gainesville, FL
02/25/2017
1:00 pm, SECN
Tennessee W 82–55  21–8
(11–5)
 19  Dozier   6  Tied   4  Dozier  Colonial Life Arena (16,117)
Columbia, SC
02/28/2017
7:00 pm, ESPNU
Mississippi State W 63–57  22–8
(12–5)
 22  Thornwell   11  Silva   4  Notice  Colonial Life Arena (15,230)
Columbia, SC
03/04/2017
8:30 pm, SECN
at Ole Miss L 70–75  22–9
(12–6)
 25  Thornwell   9  Dozier   6  Tied  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (7,161)
Oxford, MS
SEC Tournament
03/10/2017
3:30 pm, SECN
(4) vs. (5) Alabama
Quarterfinals
L 54–63  22–10
 16  Thornwell   5  Tied   2  Dozier  Bridgestone Arena (18,130)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
03/17/2017*
9:50 pm, TBS
(7 E) vs. (10 E) Marquette
First Round
W 93–73  23–10
 29  Thornwell   11  Thornwell   4  Tied  Bon Secours Wellness Arena (14,180)
Greenville, SC
03/19/2017*
8:40 pm, TNT
(7 E) vs. (2 E) No. 7 Duke
Second Round
W 88–81  24–10
 24  Thornwell   10  Silva   5  Thornwell  Bon Secours Wellness Arena (14,216)
Greenville, SC
03/24/2017*
7:29 pm, TBS
(7 E) vs. (3 E) No. 12 Baylor
Sweet Sixteen
W 70–50  25–10
 24  Thornwell   7  Silva   4  Notice  Madison Square Garden (20,047)
New York, NY
03/26/2017*
2:20 pm, CBS
(7 E) vs. (4 E) No. 20 Florida
Elite Eight
W 77–70  26–10
 26  Thornwell   9  Silva   3  Notice  Madison Square Garden (20,047)
New York, NY
04/01/2017*
6:09 pm, CBS
(7 E) vs. (1 W) No. 2 Gonzaga
Final Four
L 73–77  26–11
 17  Dozier   13  Silva   9  Dozier  University of Phoenix Stadium (77,612)
Glendale, AZ
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East Region, W=West Region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP20191622RVRV242319191921RVNot released
Coaches2318152025RVRV24242016196

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

References

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  1. ^ "Frank Martin: Cobb, Gregory no longer with the team". The State. Retrieved April 4, 2016.