Dawgs to Face Gamecocks, KCP to Return

South Carolina is weak where the Dawgs are weak. They don't have much scoring and from what I remember, don't have skilled post players. That gives the Dawgs a chance to pick up a road win.

UGA vs SC

Glad to see that KCP will be around for at least another year.

We ought to be able to beat the last place team in the SEC, so I'm picking Georgia on this one.

Dawgs Beat South Carolina

Ugly game. We had 17 turnovers, shot 60 percent from the free throw line and almost let the last place team in the SEC East beat us after they only scored 9 points in the first half.

We looked like a championship team in the first half. More like a rec team in the second.

I don't like the poor decisions with the ball. Sherrard Brantley needs to learn to fake one way with the basketball and then pass it.

Jeremy Price hit two clutch free throws late. Gerald Robinson had a chance to ice it from the foul line, but didn't quite get it done, hitting 1 of 2. We got a couple of good rebounds from Marcus Thornton. Still doesn't have his legs underneath him, but that will come back with time.

The good news is that no one will care how we won at the end of the season, but just that we won. We needed a win and we got it.

The Dawgs are now in second place in the SEC East. Tied with Vandy, both teams having a 6 and 4 record. Florida has an almost insurmountable 2 1/2 game lead at 9 and 2.

South Carolina is in last place at 4 and 6. Next to last is UT and Kentucky. How about that?

Maybe we're just not that good...

I have read the couple of articles out this morning about the Dawgs and how our team is hoping to close out the season with a push toward the NCAA tournament.

Slippage

Patch

While it's true that our team has had its fair share of troubles, and players have gotten sick-- the fact is that these kinds of things happen during a long season. It's winter and we can't avoid having to play through adverse circumstances.

As we go into the stretch, we're playing a tough South Carolina team at home today. The loser will be in last place in the SEC East.

We just about have to win this game. Can we do it?

I'm not feeling too good about our chances. Horn will have his guys trapping all over the floor. They arguably have a deeper team than we do.

If we can't pull out a win, team supporters will have to face facts. Maybe our players were over-rated going into the season. Perhaps our expectations have been too high. Maybe we're just not that good.

The folks that have consigned South Carolina

to the cellar of the SEC East might want to think again. Darrin Horn has these guys trapping all over the floor and running and gunnin'. He has done a fantastic job as a recruiter, too, snagging former UGA recruit Damontre Harris and others.

After putting a real scare in Michigan State, South Carolina will surprise some teams this year.

The SEC East is really tough, folks.

Five SEC East Teams to Dance?

Athlon Sports predicts that 5 SEC East teams will make the NCAA Tournament. Everybody but South Carolina.

I don't see how the SEC East can get that many teams in. Even with the slight tournament field expansion, the SEC West will send somebody, the ACC is bound to have a number of teams in the tourney, and there are just a lot of good teams out there, not to mention the surprise teams that win their conference tournament and get an automatic berth. Besides, one of the SEC East teams is bound to disappoint, if for no other reason because they get knocked off by the other good teams in the Division.

Still it's hard to poke too many holes in Athlon Sports' analysis. If you just look at the talent on the rosters, the East is stacked. Florida brings everybody back and adds Patric Young and Casey Prather. Vanderbilt lost some talent in A.J. Ogilvy and Jermaine Beal, but they will be plenty tough if their point guard play holds up. Kentucky has all those talented freshmen. And for all his troubles, Bruce Pearl has been able to hold things together. Even South Carolina has size and athleticism. The Gamecocks will miss Devan Downey, for sure, but Coach Horn will throw some teams out of whack by using his traps and pressure defense.

Basketball is definitely back in the SEC, and especially so in the SEC East. Are you ready to get started?

Waiting to Excel

The University of Kentucky players are bonding. They seem to be eager to get the season underway.

Down at Mississippi, the team is trying to figure out how their roster will look. The NCAA has lots of questions, and it remains to be seen whether Renardo Sidney will be allowed to play this year.

South Carolina won the division last year. Good video with Coach Horn and Devan Downey, their talented point guard.

Should be a good year for SEC basketball.

Aunt Bea to South Carolina?

Maybe since she lived in Mayberry, she could have attended in her younger years.

But not Aunt Bea. Mr. Beas. Beas Hamga.

Beas Hamga is a 7-footer who was highly recruited coming out of high school. He went to UNLV, but has asked for his release, and is considering South Carolina.

Hamga

It could happen. I suppose he would have to sit out a year, but if he transfers sooner, rather than later, he could be eligible before the SEC slate starts next year.

If Horn starts attracting quality big men to his program, South Carolina will have fixed the main issue that they have had the previous few years-- the lack of size in the post.

Eric Smith Commits to Gamecocks

As expected, Eric Smith has committed to Darrin Horn and the South Carolina Gamecocks for 2010.

If Horn can get some big men in the fold, he should be well on his way to successfully taking the head coaching reins from Dave Odom.

Darrin Horn closing in on another recruit

Although the South Carolina Gamecocks did not have any incoming freshmen this year (after Atlanta-area native Darius Morrow de-committed), new coach Darrin Horn has been working hard to bring in talent for the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 seasons.

First, Horn went hard after Lakeem Jackson, the #139-ranked small forward in the class of 2009, and got his commitment over the summer. Now, it looks likely that Eric Smith, a 6' point guard, will soon visit Columbia and commit to Horn for the 2010 class. Smith is a junior this year at South Carolina's Mullins High School.

Georgia was reportedly interested in Smith, and he had previously visited Clemson.

http://www.scnow.com/scp/sports/other/article/-MSE_2008_05_03_0005/9028/

Sounds like a good get for South Carolina.

Gamecocks steal Euros

or smashed Euros, or did something to Klosterneuburg for them to not put up much of a fight. South Carolina ended up winning the game by a score of 112 to 59. The Gamecocks finished their European tour with a record of 4 and 0.

If their recent trans-Atlantic trip is any indication, Coach Darrin Horn will start the season with a three-guard line-up. Downey will still get most of the points, but Zam Frederick can put up points in a hurry if he's on.

Should be a tough game when UGA goes into competition against the Gamecocks. They are strongest in their guards, and we are weakest at that position. Hopefully, we will get better and better as the year progresses, and by the time the SEC portion of the schedule arrives, our guards will be ready to hold their own.

http://semerson.thestateonline.com/?p=155

Guess we'd better not count the Gamecocks out

They will play hard for first-year coach Darrin Horn.

Although they don't have any new recruits coming in for 2008, they still have basically the same pieces that led them to 6 SEC wins last year. They beat Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Georgia, LSU, and Arkansas. That's only one victory over an SEC East team, but they went into Tennessee and played them very close, losing by only 2 points.

Add to their strong guard play the emergence of Mike Holmes, and the Gamecocks could be tough.

http://www.scout.com/a.z?s=143&p=2&c=777864

Gamecocks to Play in Europe

Darrin Horn and the South Carolina Gamecocks basketball squad will travel to Europe and compete against international teams.

http://www.aikenstandard.com/0805scbasketball2008-08-04T18-48-20

The Gamecocks do not have any incoming freshmen recruits this year, so the trip should be a team-building exercise, a chance for Horn to see his players compete, and a chance for the players to get to know Horn better.

Will South Carolina be good this year? It could happen, but I'm certainly not anticipating it. New coach, not much height in the post. Tough SEC competition. But they will be scrappy, and Downey can flat out score the basketball.

Horn should begin to move the program forward this year, and Georgia better be ready.

Darrin Horn has got his work cut out for him.

Sounds a lot like Dennis Felton's situation when he first arrived.

http://www.thestate.com/gogamecocks/story/432706.html

The difference is significant nonetheless. Horn has somewhat of a bench, whereas Harrick left Felton with an empty one. Horn's team is not under the cloud of tons of negative publicity and upcoming NCAA sanctions. The 5/8 rule, which limited the number of players that could come in at any one time, is no longer in effect.

With that ssid, if Horn makes it to the NCAA's in five years, I will be very impressed.