South Carolina Bracketology Watch: 2/23 Update
With no midweek game this week, South Carolina men’s basketball remains a seven-seed in Joe Lunardi’s Friday update to his latest bracketology for ESPN, the same line he had them on in Tuesday’s update.
Last Tuesday the Gamecocks were a five-seed and last Friday, after the loss to Auburn but before a loss to LSU, they were a six-seed.
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has Carolina as a six-seed in his updated bracketology.
South Carolina is still firmly projected to be in the 2024 NCAA Tournament but the rest of the schedule is unforgiving and every game is key, including Saturday afternoon’s trip to Ole Miss.
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The Gamecocks, losers of two straight, are looking to avoid a skid while the Rebels have been good at home this year but have lost four of their last five overall games and will need to win most of their last five to make the dance. Ole Miss is currently listed as one of the first four out by Lunardi who currently has eight SEC teams in the field.
The Gamecocks, with a 21-5 overall record and 9-4 record in SEC play, have been considered a near-lock to make the tournament but aren’t at the finish line yet.
Lunardi’s latest update has South Carolina taking on 10-seed Nevada in nearby Charlotte for the first two rounds as part of the East (Boston) Region.
ESPN updates its bracket on Tuesday and Friday during conference play and then daily throughout Championship Week in March.
Selection Sunday is set for Sunday, March 17 with the first round of the NCAA Tournament set for March 21-22.
South Carolina dropped to No. 20 in the AP poll after the two losses.
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On Saturday, the Gamecocks appeared to be in the process of bouncing back from the blowout loss to Auburn but struggled down the stretch, surrendering a 16-point lead in the second half and ultimately losing 64-63.
“You got to learn fast,” head coach Lamont Paris said. “There’s lessons to be taught and from winning and from losing and so the only real travesty about this game will be if you don’t learn something from it. There’ll be some learning for sure but I think it’s more about doing.”
Even with Mississippi on the wrong side of the bubble currently, Saturday’s contest is currently a Quad 1 game for the Gamecocks, though it’s right on the edge between Quad 1 and Quad 2. Carolina is currently No. 58 in the NET with Ole Miss sitting at 68. Any road matchup against a Top 75 opponent constitutes a Quad 1 game.
After Ole Miss, Carolina finishes its regular season with matchups against Texas A&M, Florida, Tennessee, and Mississippi State, all of which are in the projected field. Those are all currently Quad 1 games.
Saturday’s matchup with Ole Miss is scheduled for a 3:30 tipoff on SEC Network.
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