# 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.

## Previous season

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

| 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 |
| 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

| 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

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: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/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: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/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. ||||||

## Schedule and results

Source:
| 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

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | 20 | 19 | 16 | 22 | RV | — | RV | 24 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | RV | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | 23 | 18 | 15 | 20 | 25 | RV | RV | | 24 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 19 | — | — | — | 6 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings