# 2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team

The 2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach, Frank Martin, was in his sixth 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 17–16, 7–11 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 11th place. They defeated Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC tournament before losing in the second round to Arkansas.

## Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the 2016–17 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 as a No. 7 seed in the East region. In the First Round, they defeated No. 10-seeded Marquette, the school's first NCAA Tournament win since 1974. They then defeated No. 2-seeded Duke to earn a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen, they blew out No. 3 seed and No. 12-ranked Baylor by 20 points to earn a trip the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight, they defeated fellow SEC-member No. 4-seeded Florida to advance to the first Final Four in school history. There the Gamecocks lost to the West Region's No. 1 seed, Gonzaga. The 26 wins marked the most wins in school history.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Sindarius Thornwell | 0 | G | 6'5" | 211 | Senior | Lancaster, SC | Graduated/2017 NBA draft |
| Rakym Felder | 4 | G | 5'10" | 210 | Freshman | Brooklyn, NY | Suspended from the team due to an assault |
| TeMarcus Blanton | 5 | G | 6'5" | 206 | RS Sophomore | Locust Grove, GA | Retired from basketball due to a hip injury |
| Duane Notice | 10 | G | 6'2" | 225 | Senior | Woodbridge, ON | Graduated |
| Ran Tut | 14 | F | 6'9" | 210 | Junior | Melbourne, Australia | Graduate transferred to Angelo State |
| PJ Dozier | 15 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Sophomore | Columbia, SC | Declare for 2017 NBA draft |
| Justin McKie | 20 | G | 6'4" | 204 | Senior | Columbia, SC | Graduated |
| Sedee Keita | 24 | F | 6'9" | 240 | Freshman | Philadelphia, PA | Transferred to St. John's |
| Jarrell Holliman | 31 | F | 6'7" | 206 | RS Junior | Alpharretta, GA | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| John Ragin | 34 | G | 6'2" | 177 | Sophomore | Eastover, SC | Walk-on; didn't return |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Frank Booker | 5 | G | 6'4" | 190 | RS Senior | Augusta, GA | Transferred from Florida Atlantic. Will be eligible to play immediately since Booker graduated from Florida Atlantic. |
| Wesley Meyers | 10 | G | 6'2" | 186 | RS Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Transferred from Maine. Will be eligible to play immediately since Meyers graduated from Maine. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| David Beatty #32 SG | Philadelphia, PA | Imhotep Institute Charter High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Nov 14, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Ibrahim Doumbia #32 PF | Miami, FL | Miami Country Day School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Sep 28, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Felipe Haase #56 C | Los Angeles, CA | Cathedral High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Nov 10, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jason Cudd C | Myrtle Beach, SC | Socastee High School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Sep 12, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Justin Minaya SG | Old Tappan, NJ | Northern Valley Regional High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 10, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 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 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "2017 South Carolina Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016. ||||||

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jermaine Couisnard SG | East Chicago, IN | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jan 27, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Alanzo Frink PF | Roselle, NJ | Roselle Catholic High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Apr 3, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| 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 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 28, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 28, 2018. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 30, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Erskine | W 85–44 | | 15 – Silva | 12 – Haase | 3 – Gravett/Haase | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| Nov 5, 2017* 2:00 pm, SECN+ | | Virginia Tech Hoops 4 Hurricane Relief | L 67–86 | | 15 – Gravett | 7 – Haase | 3 – Gravett/Haase | Colonial Life Arena Columbia, SC |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Wofford | W 72–53 | 1–0 | 13 – Kotsar | 10 – Silva | 4 – Kotsar | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (3,400) Spartanburg, SC |
| Nov 13, 2017* 8:00 pm, SECN | | Western Michigan Puerto Rico Tip-Off non-bracket game | W 78–60 | 2–0 | 15 – Gravett | 10 – Silva | 3 – Haase | Colonial Life Arena (12,136) Columbia, SC |
| Nov 16, 2017* 11:30 am, ESPN2 | | vs. Illinois State Puerto Rico Tip-Off quarterfinals | L 65–69 | 2–1 | 10 – Booker/Gravett/Silva | 9 – Gravett | 5 – Gravett | HTC Center (700) Conway, SC |
| Nov 17, 2017* 10:30 am, ESPNU | | vs. UTEP Puerto Rico Tip-Off consolation round | W 80–56 | 3–1 | 15 – Silva | 7 – Silva | 9 – Gravett | HTC Center (987) Conway, SC |
| Nov 19, 2017* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Western Michigan Puerto Rico Tip-Off 5th place game | W 79–66 | 4–1 | 14 – Myers | 5 – Myers | 6 – Gravett | HTC Center (1,774) Conway, SC |
| Nov 27, 2017* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | at FIU | W 78–61 | 5–1 | 26 – Silva | 10 – Gravett/Silva | 7 – Gravett | FIU Arena (1,335) Miami, FL |
| Nov 30, 2017* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Temple Under Armour Reunion | L 60–76 | 5–2 | 14 – Beatty | 9 – Silva | 2 – Beatty/Kotsar/Myers | Madison Square Garden (6,081) New York, NY |
| Dec 2, 2017* 2:00 pm, SECN+ | | Massachusetts | W 76–70 | 6–2 | 17 – Minaya | 10 – Haase | 4 – Gravett | Colonial Life Arena (10,832) Columbia, SC |
| Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Wyoming | W 80–64 | 7–2 | 19 – Silva | 10 – Silva | 3 – Haase/Myers | Colonial Life Arena (10,205) Columbia, SC |
| Dec 9, 2017* 12:00 pm, SECN | | Coastal Carolina | W 80–78 | 8–2 | 19 – Booker | 9 – Silva | 4 – Gravett | Colonial Life Arena (11,734) Columbia, SC |
| Dec 19, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Clemson Rivalry | L 48–64 | 8–3 | 12 – Silva | 9 – Silva | 1 – Gravett/Minaya | Littlejohn Coliseum (8,031) Clemson, SC |
| Dec 27, 2017* 3:00 pm, SECN+ | | Limestone | W 74–45 | 9–3 | 17 – Booker | 8 – Haase | 6 – Myers | Colonial Life Arena (11,305) Columbia, SC |
| Dec 31, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Ole Miss | L 69–74 | 9–4 (0–1) | 21 – Booker/Silva | 13 – Silva | 5 – Myers | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (5,849) Oxford, MS |
| Jan 3, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Missouri | L 68–79 | 9–5 (0–2) | 18 – Silva | 5 – Booker/Silva | 2 – Kotsar/Minaya/Myers | Colonial Life Arena (9,846) Columbia, SC |
| Jan 6, 2018 6:45 pm, SECN | | Vanderbilt | W 71–60 | 10–5 (1–2) | 27 – Silva | 8 – Silva | 2 – Haase | Colonial Life Arena (11,391) Columbia, SC |
| Jan 9, 2018 7:00 pm, SECN | | at Alabama | L 62–76 | 10–6 (1–3) | 15 – Myers | 5 – Kotsar/Minaya | 2 – Minaya/Myers | Coleman Coliseum (10,909) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Jan 13, 2018 1:00 pm, SECN | | at Georgia | W 64–57 | 11–6 (2–3) | 17 – Booker | 9 – Silva | 4 – Silva | Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA |
| Jan 16, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 18 Kentucky | W 76–68 | 12–6 (3–3) | 27 – Silva | 8 – Silva | 5 – Gravett | Colonial Life Arena (16,200) Columbia, SC |
| Jan 20, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 21 Tennessee | L 63–70 | 12–7 (3–4) | 16 – Minaya | 5 – Silva/Kotsar/Minaya | 5 – Kotsar | Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC |
| Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm, SECN | | at No. 20 Florida | W 77–72 | 13–7 (4–4) | Myers – 22 | 12 – Silva | 4 – Kotsar/Myers | O'Connell Center (10,151) Gainesville, FL |
| Jan 27, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 14 Texas Tech Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 63–70 | 13–8 | 16 – Silva | 7 – Kotsar | 4 – Myers | Colonial Life Arena (14,142) Columbia, SC |
| Jan 31, 2018 8:30 pm, SECN | | Mississippi State | L 76–81 | 13–9 (4–5) | 23 – Booker | 6 – Silva/Beatty | 7 – Gravett | Colonial Life Arena (11,042) Columbia, SC |
| Feb 3, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Texas A&M | L 60–83 | 13–10 (4–6) | 16 – Minaya | 8 – Silva | 4 – Gravett | Reed Arena (10,504) College Station, TX |
| Feb 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Arkansas | L 65–81 | 13–11 (4–7) | 12 – Gravett | 7 – Gravett | 4 – Gravett/Minaya | Bud Walton Arena (14,956) Fayetteville, AR |
| Feb 10, 2018 12:00 pm, CBS | | Florida | L 41–65 | 13–12 (4–8) | 17 – Booker | 5 – Silva/Kotsar | 2 – Gravett/Minaya | Colonial Life Arena (14,629) Columbia, SC |
| Feb 13, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 18 Tennessee | L 67–70 | 13–13 (4–9) | 19 – Booker | 9 – Silva | 4 – Gravett | Thompson–Boling Arena (13,126) Knoxville, TN |
| Feb 17, 2018 3:30 pm, SECN | | No. 10 Auburn | W 84–75 | 14–13 (5–9) | 19 – Booker | 11 – Silva | 3 – Gravett/Booker | Colonial Life Arena (14,995) Columbia, SC |
| Feb 21, 2018 6:30 pm, SECN | | Georgia | W 66–57 | 15–13 (6–9) | 15 – Silva/Myers | 9 – Kotsar | 5 – Gravett | Colonial Life Arena (11,529) Columbia, SC |
| Feb 24, 2018 3:30 pm, SECN | | at Mississippi State | L 68–72 | 15–14 (6–10) | 19 – Gravett | 12 – Silva | 3 – Gravett | Humphrey Coliseum (8,612) Starkville, MS |
| Feb 28, 2018 6:30 pm, SECN | | LSU | W 83–74 | 16–14 (7–10) | 25 – Booker | 7 – Myers | 4 – Myers/Gravett | Colonial Life Arena (11,269) Columbia, SC |
| Mar 3, 2018 3:30 pm, SECN | | at No. 14 Auburn | L 70–79 | 16–15 (7–11) | 27 – Booker | 11 – Silva | 4 – Booker/Haase | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| Mar 7, 2018 9:30 pm, SECN | (11) | vs. (14) Ole Miss First round | W 85–84 | 17–15 | 21 – Silva/Booker | 11 – Silva | 7 – Gravett | Scottrade Center (8,190) St. Louis, MO |
| Mar 8, 2018 9:30 pm, SECN | (11) | vs. (6) Arkansas Second round | L 64–69 | 17–16 | 15 – Silva/Kotsar | 11 – Silva | 3 – Beatty | Scottrade Center (11,752) St. Louis, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||