Final Four: East vs. West Regions, South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

East meets West, Saturday, April 1, 6:09 pm ET, CBS

Gonzaga enters the national semi-final against South Carolina as a considerable favorite of 6 1/2 points, a somewhat surprising number since the Gamecocks are playing at such a high level, having already dusted tournament low seeds such as Duke (#2), Baylor (#3), and Florida (#4) by solid margins.

In terms of margin of victory, the two teams appear to be on a collision course with the Zags' average margin during the tournament being 13.25 and South Carolina's at 13.5.

Gonzaga, having defeated - in order - a 16 (South Dakota State), an 8 (Northwestern), a 4 (West Virginia), and an 11 (Xavier) by scores of 20, 6, 3 and 24, respectively. It's worth noticing that the lowest margins of victory were actually against the better teams (i.e., the lower-numbered seeds) and it's entirely possible that the upset-minded Musketeers from Xavier simply ran out of gas against the Bulldogs after beating #2 Arizona, 73-71.

Seeds of 11 or higher generally don't make the Final Four. In fact, no team seeded higher than 11 has ever reached the promised land of college basketball. Three 11 seeds have, those being LSU, in 1986; George Mason in 2006; and VCU in 2011. None of them won.

So, the 24-point romp over Xavier, which finished the season with a very respectable 24-14 record has to be weighed against their overall quality. The Musketeers were 9-9 in the Big East conference. The Big East may have been massively overseeded, sending seven teams and finishing with a record of 6-7 in the tournament. Only Xavier, Villanova (knocked out in the second round), and Butler won games. Not to belabor the point, but the Bulldogs may have had one of the easier paths to the Final Four, thanks, in part, to Xavier, for whipping the #2 and #3 seeds in the region, Arizona and Florida State.

Gonzaga's three-point win over #4 seed West Virginia is another indicator that the Bulldogs may not be competitive against the very best in the country. Though they have, during the regular season, posted wins over Florida, Iowa State, and Arizona, but those games were all played on their home court, a definite advantage.

See College Basketball Daily's Final Four Stats post for more.

Looking at South Carolina's wins, they came against #10 Marquette, 93-73; #2 Duke, 88-81; #3 Baylor, 70-50; and #4 Florida, 77-70. The Gamecocks took down three of the four top seeds in the region, and, it's possible that they may have been in business against #1 Villanova, but Wisconsin (beaten by Florida in the Sweet 16) beat them to it.

The quality of South Carolina's wins are very high, as are some other revealing tournament stats. The Gamecocks are scoring an average of 82.0 points per game; Gonzaga, 72.3. South Carolina is also shooting better, .476 to .432, and making their free throws. They were shooting freebies at a 69% rate and are knocking them down at 75% during their tourney run. Gonzaga has gone in the opposite direction, making 74% during the regular season and devolving down to 59% in the tourney.

While the Bulldogs carry into the game the gaudy 36-1 record (best in the country), South Carolina pales by comparison at 26-10, but they appear to be very much in the mold of a team playing with purpose and conviction. Team leader, Sindarius Thornwell is a senior and was the SEC Player of the Year. Among other scoring options for South Carolina are the shifty PJ Dozier and Carlos Silva on the interior. 6'10" freshman forward, Maik Kotsar emerged as a real threat in the win over the Gators, scoring 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting.

For Gonzaga, they always need a big effort from leading scorer Nigel Williams-Goss (16.7 ppg regular season) because after him, the talent level falls off in fairly dramatic fashion, but the Bulldogs are fairly deep and play excellent defense.

In the final analysis, it's difficult to see how the Bulldogs can defeat this solid bunch from South Carolina by more than a few points, if at all. Taking the 6 1/2 points would seem to be just about a no-brainer as the Gamecocks may prove to be one of the best 8-seeds of all time.

Key Players For NCAA FINAL FOUR: North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Gonzaga

Tournament Final Four Key Players

North Carolina Tar Heels (31-7)

It's difficult to identify just one key player for the Tar Heels, but if anyone fits the bill, it is point guard Joel Berry II. Berry leads the team in assists, is second in scoring (14.6 points per game), and runs the offense. Available to either drive the ball, lead the fast break or shoot threes, Berry is always a key component to the Carolina offense.

Defensively, nobody plugs the middle like Kennedy Meeks, the 6'10" double-double machine. Meeks is imposing in size and a strong defender and rebounder. Against Kentucky in the South regional final, Meeks had just seven points, but collected 17 rebounds. The Wildcats didn't get many second shots and the Ducks likely won't either if Meeks is on his game.

Oregon Ducks (33-5)

Oregon's offense flows through 6'4" guard Tyler Dorsey, who averaged 14.5 points during the regular season, but has stepped up his game significantly in the post season, scoring 20 or more points in seven straight games, including 27 in each of the Ducks' wins over Rhode Island (75-72) and the blowout 74-60 victory over Kansas in the Midwest Regional final.

Deadly from beyond the arc, if left open, Dorsey makes the opposition pay dearly, stroking it at 65.4% (17-for-26) during the tournament, his three-point shots have proven to set the Ducks flying time and again, and will be a potent weapon against the Tar Heels.

A stalwart on defense is 6'9" forward Jordan Bell, who scored 11 points with 13 rebounds and 8 blocked shots in Oregon's win over Kansas. He'll be up against a variety of long and lanky Tar Heels in the paint, but is tough to root out once he's established position. Bell will be a key for the Ducks on both the offensive and defensive boards.

South Carolina Gamecocks (26-10)

Averaging 25.8 points per game, Sindarius Thornwell is on pace for Tournament Most Outstanding Player should South Carolina move forward to the National Championship. The Gamecock forward is generally unstoppable for an entire game and Carolina looks to him constantly throughout contests to pace the offense and especially in tight conditions at the end of the half or the game. Thornwell is the leading scorer among players remaining in the tournament and will have to be at his best if the Gamecocks are to reach the tourney final. Preparedness is high on the "to do" list for South Carolina, so expect Thornwell, the SEC Player of the Year (and there were some good ones in the conference), to be focused and show leadership.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (36-1)

There is one and only one key player for the Bulldogs, and he is known as Nigel Williams-Goss, the team leader in both scoring (16.7) and assists (4.6), and the second-leading rebounder (5.9). The 6'3" junior from Happy Valley, Oregon is a homegrown legend in the Pacific Northwest and the absolute key to Gonzaga's success. Capable of leaping out of his sneakers, Williams-Goss can penetrate or shoot three-pointers with the best in the nation.

As he goes, so go the Bulldogs, and, with just one loss, he's been going good all season long. Against Xavier in the West regional final, he did not shoot well (7-for-19), but had 23 points, making four of seven from three-point range, with eight rebounds, four assists, a pair of steals and a blocked shot. Williams-Goss has been Gonzaga's go-to guy and will be up to the challenge presented by South Carolina's stout defense.

Thursday: Analysis of East-West, South Carolina-Gonzaga National Semi-final
Friday: Analysis of Midwest-South, Oregon-North Carolina National Semi-final

2017 NCAA Final Four Stats; Gonzaga vs. South Carolina; Oregon vs. North Carolina

NCAA Regular Season and Tournament Stats

Regular Season Stats per game
Team	points	FG%	FT%	3pt%	Reb.	asst.	a/to	steals	blocks
North Carolina	84.9	.471	.705	.366	43.5	18.2	1.53	6.94	3.24
Oregon	79.1	.481	.711	.378	36.4	16.4	1.42	6.50	6.65
Gonzaga	84.6	.518	.738	.382	40.3	16.0	1.42	7.15	4.45
South Carolina	72.1	.414	.690	.338	36.3	12.6	0.94	7.84	3.88
Tournament Stats per game
Team	points	FG%	FT%	3pt%	Reb.	ass	a/to	steals	blocks
North Carolina	85.5	.474	.700	.321	45.3	18.0	1.36	8.25	4.50
Oregon	77.8	.500	.648	.432	37.0	12.3	1.11	6.75	3.75
Gonzaga	72.3	.432	.586	.350	41.8	10.0	0.82	6.00	5.75
South Carolina	82.0	.476	.752	.329	36.8	13.0	1.11	7.50	3.00
Tournament margin of victory
Team	gm1	gm2	gm3	gm4	total	avg.
North Carolina	39	7	8	2	56	14
Oregon	16	3	1	14	34	8.5
Gonzaga	20	6	3	24	53	13.25
South Carolina	20	7	20	7	54	13.5

The week ahead:
Wednesday: Key players, situations, strategies...
Thursday: East-West National Semi-Final Preview
Friday: South-Midwest National Semi-Final Preview

Kentucky-UCLA Among Awesome Friday Sweet 16 Match-Ups

NCAA Sweet 16 South and East Regions Previews

South Region

(1) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (4) Butler Bulldogs
7:09 pm ET, CBS

North Carolina (29-7) is the last remnant of the ACC, the conference that was touted by many "in the know" analysts as the best in the nation. What we know now is that the "best" conference has a record of 7 wins and 8 losses, leaving the Tar Heels (who won the regular season but lost in the conference tournament final to Duke) as the lone representative. Thus, it's not a stretch to believe that North Carolina is not long for this tournament. The logic is that since every other team has from the ACC has been eliminated, how soon will the Tar Heels fall?

So far, they've had it relatively easy, dropping #16 Texas Southern in the opening round, 103-64, then disposing of a very game #8 Arkansas squad in the second round, 72-65. The Razorbacks had the Heels on their toes, leading 65-60 with under three minutes to play, but North Carolina closed out the game on a 12-0 run to survive and move forward. The Heels shot just 38.1%, the worst for a Carolina squad in the tournament since 1968.

If Carolina plays as poorly offensively as they did against the Razorbacks, Butler may make them pay dearly and send them home early. The bulldogs come out of the Big East, which sent seven teams and has only two remaining (the other, Xavier), so this could be rated as a meeting between survivors of the two most overrated conferences. If that's the case, 25-8 Butler (2nd in the Big East, 12-6), a 7 1/2-point underdog, has a very good chance of upending the Tar Heels.

Butler got through round one by defeating #13 Winthrop 76-64, and then took down a highly-touted #12 in Middle Tennessee State, 74-65. As far as tenacious is concerned, the Bulldogs are as fierce as they come. North Carolina should not expect an easy time, but this group may not be as talented as some previous NC tournament teams, and they are very young and inexperienced. Thus, anything can happen, and Butler could come out ahead.

(2) Kentucky Wildcats vs. (3) UCLA Bruins
9:39 pm ET, CBS

In what could be the best Elite Eight game of all, the Bruins and Wildcats take back seats to almost no teams in the tournament. Kentucky cruised through the SEC regular season, posting a 16-2 mark (31-5 overall), two games better than runner-up Florida, and they won the conference tournament handily as well.

What's a little disturbing about the Wildcats - other than their relative youth, though that's become a feature of most tourney teams of late - is the closeness of their two wins: 79-70 over #15 seed Norther Kentucky, a team the Wildcats should have beaten by 30; and, their 65-62 victory in the second round over #10 Wichita State, which almost pulled off a monumental upset. The Shockers, however, may have been vastly underrated, so Kentucky can get a pass on that one.

At 31-4 UCLA has the look of a team nobody really wants to be playing at this juncture, largely because of the presence of the presumptive #1 draft pick, freshman point guard Lonzo Ball, who led the nation in assists, at 7.6 per game. Scoring an average of 14.7 per outing, Ball leads a team with six double figure scorers, a rarity in the college ranks. Ball will match up against Kentucky's freshman sensation, De'Aaron Fox, who's no slouch at 4.6 assists and 14.1 points per game, but he'll have his hands full on defense against the crafty Ball. The line favors the Bruins by one, but they could win by more if Ball is all he's supposed to be.

Both conferences are well-represented. The SEC sent five teams and three are remaining (Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida). The PAC-12 holds the best record of any conference at 8-1, having sent just four teams. Only USC has bowed out, but they won two games (First Four and First Round). UCLA, Arizona and Oregon remain.

East Region

(3) Baylor Bears vs. (7) South Carolina Gamecocks
7:29 pm ET, TBS

Baylor had a very solid season, but fell short in the strong Big 12, finishing tied with West Virginia and Iowa State for second place at 12-6, behind champion Kansas. The Bears are 27-7 overall, after dusting #14 New Mexico State in the opening round, 91-73, and slipping by a better-than-advertised #11 USC, 82-78. Baylor is probably the tallest team by position in the tourney, with seven-footer, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., and 6'10" Johnathan Motley anchoring the front line. While they may be long and lanky, the Baylor forwards are not exceptionally strong, and South Carolina brings plenty of muscle, which they used to upend undersized and heavily-favored #2 seed Duke, 88-82, after disposing of #10 Marquette, 93-73.

The Gamecocks went through the regular season in and out of the Top 25, slipping up as the regular season ended with five losses in their final eight games and then losing to Alabama in the opening round of the SEC tournament, 64-53.

But, South Carolina has rebounded well and they will hit the boards hard against Baylor. If this turns into a front court scrum, look for South Carolina to at least cover the 3 1/2-point spread and possibly win outright. Sindarius Thornwell and Chris Silva will lead the charge, but the Gamecocks are not particularly deep.

(8) Wisconsin Badgers vs. (4) Florida Gators
9:59 pm ET, TBS

The elite Eight ends with a couple of rank outsiders matching up in what should be an exciting contest. Wisconsin's main claim to fame is beating #1 seed in the East, Villanova, 65-62, in the second round, marking them as giant-killers and raising all kinds of rancor from pundits who thought the Badgers were under-seeded as a #8. While that may be true - because they did go 26-9 and were runners-up in the Big Ten to Purdue, at 12-6 - they did tie with Maryland in second, and the Terps were shuffled off in the first round by Xavier. So, there are arguments either way, but the reality is that the Badgers are big and bad and disciplined, probably moreso than the Gators, who lost consistently to Kentucky this season, but were otherwise well-regarded, also ranked in the Top 25 throughout the season.

The Gators grabbed a #4 seed and it appears to be well-deserved. In the first round, they took care of #13 East Tennessee State handily, 80-64. In the second round, the Gators chomped down on #5 Virginia, holding the Cavaliers to 29.6% shooting (16-54) in a 65-39 rout. While Virginia was not regarded by anyone as a team of sharpshooters, the Florida defense was strangulating and the same kind of effort might turn this meeting against Wisconsin into a game of first-to-50.

That kind of grinding atmosphere might be right up Badger alley, but all indication are that the two-point favorite Gators are going to advance here.

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Sunday (3/19) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	7-8	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1), Louisville (1), Duke (1), North Carolina (2)
Big East (7)	5-5	Villanova (1), Butler (2), Xavier (2)
Big Ten (7)	8-4	Purdue (2), Wisconsin (2), Northwestern (1), Michigan (2), Michigan State (1)
Big 12 (6)	8-3	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (2), Iowa St. (1), Kansas (2), Baylor (2)
SEC (5)	7-2	Florida (2), Arkansas (1), Kentucky (2), South Carolina (2)
PAC 12 (4)	8-1	USC (2), Arizona (2), Oregon (2), UCLA (2)
Atlantic 10 (3)	1-3	Rhode Island (1)
American (2)	1-2	Cincinnati (1)
West Coast (2)	3-1	Gonzaga (2), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(4-23)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1), Wichita State (1)

ESPN updated NCAA tournament bracket

Trevon Bluiett, Sindarious Thornwell, Moritz Wagner Lead Xavier, South Carolina, Michigan to Sweet 16

Editor's Note: Due to car issues and internet unavailability (when we say "off the grid" we mean it) College Basketball Daily fell flat on the most critical of weekends, but, happily, we're almost back in business. The vehicle is under repair, and the internet is well, available. We did manage to keep track of events as they unfolded over the past three days and are presenting the last three players of the day for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus the updated Conference Tournament Scoreboard, in this bonus posting. More as the week unfolds... we hope!

College Hoops Player of the Day for Friday, March 17, 2017

South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell was not only the high scorer in the Gamecock's 93-73 rout of Marquette, he was the high scorer of any of the 16 winning teams in the NCAA tourney on Friday. Only one player scored more. Norbertas Giga of Jacksonville State had 30 in a losing effort to Louisville.

Beyond his 29 points, Thornwell was also busy on the boards, collecting 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. The 6'5" senior from Lancaster, SC, was on target, making 10 of 19 shots from the floor, including a 3-for-6 effort from beyond the arc, adding 6-for-7 from the foul line.

Thornwell and his South Carolina teammates matched up with Duke on Sunday in a classic in which Thornwell had 24 points as the #7 seed Gamecocks ousted the #2 Blue Devils from the East Region. The result left the low seed in the region as #3 Baylor, who faces South Carolina Friday night in one of the two regional semi-final games.

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College Hoops Player of the Day for Saturday, March 18, 2017

Junior swingman Trevon Bluiett helped Xavier defeat Maryland, 76-65, in Thursday night's "First Four" play-in game with 21 points, but he and his teammates made sure nobody underestimated them as the Musketeers slaughtered Florida State, 91-66. Bluiett led all scorers with 29 points, pitching in three assists and six boards in 36 minutes of floor time.

Bluiett was 8-for-14 from the field with three 3-pointers and canned 10 of 14 from the charity stripe. As a team, the Musketeers shot 55.6% from the field (30-54) and an amazing 64.7% from three-point land (11-17). The Seminoles were completely outplayed and outclassed, outscored by 10 at the end of the first half, and going down 47-32 in the second half.

Xavier, the #11 seed in the West region is the highest seed remaining in the tournament's Sweet 16. They face #2 seed Arizona Thursday night in San Jose, California.

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College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, March 19, 2017

In a day replete with upsets, one of the biggest (and the earliest) was Michigan's stunning 73-69 defeat of #2 seed Louisville in the Midwest region. The seventh-seeded Wolverines hung with their ACC rivals throughout, and forged to a late lead to hang on for the victory.

Playing his best string music, 6'11" sophomore from Berlin, Germany, Moritz Wagner, scored a career-high 26 points in the effort, knocking down 11-for-14 from the field, including his lone three-point attempt, and hitting three of six from the foul line.

As winners of the Big Ten tournament, the 26-11 Wolverines received the automatic bid to the NCAA and are making the most of it, advancing to the Sweet 16 where they will face the region's #3 seed, the Oregon Ducks.

As the Wolverines set the stage for a memorable day of upsets, including South Carolina's 88-81 win over Duke in the East Region, as mentioned above.

The losses by Duke and Louisville, along with previous losses by Notre Dame, Florida State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami, and Wake Forest, left the North Carolina Tar Heels as the only team remaining from the ACC, now bearing the moniker of "overrated", the tournament selection committee with egg on all of their faces.

Of the major conferences, the team with the smallest representation (four teams) has the best record, that being the PAC-10 at 8-1, with only USC out of the mix. UCLA, Arizona and Oregon all advanced to the Sweet 16 round. The Big 12, which sent six teams to the tourney has an 8-3 record and three teams (Kansas, Baylor, West Virginia) advancing, along with the 7-2 SEC (Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina) and the 8-4 Big Ten (Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue).

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Sunday (3/19) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	7-8	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1), Louisville (1), Duke (1), North Carolina (2)
Big East (7)	5-5	Villanova (1), Butler (2), Xavier (2)
Big Ten (7)	8-4	Purdue (2), Wisconsin (2), Northwestern (1), Michigan (2), Michigan State (1)
Big 12 (6)	8-3	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (2), Iowa St. (1), Kansas (2), Baylor (2)
SEC (5)	7-2	Florida (2), Arkansas (1), Kentucky (2), South Carolina (2)
PAC 12 (4)	8-1	USC (2), Arizona (2), Oregon (2), UCLA (2)
Atlantic 10 (3)	1-3	Rhode Island (1)
American (2)	1-2	Cincinnati (1)
West Coast (2)	3-1	Gonzaga (2), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(4-23)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1), Wichita State (1)

ESPN Tournament Bracket (updated)

Then There Were None: Gamecocks Shock #1 Kentucky

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Kentucky's freshman sensation, John Wall, has gotten an inordinate share of press and frothy praise by NBA scouts who believe he'll be the #1 pick in the draft later this year. s Wall has helped the Wildcats to the Top of the AP poll, ranking #1 for the first time since 2003 with their 19-0 record, that was, until Tuesday night when Kentucky squared off with SEC foe South Carolina Gamecocks at the Colonial Center in Columbia, SC.

Amid all the hype and excitement over Wall and the #1 Wildcats, 5'9" guard Devan Downey was having none of it and he proved his point with 30 points and a 68-62 win, eliminating the last of the undefeated teams in college hoops.

Downey was the ultimate water bug against Kentucky, spinning, whirling, twisting, and leaping past defenders. Though he only shot 31% (9-for-29), he made up for it with impressive defense and by hitting 10 of 11 from the foul line. Easily the shortest player on the court, he managed to grab 5 rebounds to go with his 3 assists, keeping the Wildcats off-balance and in awe most of the night. Downey leads the SEC in scoring at 22.4 points per game.

Helping in the upset effort were 6'8" forward Sam Muldrow, who contested everything in the paint, blocking 5 shots while scoring 9 points with 11 rebounds. Downey's backcourt mate, Brandis Raley-Ross, chipped in with 17 points and 5 boards.

Kentucky's reign as #1 lasted just over one day before they tasted their first loss of the season, though they will retain the #1 ranking through Sunday, and might just stay there, depending on how they fare against Vanderbilt on Saturday and how other teams - #2 Kansas, #3 Villanova and #4 Syracuse - perform during the week.

NOTABLE: The University of Seattle is a fledgling independent playing mostly teams from the Big West, PAC-10 and other independents, and they've done fine, sporting a 9-11 record heading into their Tuesday night game at Washington. Seattle hoped to be competitive against the Huskies, but the wheels fell off completely as the Redhawks committed 45 personal fouls, had six players foul out and sent the Huskies to the charity stripe 61 times, where the Washington players gleefully dropped in 46 freebies en route to a 123-76 thrashing.

Washington built an insurmountable 61-20 lead by the half, and Seattle played the final 1:27 with just four players on the court due to the foul-outs. Quincy Pondexter led 6 Washington players in double figures with a game-high 27 points. Washington shot 56%, to just 30% for Seattle.

Top 25 Roundup (early games): UConn Tops Marquette

#2 Connecticut 93, #8 Marquette 82

A.J. Price scored 38 points to lead the Huskies to a Big East win that left them alone atop the conference.

The premiere game of the evening matched the #2 Connecticut Huskies at the #8 Marquette Golden Eagles with nothing short of the Big East lead on the line. With Pitt having faltered Tuesday night at Providence, the Huskies came into the game tied with Louisville at 13-2, with Marquette a half game back at 12-2.

The Huskies established a lead in the closing minutes of the first half, taking a 43-37 lead into the break, but Marquette, comfortable on their home court, kept closing. When Wesley Matthews hit a pair of free throws at 7:53 in the second half, the Golden Eagles retook the lead, 60-59.

From there, the two teams exchanged leads back and forth, with UConn eventually grabbing a 8-point edge on a pair of Stanley Robinson three-point plays with 4:32 left in the game. Marquette cut the lead to five, but could get no closer.

Robinson scored 19 points, half of Price's total. Price was sensational, hitting 13-20 from the field, including 8-12 on 3's and a perfect 4-4 from the line.

Jerel McNeal scored 26 to lead Marquette.

At 26-2 and 14-2 in the conference, the Huskies host Notre Dame on Saturday and then get a week off before closing out the regular season in a rematch at Pitt. Winning both would give UConn the title, as they have a win over Louisville already in hand.


South Carolina 77, Kentucky 59

South Carolina punched their NCAA dance ticket on Wednesday night with a serious thumping of SEC East rival Kentucky, establishing an instant lead and hitting from everywhere on the floor in a 77-59 win.

Dominique Archie and Devan Downey led the onslaught. Archie had a perfect first half, going 5-for-5 with 2 3-pointers for 12 points. Downey tallied 10 in the opening period. Eight different Gamecocks scored, as they established a 46-28 lead at the half.

Archie scored just one more point in the second half, but Downey totaled 21 for the game, offsetting Patrick Patterson's 28 for the Wildcats.

South Carolina emerged with a one-game lead in the division, at 9-4, with Kentucky and Florida a game back at 8-5. The Gamecocks are 20-6 overall.

SEC Snub: LSU Wins 9th Straight But Remains Unranked

Not a single team from the SEC made the AP Top 25 poll or the second consecutive week, even though LSU has won 9 straight in the conference. At 21-4 and 9-1, the Tigers seem almost assured of making the grade on Monday, when the latest iteration of the Top 25 is released.

The Tigers received 167 votes in last week's poll, a solid #26 right behind Florida St, which made the poll for the first time since 1998. On Saturday, the Seminoles were brought back to earth by #7 Wake Forest, taking an 86-63 beating on the road.

While losing to the high-ranked Demon Deacons may not be enough to pull down Florida State (19-6, 6-4), LSU's come-from-behind, 73-66 win over Mississippi should carry more weight with the voters.

Along with the Tigers, South Carolina seems deserving of a ranking as well. The Gamecocks, at 7-3, are in a logjam with Kentucky and Florida for the East division lead, but they hold a win over Kentucky and a split with the Gators and have won 6 of their last 7 en route to an 18-5 record.

Both the Tigers and amecocks are idle until Feb. 18 (Wednesday), so it will be interesting to see if the voters decide to include the SEC in their calculus. The SEC normally places 4 or 5 teams in the NCAA tournament, so it would be stunning to see the conference shut out of the rankings in the polls leading up to the big dance.

With #21 Utah State, #24 Ohio State and #25 Florida State all suffering losses and #23 Syracuse being taken to overtime by Georgetown (4-8 in the Big East) on Saturday, will the voters find a spot for at least one SEC squad?