South Bound & Down
Fansided

Florida and South Carolina in an All-SEC Elite 8 matchup

By Matt Green

Jan 18, 2017; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) works towards the basket against Florida Gators forward Devin Robinson (1) and guard KeVaughn Allen (5) during the second half at Colonial Life Arena. South Carolina wins 57-53. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2017; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) works towards the basket against Florida Gators forward Devin Robinson (1) and guard KeVaughn Allen (5) during the second half at Colonial Life Arena. South Carolina wins 57-53. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

In one of the most unlikely Elite 8 scenarios, Florida and South Carolina face-off on one of basketball’s biggest stages in Madison Square Garden.

Must Read: Three SEC teams in the Elite 8

Florida and South Carolina will play on Sunday, March 26 at 2:20 EST on CBS.

It is not far-fetched for the Gators to be here. They’ve been the higher seed in every game of the tournament so far. This is the Gators’ fifth Elite 8 appearance in the last seven years, and their seventh since 2006. Only North Carolina has that many since 2006.

South Carolina, on the other hand, this is what March Madness is all about. The Gamecocks hadn’t won a tournament game since 1973. And in their eight tournament appearances in school history coming into this year, they’d only won two games.

They’ve won three this time around. And they’re trying to keep this momentum rolling.

Familiar Faces

Feb 21, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) goes up for a shot as Florida Gators forward Justin Leon (23) defends at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Florida Gators won 76-62. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) goes up for a shot as Florida Gators forward Justin Leon (23) defends at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Florida Gators won 76-62. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

These two teams are familiar with one another. They played twice this season and split the season series.

Their first matchup came on Jan. 18 in Columbia, SC. Both teams came in with a 14-3 record and were undefeated in conference play. South Carolina won an ugly 57-53 game where the two teams combined to shoot 32.3 percent from the field.

South Carolina actually shot a worse percentage in that game, but Florida went 0-for-17 from three-point range.

As usual, Sindarius Thornwell led the way for the Gamecocks with 20 points.

The second matchup on Feb. 21 in Gainesville, Fla. was night-and-day for the Gators. Florida won 81-66 while shooting 49 percent from the field and went 9-for-19 from three.

Thornwell still got his for the Gamecocks, scoring 23 points, but the Gators were firing on all cylinders. Four different players scored double-figures for Florida, and KeVaughn Allen led the way with 26.

More from Southbound and Down

Tale of the Tape

Both of these teams play a hectic style, get after it defensively, and are led by a first-team All-SEC performer.

The Gamecocks are 30th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 64.8 points per game, and 16th in the nation with 277 steals, an average of 7.9 per game.

The Gators are 43rd in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 66.2 points per game and 26th in the nation with 264 steals, an average of 7.5 per game.

So with those statistics being fairly even, it comes down to the two stars, Thornwell and Allen. Thornwell averaged 21.5 against the Gators this year, while Allen averaged 13.5 against the Gamecocks.

Which ever star can come to play in this game will likely give their team the edge in this All-SEC Elite 8 matchup.

Home/Florida Gators