South Bound & Down
Fansided

SEC Basketball: Four Teams Who Can Challenge Calipari, Kentucky for Title

By Lee Wardlaw

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Jan 2, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Jamall Gregory (4) and South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chris Silva (30) celebrate a three pointer against the Memphis Tigers in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Jamall Gregory (4) and South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chris Silva (30) celebrate a three pointer against the Memphis Tigers in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports /

South Carolina Gamecocks

Why they’ll win: Win, win, win — that’s all these guys do anyway. They’re off to their best start since the 1933-34 season behind do-it-all forward Michael Carrera, who leads the teams in scoring and rebounding.

Do-it-all describes not only Carrera but also his teammates. With 12.4 points per game, Carrera doesn’t even score a bunch.  But heck, the ball gets fed to everybody. This is largely thanks to a team who can really rebound the basketball, with 43.1 rebounds per game.

They’ve beaten Clemson, St. John’s, Memphis, and Tulsa. Auburn is the first SEC challenge on Tuesday and the Gamecocks get Kentucky at home on February 8th. How far can Frank Martin take ‘em?

Why they won’t: Is the undefeated season a fluke? Last time around this Carolina team beat Oklahoma State and Iowa State on the road towards the Southeastern Conference play.  They then finished March wishing they had qualified for the NIT.

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