2009-2010 SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL PREVIEW

The South Carolina Gamecocks can be described most succinctly using one word: enigma. It is quite possible when looking up and down the way that all of the teams in the SEC performed in 2008-2009 that no single team was more inconsistent in its performances than was the South Carolina Gamecocks. The team has a ton of talent, and that talent manifested itself on a number of exciting occasions. However, that level of talent makes its regular droughts and dead spells in 2008-2009 that much harder to explain.

However, despite the inconsistency that often plagued the team last season, there is little doubt that head coach Darrin Horn has made great strides in taking this team to a new level of competitiveness over the course of his tenure. And with a number of veteran leaders returning for the 2009-2010 season, there is hope that the consistency can match the talent level over the course of the upcoming season.

The team has a reasonably strong incoming class of freshman, although the class lacks any sure thing slam dunk impact player. The closes thing to that is probably Lakeem Jackson, the 6'5" small forward who is expected to be a starter before too long with the Gamecocks. The remainder of the incoming class lacks any sure thing contributors, although point guard Ramon Galloway has a lot of raw, emphasis on raw, potential.

Galloway will have a good teacher over the course of the coming season, as he will be able to watch senior point guard Devan Downey run the show in his final season. Downey is an offensively gifted player who will be playing at the next level some day. However, even he, as a potential conference player of the year, has holes which he needs to work on in order to truly be a great player.

Another key returning member of the Gamecocks squad is Dominique Archie. Archie is considered to one of the most underrated players in the SEC. He does a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor, and provides a good level of senior leadership. Another member of the conferences underrated squad is that of Mike Holmes. The big power forward controls much of the play on the inside, although he doesn't exactly posessess much of a shooting touch from beyond the paint.

One thing that makes the Gamecocks particularly threatening is the fact that the bench is made up of a number of role players, each of whom are very good at what they do. A prime example of this is senior small forward Evaldas Banilius. He is a pure shooter whose only job is to make outside shots. His nearly 48% percentage from behind the arc demonstrates his success at accomplishing that task.

The South Carolina Gamecocks should be a good, competitive team this season. They are a sure-fire postseason contender, but only a fringe NCAA Tournament contender. This has less to do with a lack of talent on the team's part as much as it does with the improving talent around them.

Still, get your tickets to South Carolina's NIT games at 2010 March Madness Tickets.

If you haven't read it yet, check out our Darrin Horn Biography. You can read more about 2007-2008 South Carolina basketball team at 2007-2008 South Carolina Basketball Team page.

Visit these pages for your South Carolina Gamecocks Merchandise and Apparel, Tickets, and Baseball Caps.

If you are looking for our 2008-2009 South Carolina Gamecocks Basketball page, check out 2008-2009 South Carolina Gamecocks Basketball.

Here's our South Carolina Gamecocks Basketball History and University of South Carolina - Columbia Trip pages.

Learn all about Why Cocky is the Gamecocks Mascot and Why South Carolina picked garnet and black as its color?

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL LINKS

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