South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball

The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gamecocks won Southern Conference titles in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945, and then they gained national attention under hall of fame coach Frank McGuire, posting a 205–65 record from 1967 to 1976, which included the 1970 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship, the 1971 ACC Tournament title, and four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1971 to 1974. The program also won the 1997 SEC championship, National Invitation Tournament (NIT) titles in 2005 and 2006, and co-champions of the 2009 SEC East division title. Most recently, the Gamecocks won the 2017 NCAA East Regional Championship, reaching the Final Four for the first time in school history. Lamont Paris is the current head coach, and the team plays at the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena.

History

Southern Conference years South Carolina achieved a measure of regional prominence during its tenure in the Southern Conference, winning regular season championships in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945. The program also won the conference's tournament championship in 1933. During World War II, the basketball team's success was partially attributed to being assigned outstanding athletes by the U.S. Navy as part of the V-12 program. However, the Navy leaders kept the teams focus towards the war effort, and USC declined an invitation to the Southern Conference Tournament in 1944.

Frank McGuire era (1965–1980)

The hiring of Frank McGuire before the 1964–65 season propelled South Carolina to its most successful period to date. McGuire's 16-year tenure was highlighted by an undefeated ACC regular season in 1970, an ACC Tournament championship in 1971, and three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances from 1971 to 1973. USC also posted a 69–16 overall record from 1968 to 1971, and John Roche won consecutive ACC Player of the Year Awards (1969–1970). In November 1968, the Gamecocks began playing at the 12,401 seat Carolina Coliseum, which became known as the "House that Frank Built." The success South Carolina achieved on the court brought resentment and anger from fellow ACC schools, especially those on "Tobacco Road," as the conference members of the state of North Carolina were known. The hostility of the road crowds, the unfriendly behavior of coaches and athletic directors in the conference, and the discrepancies in eligibility to compete in the NCAA tournament, which at that time was delegated strictly to the winner of the ACC tournament despite that year's championship game being the only Gamecocks loss, led McGuire to support South Carolina becoming an Independent before the 1971–72 season.

As an independent, the program gradually declined, and the university sought entrance into an athletic conference. This proved problematic because most conferences required schools to have a single athletic director, and South Carolina had multiple directors at the time. McGuire served as athletic director for the basketball program, and he would not relinquish his position. The university made several attempts to obtain McGuire's resignation, but ultimately honored his contract through 1980. McGuire finished with a 283–142 overall record at South Carolina and continues to be held in high regard by Gamecock fans. His six consecutive 20-win seasons from 1969 to 1974, which produced a 137–33 record, remain the benchmark for USC Basketball.

Metro Conference and SEC In 1983, the university became affiliated with the Metro Conference. The basketball program was placed on probation by the NCAA in the spring of 1987 for two years because of recruiting violations and the sale of complimentary player tickets. From 1987 to 1991, George Felton led the Gamecocks to an 87–62 overall record, which included a 1989 NCAA Tournament appearance and a 1991 NIT berth. For three of Felton's five seasons (1987–1989), Tubby Smith served as an assistant coach before leaving to join Rick Pitino's staff at Kentucky. South Carolina joined the SEC before the 1992 season and initially struggled, posting a combined 20–35 record in 1992 and 1993.

Eddie Fogler era (1994–2001) Eddie Fogler was hired away from Vanderbilt before the 1994 season and within a few years returned the Gamecocks to respectability. Under Fogler, South Carolina posted an impressive 66–28 record (34–14 SEC) during the 1996–1998 stretch, which included the school's first SEC championship in 1997. The 1997 Gamecocks posted a 15–1 record in SEC play and defeated league rival Kentucky twice, but lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Fogler stepped down after the 2001 campaign, going 123–117 in eight seasons as the Gamecocks' head coach. His tenure included two NCAA Tournament appearances (1997, 1998) and two NIT appearances (1996, 2001). Fogler retired as one of the most successful head coaches in SEC Basketball history, having won regular season conference championships at both Vanderbilt and South Carolina.

Dave Odom era (2002–2008) Subsequent coach Dave Odom posted four 20-win seasons during his tenure at South Carolina. He led the Gamecocks to an appearance in the 2004 NCAA Tournament and consecutive NIT championships in 2005 and 2006. Odom's tenure also saw USC begin play at the 18,000 seat Colonial Life Arena during the 2002–2003 season. Following the 2007–2008 campaign, Odom resigned with a 128–104 overall record at USC.

Darrin Horn era (2009–2012) On April 1, 2008, Darrin Horn was named the new head basketball coach at USC.Darrin Horn Named Men's Basketball Coach In his first season, Horn led the Gamecocks to a 21–10 record (10–6 SEC), two victories over Kentucky, and a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern Division title. After a 10–21 campaign in 2011–12, his third straight losing season, Horn was fired on March 13, 2012, finishing his tenure at Carolina with a 60–63 overall record and a 23–45 mark in the SEC.

Frank Martin era (2012–2022)

Frank Martin came to USC from Kansas State, where he had enjoyed five winning seasons and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight appearance with the Wildcats in 2010. After losing records in his first two seasons with the Gamecocks, he achieved a winning season in 2015, then reached the NIT in 2016, and then broke through into the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the program's first appearance in the event since 2004. On March 17, 2017, USC achieved its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1973 with a 20-point win over the Marquette Golden Eagles. Two nights later, the Gamecocks upset the #2 seed Duke Blue Devils to advance to their fourth Sweet 16. South Carolina then beat #3 seed Baylor Bears to advance to their first-ever Elite 8, two days later they upset Florida to advance to their first ever Final Four.

Lamont Paris era (2022–present)

Former Chattanooga head coach Lamont Paris was named South Carolina's 33rd head coach on March 24, 2022, to replace the terminated Frank Martin. Paris is the first African-American head coach in the history of the Gamecock men's basketball program.

Year-by-year results Season Coach Record Notes Overall Conference 1908–1909 J. H. Brown 0–3 — 1909–1910 F. E. Schofield 0–1 — 1910–1911 No coach 1–1 — 1911–1912 James G. Driver 3–4 — 1912–1913 James G. Driver 2–3 — 1913–1914 John Blackburn 5–4–1 — 1914–1915 L. W. Hill 2–7 — Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1915–1916 Charles C. Farrell 4–6 — 1916–1917 Dixon Foster 7–8 — 1917–1918 Dixon Foster 8–5 — 1918–1919 Dixon Foster 4–7 — 1919–1920 Dixon Foster 7–11 — 1920–1921 Sol Metzger 7–11 — 1921–1922 Lana A. Sims 7–12 — Southern Conference 1922–1923 Jack Crawford 6–13 0–3 1923–1924 Jack Crawford 11–9 2–2 1924–1925 Branch Bocock 10–7 4–2 1925–1926 Branch Bocock 9–5 4–2 1926–1927 Branch Bocock 14–4 9–1 SoCon Champions 1927–1928 A. Burnet Stoney 8–12 4–7 1928–1929 Rock Norman 8–13 4–9 1929–1930 Rock Norman 6–10 0–6 1930–1931 Rock Norman 1–17 1–12 1931–1932 Rock Norman 9–7 2–2 1932–1933 Billy Laval 17–2 4–0 SoCon Champions; SoCon Tournament Champions 1933–1934 Rock Norman 18–1 6–0 SoCon Champions 1934–1935 Rock Norman 15–9 5–7 1935–1936 Ted Petoskey 11–8 1–6 1936–1937 Ted Petoskey 13–7 8–4 1937–1938 Ted Petoskey 3–21 1–13 1938–1939 Ted Petoskey 5–18 3–8 1939–1940 Ted Petoskey 5–13 3–10 1940–1941 Frank Johnson 15–9 8–3 1941–1942 Frank Johnson 12–9 8–4 1942–1943 Frank Johnson (first 2 games)Rex Enright (last 17 games) 13–6 6–3 1943–1944 Henry Findley 13–2 1–2 1944–1945 John D. McMillan 19–3 9–0 SoCon Champions 1945–1946 Dick Anderson (first 12 games)Frank Johnson (last 8 games) 9–11 4–7 1946–1947 Frank Johnson 16–9 7–5 1947–1948 Frank Johnson 12–11 8–7 1948–1949 Frank Johnson 10–12 7–6 1949–1950 Frank Johnson 13–12 5–8 1950–1951 Frank Johnson 13–12 12–7 1951–1952 Frank Johnson 14–10 8–8 1952–1953 Frank Johnson 11–13 7–12 Atlantic Coast Conference 1953–1954 Frank Johnson 10–16 2–7 1954–1955 Frank Johnson 10–17 2–12 1955–1956 Frank Johnson 9–14 3–11 1956–1957 Frank Johnson 17–12 5–9 1957–1958 Frank Johnson 5–19 3–11 1958–1959 Walt Hambrick 4–20 2–12 1959–1960 Bob Stevens 10–16 6–8 1960–1961 Bob Stevens 9–17 2–12 1961–1962 Bob Stevens 15–12 7–7 1962–1963 Chuck Noe 9–15 4–10 1963–1964 Chuck Noe (first 12 games)Dwane Morrison (last 12 games) 10–14 7–7 1964–1965 Frank McGuire 6–17 2–12 1965–1966 Frank McGuire 11–13 4–10 1966–1967 Frank McGuire 16–7 8–4 1967–1968 Frank McGuire 15–7 9–5 1968–1969 Frank McGuire 21–7 11–3 NIT second round 1969–1970 Frank McGuire 25–3 14–0 ACC Regular Season Champions 1970–1971 Frank McGuire 23–6 10–4 ACC Champions; NCAA Sweet Sixteen 1971–1972 Frank McGuire 24–5 — NCAA Sweet Sixteen 1972–1973 Frank McGuire 22–7 — NCAA Sweet Sixteen 1973–1974 Frank McGuire 22–5 — NCAA first round 1974–1975 Frank McGuire 19–9 — NIT second round 1975–1976 Frank McGuire 18–9 — 1976–1977 Frank McGuire 14–12 — 1977–1978 Frank McGuire 16–12 — NIT first round 1978–1979 Frank McGuire 15–12 — 1979–1980 Frank McGuire 16–11 — 1980–1981 Bill Foster 17–10 — 1981–1982 Bill Foster 14–15 — 1982–1983 Bill Foster 22–9 — NIT third round Metro Conference 1983–1984 Bill Foster 12–16 5–9 1984–1985 Bill Foster 15–13 6–8 1985–1986 Bill Foster 12–16 2–10 1986–1987 George Felton 15–14 5–7 1987–1988 George Felton 19–10 6–6 1988–1989 George Felton 19–11 8–4 NCAA first round 1989–1990 George Felton 14–14 6–8 1990–1991 George Felton 20–13 5–9 NIT second round 1991–1992 Steve Newton 11–17 3–13 1992–1993 Steve Newton 9–18 5–11 1993–1994 Eddie Fogler 9–19 4–12 1994–1995 Eddie Fogler 10–17 5–11 1995–1996 Eddie Fogler 19–12 8–8 NIT third round 1996–1997 Eddie Fogler 24–8 15–1 SEC Champions; NCAA first round 1997–1998 Eddie Fogler 23–8 11–5 NCAA first round 1998–1999 Eddie Fogler 8–21 3–13 1999–2000 Eddie Fogler 15–17 5–11 2000–2001 Eddie Fogler 15–15 6–10 NIT first round 2001–2002 Dave Odom 22–15 6–10 NIT Runners-up 2002–2003 Dave Odom 12–16 5–11 2003–2004 Dave Odom 23–11 8–8 NCAA first round 2004–2005 Dave Odom 20–13 7–9 NIT Champions 2005–2006 Dave Odom 23–15 6–10 NIT Champions 2006–2007 Dave Odom 14–16 4–12 2007–2008 Dave Odom 14–18 5–11 2008–2009 Darrin Horn 21–10 10–6NIT first round 2009–2010 Darrin Horn 15–16 6–10 2010–2011 Darrin Horn 14–16 5–11 2011–2012 Darrin Horn 10–21 2–14 2012–2013 Frank Martin 14–18 4–14 2013–2014 Frank Martin 14–20 5–13 2014–2015 Frank Martin 17–16 6–12 2015–2016 Frank Martin 25–9 11–7 NIT second round 2016–2017 Frank Martin 26–11 12–6 NCAA Final Four 2017–2018 Frank Martin 17–16 7–11 2018–2019 Frank Martin 16–16 11–7 2019–2020 Frank Martin 18–13 10–8 2020–2021 Frank Martin 6–15 4–12 2021–2022 Frank Martin 18–13 9–9 2022–2023 Lamont Paris 11–20 4–14 2023–2024 Lamont Paris 26–8 13–5 NCAA first round 2024–2025 Lamont Paris 12–20 2–16 2025–2026 Lamont Paris 10–7 1–3

Postseason

NCAA tournament results The Gamecocks have appeared in the NCAA tournament 10 times. Their combined record is 8–11.