Garnet And Black Attack

Get the Picture Blog: Senator Blutarsky reminisces about David Pollack's strip-pick against Corey Jenkins back in '02 - “Can you believe that play?” I remember it vividly - like Corey, no one in the stands could figure out just how it possibly could have happened, since the play seemed to defy the laws of physics - and Corey had a very strong arm. Well, we show Brandon-over-the-top and Melvin-down-the-sidelines so much, I figured you needed some yang to go with your yin. And, yes Virginia, you can still hate Georgia -- even on a two-game winning streak.

Lady Gamecocks Basketball

Gamecock Central: O Captain! -- Sutton delivers in win over Florida. Also check out the WBB -- SEC Tournament watch and USC-UF photos.

The Daily Gamecock: Women's basketball rebounds from Arkansas loss with win over UF.

Gamecocksonline: South Carolina Narrowly Escapes Florida 62-58 - with highlights and post-game presser video.

Gamecock Men's Basketball

The Rubber Chickens: Ask TRC: The Case of the Addled AD.

Cocky Country: Gamecock Men’s Hoops: Still A Broken Record.

Olympic Sports

The Daily Gamecock: Softball opens season with Palmetto Classic Tournament win.

Gamecocksonline: Women's Golf - Lee's 71 Leads Gamecocks in First Round of UCF Challenge; Men's Tennis - Gamecocks Fall 5-2 at NC State (from Saturday).

Batting Around: GABA's Weekly SEC Baseball Ranking

2012-02-13T05:03:22Z

Ahoy, Gamecock baseball fans! With the college baseball season nigh upon us, it's past time that your friendly authors here at GABA starting cranking out baseball coverage once again. For my part, it feels like an eternity since I last waxed poetic on our nation's past time. There's just something about baseball that makes it the perfect pairing for the Spring season. It might just be the nostalgia we feel because Spring and baseball have always bloomed together. Or maybe it has something to do with the year's first batting practice never being too far behind the year's first lawn clippings. But I prefer to think it's because baseball and Spring were made for one another. Something about the lull-and-scurry motion of the game captures the season better than any other sport could.

In the coming weeks you'll no-doubt hear many more allusions made to fresh starts and baseball teams. And of course it must also be said - so I'll go ahead and get it out of the way - that everyone is undefeated right now. That won't be true, though, this time next week.

With that in mind I bring you Garnet and Black Attack's first weekly SEC baseball ranking of the 2012 season. Before we get into it after the jump, let's all just take a moment and to properly recognize what Ray Tanner and company accomplished last year. I don't need to re-hash it in this space. I'm sure you remember.

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Once you've given that thought adequate consideration, look after the jump to see the pecking order in college baseball's toughest conference.

1.) Florida Gators - The fact of the matter is Florida had the deepest pitching staff I've ever seen on a college baseball team last year, and they return almost everyone. Hudson Randal? The 6'3'' right-handed demon-child that went 11-3 with a 2.17 ERA? Yup, he's back. Karsten Whiten? The 6'4'' right-hander who gave up a measly 2 home runs in 97 innings of work while earning 9 wins and compiling 92 strike outs? He's a sophomore. Oh, and this year the Gators have two hurlers who have been named to the pre-season watch list for the award given to best relief pitcher in the nation in Austin Maddox (0.67 ERA, 27 IP) and Steven Rodriguez (1.91 ERA, 37.2 IP). They also return their three best hitters from last year in Mike Zunino (.371 AVG, 19 HR), Daniel Pigott (.331 AVG, 40 RBI), and Josh Adams (.323 AVG, 43 RBI). Yeah, they're good.

2.) South Carolina Gamecocks - The 'Cocks come in third in Baseball America's preseason poll, which might well be higher than they deserve given all this team lost from its championship squad last season. Michael Roth (14-3, 1.06 ERA) returns, which just might be all this team needs to for a third consecutive shot at glory. He's got a rubber arm and essentially put the 2011 team on his back. More likely, though, he'll need help from a cast of pitchers that was less than overwhelming for the majority of the 2011. John Taylor and his 71 IP and 1.14 ERA is gone. He was basically Carolina's 2nd starter in 2011 - never mind the fact that he usually came in around the 4th inning. The 'Cocks also lose capable reliever Jose Mata to graduation and CWS hero Matt Price to the starting rotation. It remains to be seen whether Price will be as effective out of the gate as he was out of the pen, but he's shown flashes brilliance in games past. Ray Tanner will surely need Tyler Webb to fulfill his potential as well as a few surprises from the bullpen if the Gamecocks want to make some noise in the post season. On the offensive side of the ball South Carolina loses all-around-gorrilla-shlonged-5-star-everyman-baller Scott Wingo. And actually, he's just as much of a defensive loss, too. Brady Thomas is gone - leaving a gaping hole at catcher with little-to-no experience to fill in. The team also loses fan-favorite Jackie Bradley, Jr. Although, I suppose one could argue how much of a loss he is considering how much he struggled with injury in 2011. The bottom line is this: can the second-best team in the SEC be the best team in the country for the third year in a row? We'll have to find out.

3.) Vanderbilt Commodores - Vanderbilt is as solid a program as they come. Head Coach Tim Corbin came to Vandy in 2003 after a successful stint as an assistant at Clemson and never looked back. The commodores have put some top talent into the MLB the past few years, so I expect them to come out of the gate hot. Returning from a team that went 55-14 last year are Aaron Westlake (.344 AVG, .640 SLG%) , Jason Esposito (.340 AVG, .530 SLG%) and star freshman Tony Kemp. The 'Dores do lose aces Sonny Gray (12-4, 2.43) and Grayson Garvin (13-2, 2.48), but brought in the nation's top recruiting class in 2011.

4.) Arkansas Razorbacks- The Razorbacks have been arguably the best team in the West for some time now. I expect the trend to continue for a team that was a Hog's breath away from the SEC Championship Game. Alas, they also went a mere 15-15 in SEC play, which accounts for my ranking them 4th.

5.) LSU Tigers - Why do I have the LSU Tigers at #5 even though they went 13-17 in the conference and missed the SEC tournament for the first time in Lord knows how long last year? Honestly, I don't have a good reason except that last year just didn't make a dang bit of sense. I've got to believe that Coach Paul Mainieri didn't forget how to coach championship baseball over night. Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the cup-cakiness of their early season schedule.

6.) Georgia Bulldogs - The Bulldogs have long suffered from the so-called "Odd Year Curse" in baseball. Last year's rough start seemed to only prove the rule, but mid way through the year talent finally buoyed the 'Dawgs sinking ship. UGA finished the season with a winning record in the SEC (better than any Western division team can claim) and a 33-32 final record. I expect them to improve once again.

7.) Mississippi State Bulldogs - MSU appears to be on the rise. An early slate that includes the likes of Washington State, Kansas, UConn, and Penn State all at home might propel the Maroon and White into the top 25 if things break their way.

8.) Alabama Crimson Tide - Honestly, I don't know enough about this team to have a feeling one way or another about them. They've been decidedly mediocre in the past, and with the 8th best recruiting class in the SEC last year, I would expect that trend to continue.

9.) Ole Miss - Baseball America has them at #22, which makes this something of a curious selection on my part. To that I say that the Rebels went 30-25 in 2011 and finished last in the SEC West. The lofty ranking might have something to do with their reeling in the the 5th best recruiting class in the nation last year. However, I'm not sure having to rely on a team full of talented freshmen is ever a good thing unless your name is John Calipari.

10.) Auburn Tigers - This team has struggled to find an identity in recent years. They've had bursts of offensive production but haven't been able to field the kind of pitching that is imperative to be competitive in the SEC. The Tigers begin the season against soon-to-be SEC newcomers Missouri. Don't embarrass us, Auburn.

11.) Kentucky Wildcats - In all likelihood, probably not going to be a good team. Still, this quad has been known to steal the odd series from more talented opponents in the past.

12.) Tennessee Volunteers - I don't see any real hope for this team this year. First year head coach Dave Serrano might be the real deal, but it will take a few years to build a winner in Knoxville.

South Carolina 62 Florida 58

2012-02-13T04:06:20Z

South Carolina 62 Florida 58

The Lady Gamecocks (19-6, 8-4) rebounded from their humbling loss at Arkansas by besting Florida (16-9, 6-6) this evening at the Colonial Life Arena. Dawn Staley's squad came out angry from the opening tap and held a commanding ten point lead (43-33) at the end of the first frame. The Lady Gators stormed back in the second half, however, and knotted it up 54-54 at 6:32 before Gamecock senior G Markeshia Grant hit a big time three to take back the lead for good. It was dicey down to the last minute until USC senior G La'keisha Sutton hit a shot at :32 to extend the Garnet and Black's lead to 61-58; the Lady Gators missed two shots at the end and Sutton made a final free throw at :01 to seal a 62-58 win. Grant paced all scorers with 20 points (7-13 from the floor, 5-6 from the arc), along with 3 rebounds and 1 block.

South Carolina Basketball: Can Darrin Horn Save His Job?

2012-02-13T01:12:59Z

A few weeks ago, the word was that Eric Hyman's budget is tied and that we wouldn't be in the position to pay Darrin Horn's buyout and bring in a new coach with good qualifications. At that point, I would have told you that I thought Horn would get one more year regardless of how bad the season end up. Now, it seems I may have underestimated just how bad the season could get. The 'Cocks now sit at 9-15 overall and 1-9 in the conference. The season has quickly become the worst in recent memory for Carolina, and that's saying something considering our lack of success on the hardwood. There are some good opportunities for wins down the stretch, but it's also very possible that we may only win one or two more games--or worse. To make matters worse, attendance has hit an all-time low. The Kentucky game in Columbia was a disaster, but really, the disaster wasn't so much what happened on the court, although that was certainly bad. What was worst was that the Big Blue Nation turned the Colonial Life Arena into Mini-Rupp. When you can't get the fans to come see a game against the best team in the nation, you've got major problems. And that's likely what's most on Hyman's mind right now: the bottom line. Sure, Horn's buyout and the money tied up in facilities upgrades are financially daunting. Are they as daunting, though, as the prospect of another year with the CLA at minimum capacity? My guess is probably not.

Still, though, there are reasons why it would be in Hyman's best interest to keep Horn. The thing is that Horn is going to have to do his part and figure out a way to get his team to win some games down the stretch and thus to inject some life into this moribund program. The Gamecocks have six regular-season games left: a home-away with UGA, a home with LSU, an away with Vandy, and homes with Tennessee and Mississippi St. Then, of course, they have the SEC Tournament. As said, considering how we've played lately, none of these games are gimmes. Even UGA is playing well lately. However, at the same time, I do think the possibility is there for the Gamecocks to string together a few wins.Truth be told, the first half of our season was much tougher than what we have coming up: two games apiece against UF and UK, road games against some other tough teams, no UGA, etc. The next few games provide some of our most ample opportunities for wins. At Vandy is probably a no-go, but other than that, I don't see any games that we'll be completely overmatched in, at least not until we play (if we do) a really tough team in the SECT. If Carolina wins some of these games, that should help Horn's prospects. And needless to say, a deep run in the SECT would help quite a bit, although I somewhat doubt our ability to get out of the second round or so, considering the unlikelihood of us beating a good team on a neutral court.

The question, though, is whether a winning streak would revitalize a fan base that might already have completely lost faith in Horn. Without some indication that ticket sales will improve next year, Hyman may not have much of a choice with Horn. Therefore, it seems a propos to put the question to you, dear reader: What do you need to see to get back into Carolina men's basketball? Why?

Poll

What kind of finish would it take to sell you on Darrin Horn?

The Daily Feed: February 12, 2012

2012-02-12T13:05:46Z

TDF - Like some junkie Cosmonaut.

Gamecock Baseball

Gene Sapakoff: Locating the start of the USC dynasty.

Post & Courier: Glory days for Gamecocks and Two-Minute Drill with South Carolina's Adam Matthews.

Gamecock Central: Scrimmage observations, Vol. 8 and Photos: Scrimmage No. 8.

Gamecock Football

Instant Radio Rivals: For Spurrier And The Gamecocks, 2012 Could Be An Historic Season.

Gamecock Central: Hyman defends new compliance head. Well, Ohio State did get off pretty light. Maybe Chris Rogers can work his magic a second time.

Gamecock Basketball

Gamecock Central: Arkansas beats USC and SEC Tournament Watch. Also - Horn explains call-in absence. Apparently, he missed back-to-back appearances on his "Carolina Calls" show on Columbia's 107.5 FM. Turns out to have been a legitimate scheduling snafu, but the atmospherics are poor when the team is skidding so badly in SEC play.

The Big Spur: Razorbacks drop Gamecocks.

GoUpstate: Young scores 27 as Arkansas tops South Carolina, 76-65. The AP story.

Gamecocksonline: Coach Horn post-game presser.

Lady Gamecock Basketball

GoGamecocks: Humbled team refocuses and WOMEN: GAMECOCKS VS GATORS.

Olympic Sports

Gamecocksonline: Equestrian - Gamecocks Sweep MVP's in 16-3 Rout at UT-Martin; Track - Radiance Basden Wins Triple Jump At Tyson Invitational.

Loose Feed

Sportstalkgolive: Here’s a picture of a billboard in West Virginia taunting Clemson. Priceless.