Making the case for why South Carolina should or should not be ranked in the next AP poll
It has to happen at some point, right? As long as the wins keep coming, South Carolina has a shot, right?
These are all common questions about the status of South Carolina men’s basketball right now. Does it deserve to be a top 25 team? This main question will be answered on Monday when the AP poll drops at 1 p.m. But for now, let’s speculate on why the Gamecocks should or should not be ranked this week.
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Should
South Carolina is currently 7-0. Not many would’ve expected that at the beginning of the season. This was a team that struggled mightily last year, finishing 11-21 in Lamont Paris’ first year as head coach.
So far this year, Paris has gotten the most from his group with everyone doing their part. It’s a great story.
The Gamecocks have beaten two ACC teams so far this year with a chance to beat one more this week. The ACC is one of the better conferences in college basketball so that’s a good sign. Plus, they’ve won two neutral site games and another that was essentially an away game out in Arizona.
Going back to their record, it’s great when compared to other teams that are ranked inside the top 25. The SEC also tends to get some love from the voters with five teams in right now. So that could help the Gamecocks to some extent. But maybe not.
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Should not
7-0 is great. Wins are wins. But who South Carolina has beaten is also important to factor in.
The Gamecocks’ best win came against Virginia Tech at a neutral site location. The Hokies are No. 65 in the KenPom College Basketball Ratings. Other than that, they’ve only beaten one team inside the top 100. That would be No. 75 Grand Canyon at a neutral site.
Here’s a look at the rest of the team’s wins based on KenPom metrics:
vs. USC Upstate — 296
vs. VMI — 339
vs. DePaul — 204
vs. Notre Dame — 177
vs. George Washington — 150
In short, these wins might not be good enough to earn a ranking. Look at other teams around the country. They’re scheduling much tougher opponents game after game. South Carolina probably doesn’t feel comfortable enough to do that yet just with where the program is at right now. But it should be judged just like any other team would. And if it were to lose one of these games, this wouldn’t even be a discussion right now.
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The verdict
As of right now, South Carolina will probably be on the outside of the bubble. It’s just tough to reward the Gamecocks for beating bad teams. Yes, it’s a great story with how well they’re playing. But it’s also important to measure them fairly.
With that said, there is a real chance to get within the top 25 after this week. South Carolina will travel to play Clemson, who is also undefeated at the moment. The Tigers will be the toughest game on the non-conference slate as they check in at No. 33 by KenPom.
Plus, the Gamecocks will have to travel to play East Carolina on Saturday. The Pirates are sitting at No. 202. But with those two wins and a 9-0 record, they should get much more consideration after that.
For now, expect South Carolina to get some more votes in the AP poll but nothing more.
