South Carolina's defense smothers Baylor into submission
If Frank Martin wants a career change from college basketball coach he would be a prime candidate for Secretary of Defense after the showing his South Carolina squad put forth Friday night.
The Gamecocks showed that their upset win over No. 2 Duke last weekend was no fluke, absolutely pulverizing No. 3 Baylor 70-50 with a smothering performance on the defensive end.
South Carolina has been a dominant defensive outfit all season, ranking fourth in the country in Ken Pomeroy's efficiency rankings, and the 50-point total for the Bears marks the sixth time this season the Gamecocks have held their opponent to that mark or lower.
How good was Frank Martin's team Friday? They held the Bears 12 points below their previous season-low of 62 points.
Here's how Baylor's offense looked compared to their season averages:
| Stats | Season Average | vs. South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 74 | 50 |
| Field Goal % | 47.6 | 30.4 |
| 3-pt FG % | 36.1 | 23.1 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 16 |
| Assists | 16 | 11 |
South Carolina's run to the first Elite 8 in school history is certainly shocking, and perhaps the most surprising part has been the method in which its done its winning. The first two rounds saw the Gamecocks score 93 and 88 points, their second- and fifth-highest outputs this season respectively.
The Gamecocks got back to their bread-and-butter for round three, putting the clamps on a Baylor offense that had scored 91 and 82 points in the first two rounds.
Up next for South Carolina is either a third meeting this season with Florida or a contest with Wisconsin. Regardless of who it ends up being, that offense will be in for a long 40 minutes against Martin's incredible defense.