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Entering the 2017 NCAA tournament, the most attention paid to South Carolina revolved around a program limping into March Madness. Sure, it held a 22-10 record, but a loss to Ole Miss and a pair of shortcomings against Alabama were glaring mishaps.
About 10 days later, the seventh-seeded Gamecocks have thrice used a combination of suffocating defense and a streaky offense as the formula to burst into the Elite Eight—most recently behind a 70-50 victory over third-seeded Baylor.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but that's not the focus. Although Frank Martin's team showed both skills before the tourney, it didn't happen regularly as the campaign closed.