Frank Martin and the South Carolina Gamecocks brought an intensity that Scott Drew’s Baylor Bears could never match.
Baylor’s defense was good enough to win this one, but South Carolina’s was good enough to win running away. All night long the Gamecock defense stifled every attempt, playing with control and fluidity. They were on a string, and Drew couldn’t find a way to snip it. Johnathan Motley (18 points, 9 rebounds on 8-17 FG), who has found the open man all season long when faced with double teams, couldn’t adjust to the defenses he was seeing. South Carolina’s help defender would sink into the paint, while the defender left on the weak side would sit comfortably between the two Baylor players standing too close together.