COLUMBIA — When South Carolina takes the court for its SEC Tournament quarterfinal on Friday night, head coach Frank Martin hopes to have 20,000 fans cheering for his team at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Kentucky will be the overwhelming favorite among fans in Music City, a large reason why the tournament has found a semi-permanent home on a neutral court 40 miles from the Bluegrass State line. The Wildcats open in the quarterfinal immediately preceding South Carolina’s, and Martin is lobbying for Big Blue Nation to stick around for the nightcap and side with USC.
His reasoning? Martin coached former Kentucky starters Gimel Martinez and Allen Edwards in high school in Miami, so as far as he’s concerned, he’s part of the extended family.