COLUMBIA - Darrin Horn concedes his first season at South Carolina might’ve even gone better than planned.

“We were able to do better than people thought,” he said, “maybe better than we thought.”

Better than they thought was good enough for 21 wins. Better than they thought was good enough for 10 SEC wins. Better than they thought was good enough for a season sweep of Kentucky. Better than they thought was good enough for a piece of the Eastern Division regular-season title.

But better than they thought wasn’t good enough for an NCAA bid, what would’ve been the school’s first since 2004.

The Gamecocks dropped two of their last three games and bowed out in their first-round game in the SEC Tournament to slip from NCAA consideration.

“We didn’t win enough games to get in,” Horn said of his team, which lost to Stephen Curry and Davidson in the first round of the NIT. “Even if the argument could be made, guess what, we didn’t get in.

“I’m not real big on wasting time and energy on things we can’t control after we had a chance to control it.”

In reality, the Gamecocks were doomed early in the year. The relative weakness of the SEC meant that, for the first time, a team with double-digit league wins would sit by the punch during the Big Dance.

Just to make sure that wasn’t an issue again, Horn bumped up South Carolina’s non-conference schedule.

In addition to the rivalry game against Clemson, he added another ACC opponent, Boston College. The Gamecocks will travel to suburban Boston for a Dec. 30 tip.

By then, they’ll see tests against Western Kentucky (Dec. 2), Richmond (Dec. 16) and the Charleston Classic (Nov. 19-22) field.

South Carolina joins a pool that includes Penn State, Miami, South Florida, Davidson and its first-round opponent, La Salle.

The Gamecocks will also sandwich in a Jan. 2 date with Baylor before SEC play begins Jan. 9 at Auburn.

As it turns out, Horn probably didn’t need to spark the non-conference schedule all that much because of the sudden rise of the SEC.

Ten league wins this year will likely net a high seed, almost independent of the early-season resume.

First-year coach John Calipari has immediately elevated Kentucky to overwhelming SEC favorite. Having preseason player of the year Patrick Patterson and newcomer of the year favorite John Wall helps.

“I think the league’s going to be terrific, the best in college basketball,” Horn said.

South Carolina will combat the league’s talent with experience.

Four starters return, including a rarity - two fifth-year seniors. Devan Downey and Dominique Archie’s June decisions to return for another year were welcomed by the Gamecocks.

“I can’t imagine being here without them,” senior guard Evka Baniulis said. “We’re super-excited they’re coming back.”

Downey, a postseason awards candidate and preseason All-America Honorable Mention, averaged 19.8 points, 4.5 assists and 2.9 steals a game last season.

Archie is looking to build on averaging 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds a game.

Junior posts Mike Holmes and Sam Muldrow averaged a combined 16.4 points and 13 rebounds a game. More is expected from Muldrow, who got off to a slow start as a sophomore because of academic and medical setbacks.

“We’re not talking about playing perfectly, or flawlessly,” Horn said. “We have guys that are upperclassmen, and we need them to play like that.”

Add to that experience four newcomers who are expected to see immediate playing time.

The Lakeem Jackson is the most polished. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, he has the appearance of an upperclassman. He is expected to start from day one at the off guard, replacing Zam Fredrick (15.5 points a game). Jackson is versatile enough to slide to play the 3. He can handle enough to play the point, if needed.

Ramon Galloway is talented enough at the 1 to give Downey the chance to play the off guard, allowing him to get set for his jumper. He’ll also give Downey some breathers over the course of the year.

The 6-9 Johndre Jefferson is long, lean and athletic. Stephen Spinella is a lights-out shooter, complementing Baniulis and senior Brandis Raley.

Horn said he wants to build the program. But he also wants to win now.

He might have the team to do it.

The Gamecocks were close - really close — a year ago, without the newcomers.

“I think this team can be special,” Archie said.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the South Carolina blog at www.postandcourier.com/blogs/gamecocks.

 

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