NCAA Tournament 2017, South Carolina vs Marquette: Highlights, score and recap

Highlights and recap of Friday’s NCAA Tournament clash between South Carolina and Marquette

Marquette has a top-10 offense in the country –- though their defense is outside the top-150. They finished the season as the absolute best 3-point shooting team in the country, hitting an incredible 43 percent from behind the arc on the 14th-highest attempt rate in the country. This fuels much of the seventh-ranked offense in the nation.

RELATED: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket

South Carolina was the opposite – they have a top-10 defense, but an offense that’s at exactly 150th. Their approach is led by PJ Dozier and Sindarius Thornwell — a pair of guard/wings that absolutely hound opposing ballhandlers, then grab the ball and do everything for the team on the other end. Both sport steal rates over four percent — top 40 rates in the country — and offensive usage rates near 30 percent.

The first half was about as great as you’d expect. After Marquette sprinted out to a double digit lead behind a barrage of early 3s, South Carolina chipped away through a combination of great defense and iffy Marquette defense. The first half ended at 40-39, and portended a great finish for the 2nd half in this matchup of offensive and defensive extremes.

And the two teams delivered – for a while, at least. In a back and forth early portion of the second half, South Carolina got the upper hand thanks to relentlessly attacking in transition and some poor Marquette defense at the point of attack. Marquette’s shooting kept them in the game for a while, but they ultimately couldn’t stand up to the physicality and athleticism of South Carolina.

The Gamecocks shot uncharacteristically well on 2-point jumpers and a variety of floaters, but it must be said that Marquette absolutely invited that. South Carolina’s guards were able to penetrate at will, and get wide open shots in the paint and from the short midrange. With Marquette turning the ball over way too much on the offensive end (18 turnovers,  a season high), giving up too many offensive boards, and struggling against South Carolina’s defense inside, they were unable to pull the minor upset.

Three Stars

Sindarious Thornwell was the leader on both ends for the Gamecocks. His pressure on Marquette’s ball handlers cause a bunch of turnovers and many more awkward possessions. He ended up with three steals and two blocks on the night, just on the defensive end. And he was arguably more impactful on offense. He scored 29 points on the night, and shot better than 50 percent from the field. He even canned three of his six 3-pointers on the night. He’s the well-deserved MVP on the night.

PJ Dozier also replicated Thornwell’s effort from an offensive standpoint. Marquette’s guards could not stay in front of him, and he finished 9-for-14 on the night, with 20 points. When combined with his effort on the defensive end, it’s easy to see why he and Thornwell make such a potent combination on the wing.

JaJuan Johnson did his best to keep Marquette in the game, and it was honestly successful for much of the game. South Carolina really pulled away toward the end of the second half, though. Johnson finished with 16 points on the night, and hit three of his five 3-pointers. He was also one of the few Marquette players willing and able to consistently challenge the interior of the South Carolina defense, hitting two of his four 2-pointers and dishing out 3 assists.

Highlights

Next Game

South Carolina advances to face Duke, the second seed in the East region. Duke almost lazily put away Troy in their first round game, racing out to a huge early lead before letting Troy get back within contact in the 2nd half. They ultimately won by 20 points, and remain a popular national title pick. South Carolina will get a shot, with a home crowd behind them in Greenville, to pull quite an upset. With the tandem of Dozier and Thornwell leading them, they’ve certainly got a shot. Tune it to see it on Sunday, and stick with FanSided for your NCAA tournament coverage.