Final Four 2017: Sleeper impact player from each team

South Carolina – Duane Notice

Notice hasn’t exactly been pushed to the side during South Carolina’s run to the Final Four, but he’s certainly outside the spotlight on fellow guards Sindarius Thornwell and PJ Dozier. Frank Martin has even had to defend his playing time at points this season. Notice, a senior who’s been up to the rare task of accepting a lesser role as his career’s gone on, just might be South Carolina’s most important player as it seeks to advance to a national championship.

South Carolina’s biggest weakness is its offense. Though a very strong defensive squad, the Gamecocks have struggled for much of the year with making shots away from the rim. Their marks from 3-point and 2-point jumper range are among the worst in the country. And though it hasn’t stood in the way of their postseason run yet, a team devoted to forcing them to shoot from the outside could bring their offense to a grinding halt.

But this is where Notice can step in, and lift his team. Thornwell obviously gets the plaudits on the wing, and he’s deserved them. He’s averaging 26.5 points per game in this tournament, and hitting over 40 percent of his shots from three. But Notice is about the only other reliable shooter on the team. Freshman Rakym Felder has pitched in, too, but Notice’s 192 3-point attempts are the most on the team, and he’s hit close to 35 percent of them. He’s the best floor spacer on the team outside of Thornwell, and he’ll certainly warrant less defensive attention — and perhaps be open — for plenty of attempts in their next game or two.

He’s stepped up to the plate so far this tournament. After a rough 2-10 start against Marquette, Notice has canned five of his ten attempts over the next two games. And though he’s sitting at around 34 percent for the season, he’s a career 36.5 percent shooter, and hit nearly 40 percent just last year. Notice’s ability as a secondary option, after Thornwell and Dozier, will be a huge part of any South Carolina effort to overcome Gonzaga, and the nation’s No. 1 ranked defense. If he goes off from 3, it could be tough for Gonzaga to score enough points to beat South Carolina’s defense.