Rivalry basketball: Less hype, intensity after football game

COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina coach Dave Odom paused, thought about why the Gamecocks rivalry with Clemson doesn&#39;t share the same intensity among fans as other sports on both campuses, then shared a story of his own to illustrate the answer.<br> <br> At speaking appearance in Spartanburg on Friday, a woman in a Gamecock sweater thanked Odom for his leadership and the Gamecocks&#39; 4-1 start to the year. ``When do you play again?&#39;&#39; she asked.<br> <br> That would be Saturday afternoon against Clemson (8-0) at the Colonial Center.<br> <br> For all the hoopla and hysteria that surrounds the schools&#39; annual football matchup a 31-28 South Carolina victory on Nov. 25 or the buzz about their four-game baseball series each spring, basketball is a mostly forgotten about pastime.<br> <br> And it&#39;s not just on the Gamecock side, Odom said. The coach got the same question from a Clemson graduate at the Upstate meeting. ``He didn&#39;t know when Clemson played,&#39;&#39; Odom said.<br> <br> On Odom&#39;s call-in radio show this week, he took at least two questions about whether football coach Steve Spurrier would stay with the Gamecocks next year.<br> <br> In his sixth season, Odom understands and sounds about resigned to the situation.<br> <br> ``You want me to run down a list of things that I think contribute to that, I could do that,&#39;&#39; Odom said. But ``it would sound like a complaint list and I don&#39;t think that&#39;s right.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> It&#39;s probably a pipe dream to expect the Tigers and Gamecocks basketball teams to generate the same excitement as football, where 80,000-plus fans wait all season long to watch their side pound the other.<br> <br> Playing the contest a week after the football fest doesn&#39;t help, Odom said.<br> <br> ``The timing is not good,&#39;&#39; he said. Odom and then Clemson coach Larry Shyatt agreed to keep the annual game in December instead of moving it to later in the midst of both school&#39;s conference seasons.<br> <br> ``Things have changed in the last four years,&#39;&#39; Odom said.<br> <br> Exam weeks have changed, blocking out time when the game could be scheduled where students from both schools could attend and not worry about studies, Odom said.<br> <br> Another factor, Odom says, is the South Carolina High School League&#39;s football championships taking place at nearby Williams-Brice Stadium during the basketball game.<br> <br> ``We&#39;ve got to revisit&#39;&#39; when the game is played, Odom said.<br> <br> One place where the game&#39;s intensity won&#39;t wane is among players on each side.<br> <br> South Carolina&#39;s Brandon Wallace, a senior from Jackson, is a generally quiet, soft-spoken individual. But Odom said he rose to tell his teammates how much he, as a senior, hoped to end his career by breaking Clemson&#39;s modest two-game winning streak.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s the last time I&#39;ll be part of it,&#39;&#39; Wallace said. ``We&#39;ve got a bunch of young guys. We got to let them know how much this means.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Clemson sixth man K.C. Rivers, a sophomore who leads the team with a 14.3 point average this fall, is from Charlotte, N.C., and didn&#39;t understand that much about the Tigers yearly tussle with South Carolina. As the game got closer and Rivers heard more from older teammates, he grew more excited until finally feeling a bit overwhelmed at the tip-off of last year&#39;s game at Littlejohn Coliseum.<br> <br> ``You can get caught up in it,&#39;&#39; Rivers said.<br> <br> He knows how thrilled fans were a week ago during the football game and says they&#39;ll be just as excited should the basketball Tigers continued their undefeated season. ``They give us a lot of support and we know what this game means,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> Still, Odom wished it meant more to those outside the basketball locker rooms. He&#39;s a big football fan and appreciates what football success means to all South Carolina&#39;s athletic teams. He&#39;s proud of the Gamecocks and their two NIT championships.<br> <br> ``I strongly believe this state loves basketball,&#39;&#39; Odom said. But ``those that love basketball have softer voices.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Odom hopes to schedule the Clemson game a bit farther away from the football contest ``when people are not exhausted,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> Then the coach had one last story to tell. Another Gamecock fan came up to congratulate him at his Spartanburg appearance, saying, ``Coach, I know it was the NIT, but I really followed you all the way through,&#39;&#39; Odom recalled.<br> <br> Would anyone, Odom wondered, make the same comment to football&#39;s Steve Spurrier about any South Carolina bowl game?<br> <br> ``Not on your life, pal,&#39;&#39; Odom said. ``That&#39;s what we&#39;re facing.&#39;&#39;