Top-seeded Gamecocks try to reverse tournament woes

Posted 1:51PM on Tuesday 21st May 2002 ( 23 years ago )

HOOVER, ALABAMA - South Carolina coach Ray Tanner doesn't want his players' minds getting muddled with thoughts of the Gamecocks' past futility in the Southeastern Conference tournament. ``We try to keep it simple: Let's focus on what we've got to do,'' Tanner said. The top-seeded Gamecocks (44-12, 21-8), who claimed their second SEC championship in three years with a season-ending sweep of Georgia, face No. 8 Arkansas (30-24, 13-14) in the first round Wednesday night at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. They are just 8-17 in nine trips to the SEC tournament, despite coming within one victory of the title game last year. While teams like South Carolina and No. 2 seed Alabama (44-12, 20-10) are assured of NCAA regional berths, others could use a win or two to secure spots. Also, even the top teams will be trying to bolster their cases to be awarded regional sites. Those sites won't be announced until after the league tournaments this year. The SEC sent all eight participants to regionals last year. ``I think there's three or four teams that are pretty sure that they are (in),'' said Steve Renfroe, coach of fifth-seeded Auburn. ``Yet I think there's always that question mark. So I think it's really going be a special week and I think teams are really going to go after it. ``It's the best tournament this side of Omaha,'' he said. In the first game, No. 3 Florida meets No. 6 Georgia. No. 2 Alabama then plays No. 7 Mississippi State and No. 4 LSU plays No. 5 Auburn. Arkansas, which made the tournament with a win over Auburn to close the regular season, is hoping to bolster its case for a regional bid. ``We're probably going to have to go pretty deep into the tournament to make an NCAA regional,'' Razorbacks coach Norm DeBriyn said. Ron Polk, in his second stint as Mississippi State's coach, once again draws a highly personal foe. He left for two seasons at Georgia, and twice faced his old team. ``It seems like I'm always matched up against my brothers,'' Polk said.

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