SEC's odd brand of madness

ATLANTA — After attending almost 20 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournaments, everyone should take a break and give the Southeastern Tournament a whirl.

With an open mind and extra MARTA tokens, just in case the team you're covering surprises the experts and advances.

But the first impression was a Florida fan selling extra tickets while wearing a Tim Tebow jersey. Inside the Georgia Dome, the end zone scoreboard identifies the leading team with a tiny glowing football aside the number.

Not that one postseason party is better than the other, just that expecting something similar is like waiting for The Five-Man Electrical Band to follow up "Signs" with another big hit.

For instance, Clemson, with a better basketball tradition than South Carolina, rarely wins at the ACC Tournament.

But a 13-17 South Carolina team rolled into Atlanta and ousted slightly favored LSU on Thursday, holding on for a 77-73 victory to get to today's second round against top seed Tennessee.

What are the odds of jumping ACC ship to see an SEC Tournament game pitting former Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom against LSU, most basketball famous for the late Pete Maravich, who was coached at LSU by his father after Press Maravich served in the same capacity at Clemson and N.C. State?

Or that the clinching free throw would be hit by a transfer from Georgia Tech?

The unexpected twists kept coming.

Odom, essentially forced to resign during the regular season, secured a winning SEC Tournament record by improving to 8-6. He has reached the SEC Tournament final once, as many times as all Clemson head coaches combined have reached the ACC Tournament final (Maravich, 1962).

'I love this game'

A Gamecocks team many people thought might have been emotionally wounded played consistently hard.

Fredrick was nearly disgusted at the notion South Carolina wouldn't bring its best effort.

"I love this game. I'm very passionate about basketball," said Fredrick, a junior guard who played two seasons at Georgia Tech. "When I step on the floor and I represent my family, where I'm from, my state — anything — I try to put my best foot forward. I just like to play ball."

Fredrick scored 12 points and saved the best for last, including a dunk that gave South Carolina a 73-61 lead with 1:24 left.

All this to the buzz of spring football talk in the Georgia Dome stands, 2008 football schedule talk on the concourses and the swapping of "Why I hate Steve Spurrier" chats in hotel lobbies.

It's not that there has never been football talk at an ACC Tournament.

Just that if there is, the talkers are arrested, held overnight, forced to watch film clips of the 1974 Maryland-N.C. State ACC Tournament final and shown 8-by-10 glossies of Christian Laettner and Phil Ford.

Renting shoes

At the SEC Tournament, fans evidently start talking football early in the morning at Waffle House and continue deep into the night at Hooters.

Indeed, there is a lot of talk about bowls. And bowling.

Yes, the Gamecocks bonded Wednesday with a fun trip to a local alley.

Mike Holmes, a freshman forward from Bishopville, confirmed he was "the second-worst bowler" on the roster.

"I bowled a 72," Holmes said with a smile. "But Dominique Archie, he bowled a 59."

Maybe the basketball-haughty ACC should lighten up.

Maybe the Clemson Tigers should go rent some shoes.