USC now focused on winning SEC

COLUMBIA -- This isn't exactly the position South Carolina wanted to be in entering conference play.

A 9-5 start that included the loss of two veteran starters wasn't how Darrin Horn had things drawn up for his team.

But it's not as if the Gamecocks are abandoning the rest of the season because of Dominique Archie's knee injury and Mike Holmes' dismissal.

Horn, for one, is still convinced South Carolina can win in the Southeastern Conference. It'll just take better, consistent play from the remaining players.

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"We're going to have to do everything we've been talking about the last few weeks," Horn said. "We've got to take care of the basketball and rebound and, offensively, we're going to have to have some efficiency to us. It always helps when we make shots."

South Carolina opens SEC play this afternoon at Auburn. Tip time against the Tigers (9-6) is set for 1:45 p.m. on the Plains.

Perhaps the arrival of the conference season will pump life into a team that's still trying to carve out an identity in the wake of losing Archie and Holmes.

"I think there's always an excitement when league play rolls around," Horn said. "It's got a different feel. It's just different. This is why you come to South Carolina. You come to compete in the SEC. I think our guys know that."

Last year, Horn's first at USC, featured the Gamecocks tying Tennessee for the SEC Eastern Division regular season title.

But, again, with the attrition, getting to 10 conference wins will be a taller task this season.

If the Gamecocks are to surprise people, a quick start is vital.

Wins at Auburn and Wednesday against LSU are almost must-haves, considering the brutal stretch ahead.

South Carolina hosts Vanderbilt on Jan. 16, goes to Mississippi on Jan. 20, travels to Florida on Jan. 23 and hosts Kentucky on Jan. 26.

One of the goals Horn had in upgrading the non-conference schedule was to create a seamless transition into SEC play.

The Gamecocks were 300th or so in non-conference schedule a year ago; they have the 111th-ranked non-conference schedule this season, according to Jeff Sagarin.

"We've had some good tests," Horn said. "I think our schedule is reflective of exactly what we've wanted it to be."

But the bottom line is, South Carolina needed more wins to be a factor for postseason discussions.

The Gamecocks were terribly flat in the first half of the Boston College loss, and Baylor's size advantage created problems for USC late in the first half of that loss.

What Horn is keying on, though, is that there were long periods in those games in which South Carolina was clearly the better team on the floor.

The Gamecocks need to extend those stretches -- enough to win games.

"There were large stretches of the game that we played well and played well enough to win," Horn said. "But there were stretches that we were so bad that we dug ourselves enough of a hole that we didn't give ourselves a chance to win. I think that's the key for the team moving forward is understanding that."

Horn called Auburn a "dangerous" team. The Tigers are difficult to figure out.

They have decent home wins against Niagara and Virginia, but terrible losses to teams such as Troy and Sam Houston State.

Sam Houston, rated No. 146 by Sargarin, blistered the Tigers for a 107-89 victory on Auburn's home floor.

Still, Auburn has four players that average more than 10 points a game, led by senior playmaker DeWayne Reed.

South Carolina will go with a smaller lineup, which should work to counter the Tigers' desire to shoot the 3-pointer. Auburn shot 39 3's in one of its victories.

"Everything we do is to be competitive in this league," Horn said. "This is the start of that. There's always a freshness and excitement for that."

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the South Carolina blog at www.postandcourier.com/blogs/gamecocks.