Head coach Lamont Paris has done a masterful job of resurrecting the South Carolina basketball program to relevancy. The Gamecocks did not enjoy much success after their 2016-2017 Final Four run, and after parting ways with Frank Martin, Coach Paris helped orchestrate one of the biggest turnarounds in recent college basketball history.

Carolina tied a record for program losses (21) in the 2022-2023 season as finding wins in Paris’ first year on the job was an impossible task thanks to the offseason attrition following the coaching change. However, in Paris’ first full year on the job, he put together a much-improved squad that tied a program record for wins (26) and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016-2017.

After the season ended, the Gamecocks lost several key contributors (guards Meechie Johnson and Ta’Lon Cooper, forwards BJ Mack and Stephen Clark, and center Josh Gray were the most notable), but thanks to Paris’ recruiting efforts from both the high school ranks and the transfer portal, there is reason to believe that the 2024-2025 version of the South Carolina basketball team could be even better.

In spite of the remarkable comeback and Paris’ roster overhaul, several members of the collegiate basketball media are hesitant to support the Gamecocks.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports is among the most well-known figures who has not supported Coach Paris’ squad for the 2024–2025 campaign. The creator of “We Sleep in May” had a quite harsh opinion about the South Carolina Gamecocks’ chances of winning the SEC tournament late on Sunday. He did not include the Gamecocks in his list of teams he thought should be in the NCAA Tournament the following year.

Rothstein said that the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies, Tennessee Volunteers, Ole Miss Rebels, Florida Gators, and Mississippi State Bulldogs all have NCAA Tournament aspirations for next season.

The Gamecocks beat Georgia, Arkansas (twice), Kentucky, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Ole Miss (twice), Mississippi State (twice), and Florida last season en route to their 26-8 record. But even with a roster that is expected to be a little better this year, they did not get included among Rothstein’s 11 March Madness contenders.

Frankly, for someone who covers college basketball like Rothstein, the take doesn’t make much sense. Even if he doesn’t think Carolina will challenge for a tourney bid this season, to omit the Gamecocks from the discussion completely is a major oversight.

As Coach Paris has made clear during his time in Columbia, the Gamecocks pay attention to the media’s disrespect of the garnet and black. However, instead of allowing it to weigh them down, South Carolina basketball has adopted the attitude of their head coach.

Last season, after being left out of the top-25 for far too long, Paris told reporters that the media motivated them, but they would make sure to make their presence known. “If they like us, they like us; if not, they’ll pay the price” became a rallying cry throughout Gamecock Nation, and if Rothstein’s view of the Gamecocks is any indication, Carolina will be utilizing that mantra once again this season as they fight to make back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the ’90s.