The recent talk of the University of South Carolina being a “basketball school” has been loud. Why shouldn’t it be? The men's and women’s basketball teams are ranked in the top 25 for the second consecutive year and are second and first in the SEC.
But don't fool yourself — South Carolina is not a basketball school. It is simply submitting its legacy as an SEC school in terms of sports. It joins the likes of Florida, Tennessee, Ole Miss and others as schools with prominent sports all around, especially football and basketball.
It isn’t hard to deny that the Gamecocks have struggled in probably their most beloved sport, football, in terms of national rankings and recognition. The Gamecocks have totaled a low nine wins in two seasons after a span of three top 10 finishes from 2011-2014.
In spite of these struggles on the football field, two very successful years on the basketball court does not warrant the overreaction that comes with the basketball school claim. The Gamecock women have not competed in a national championship game in the program's history, and the men haven’t made the NCAA tournament since 2004.
If students and fans want to make their claim that South Carolina is a basketball school, they are going to need a bigger argument than just top 25 rankings. If that were the case, South Carolina is a baseball school. Back to back National Championships in 2010 and 2011 make that claim respected, but no one sits here and says, “South Carolina is a baseball school,” do they?
It's simple. What is the most popular college sport? Football. Fans watch their teams once a week, unlike any other sport. The demand is much larger and so is the draw.
I heard this basketball claim last year when the Gamecock men cracked the top 25 and started off 13-0. As Gamecock fans know, that season ended in disappointment, as the Gamecocks didn’t even receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Do not get ahead of yourself, Gamecock fans; success is not measured by rankings. It is measured by championships.
It should be fun in fall 2017 when the Gamecock football team takes the field led by a strong, young nucleus of talent. I can't wait to hear if South Carolina is once again a football school.