Men’s College Basketball 2021-2022 Season Preview: South Carolina Gamecocks

The SEC is loaded this year as most teams used the transfer portal to their advantage and shored up their talent as well as their depth. Teams like Kentucky, Tennessee and Auburn built elite freshman classes while LSU, Arkansas (as usual) and Florida made key additions via the portal.

SEC slates are going to be high scoring and mega exciting all year long. For DFS players this is the conference that will command your attention, so keep that at the top of your mind as we go team-by-team through the SEC to preview the coming season.

In this one, South Carolina.

(Check out our full college basketball season preview!)

South Carolina Gamecocks 2021-2022 Season Preview

2020-2021 record: 6-15 (4-12 SEC), 12th in SEC
Postseason: None

Key Departures | South Carolina Gamecocks

• Seventh Woods (transferred to Morgan State)
• AJ Lawson (playing professionally)
• Trae Hannibal (transferred to Murray State)
• Justin Minaya (transferred to Providence)
• Alanzo Frink (transferred to ECU)

Key Additions | South Carolina Gamecocks

• Erik Stevenson (transferred from Washington)
• Chico Carter (transferred from Murray State)
• AJ Wilson (transferred from George Mason)
• James Reese (transferred from North Texas)
• Devin Carter (top 100 recruit)

Returners | South Carolina Gamecocks

• Jermaine Cousinard (10.1 PPG/3 RPG/3.2 APG/1.3 SPG)
• Wilden Leveque (6.1 PPG/4.8 RPG)
• Keyshawn Bryant (14.4 PPG/5.4 RPG/1.3 SPG)
• Tre-Vaugh Minott (2.5 PPG/2.4 RPG)

South Carolina Gamecocks Outlook for 2021-2022

The Gamecocks had a horrible year in 2020 and have effectively opted to turn over the roster in 2021. Gone is the longtime core of AJ Lawson, Justin Minaya and Seventh Woods. But they’re bringing in a talent group with lots of experience. AJ Wilson was a solid producer while at George Mason but dealt with injury issues last season. He was a 12-and-7 guy back in 2019, so when healthy he can be an impact player for this team. Erik Stevenson was erratic while with Washington but is a big-time scorer when he is on. James Reese averaged just under 11 PPG as a secondary option on North Texas and he averaged almost 2 steals per game as an active defender. 

Keyshawn Bryant has been a DFS darling throughout his career and has a chance to put up some really special numbers this season. He had a usage rate and shot rate over 27%, there is a chance that number approaches 30% this year as the clear-cut star. Wildens Leveque has proved to be a usable fantasy asset in the past and he is a very strong offensive rebounder. Jermaine Cousinard is a solid player but seemed to chalk bust more often than not. It got to the point where it became profitable to fade him when projected at 20% or more. With Lawson gone I think we could see his usage go up a tad and become a consistent option.

(Check out our rankings of the top 100 teams and top 100 players for men’s college basketball in 2021-2022.)

Summary

A roster reset was necessary after such a poor season. With AJ Lawson going pro this is now Keyshawn Bryant’s team. I expect him to be up for the challenge. A nice infusion of talent through the transfer portal. Look for AJ Wilson, Erik Stevenson and James Reese to be key contributors for the Gamecocks.