Downey, Fredrick's heroics down Gators

Just when I thought I was witnessing another close loss on the hardwood by the Gamecocks, the basketball Gods shined down on Frank Maguire court Wednesday night in Columbia.

After senior guard Zam Fredrick missed a game-tying free throw attempt with 3.3 seconds left, his layup as time expired gave South Carolina a 70-69 victory over Florida, its first win over the Gators in 10 tries. The win was South Carolina's second victory over a top-25 team this season, including a close victory at Baylor in early January.

Fellow backcourt mate Devan Downey helped spark a seven-point turnaround in the game's final minute, nailing a fadeaway 3-pointer with 27 seconds to play to pull the Gamecocks within a deuce.

At 13-4, 3-2 in the SEC, maybe the Gamecocks can be one of the last four teams to make it into the Big Dance come March.