The Gamecocks finished the 2016 – 17 season 26 – 11 , 12 – 6 in SEC play to finish in a tie for third place . They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament to Alabama . They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed in the East region . In the First Round , they defeated No. 10-seeded Marquette , the school 's first NCAA Tournament win since 1974 . They then defeated No. 2-seeded Duke to earn a trip to the Sweet Sixteen . In the Sweet Sixteen , they blew out No. 3 seed and No. 12-ranked Baylor by 20 points to earn a trip the Elite Eight . In the Elite Eight , they defeated fellow SEC-member No. 4-seeded Florida to advance to the first Final Four in school history . There the Gamecocks lost to the West Region 's No. 1 seed , Gonzaga . The 26 wins marked the most wins in school history
SEC Tournament
2017 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team