Tarence Kinsey nailed a three with 1.3 seconds remaining from the right elbow. What had just happened went down in history. The South Carolina Gamecocks 2004-05 basketball team had just won the National Invitation Tournament. Many people claim that it was Carlos Powell that carried the team on his shoulder. In my opinion, it was a balanced attack with a talented bench. Powell being the leader is what led them through the NIT.

It was the Gamecocks final five wins that will live a part of the players and fans lives for a lifetime. The Gamecocks after not being in the NCAA tournament, took what was given to them and ran with it. A season of balanced players who shared the ball is what gave them the final five straight NIT victories. Powell was the leader of the offense and defense for the Gamecocks averaging 16 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per contest this season. The rest of the team was led by a balanced attack. Kelley, Kinsey and Gonner contributed the season with nearly 9 points per contest. Balkman, Wallace, and Tisby averaged nearly 5 rebounds per contest. These contributors were the foundation of the team, and Powell added the leadership of the team.

South Carolina first faced a evenly matched contest in Miami. SC outplayed them in areas not other teams do. The Gamecocks scored 17 points off the bench to Miami's 4. SC also shot a nice 47% from the field compared to Miami's 38%. Gonner came off the bench with a drive in the final seconds to give the Gamecocks a victory into the second round. In their second round, they rolled past UNLV with a balanced team attack. SC had 10 steals to UNLV's 5, 12 turnovers to their 18, and 40 rebounds to their 29. The Cock's had 28 points off their bench as they rolled past UNLV 77-66.

Next, in the third round, they faced another close contest in which Georgetown owned nearly every statistic except a couple big ones. SC shot an amazing 59% from the field and had 21 points off the bench to Georgetown's 8. Powell led the offense with 21 points and 7 rebounds. With a talented balanced attack, SC won 69-66. They then moved onto the semifinals for the second time in four years to face Maryland. The Cock's easily defeated them 75-66. Powell had 17 points and 12 rebounds as the bench contributed once again with a good 24 points.

Finally, after being considered a underdog for the final, the Gamecocks came out and played their best ball for a defensive battle. After Pat Carroll for St. Joseph's tied it with a three. It was Kinsey that nailed a three with 1.3 seconds remaining to make the South Carolina Gamecocks the 2005 NIT Champions. The Gamecock's for the night only had 5 turnovers to St. Joseph's 10. Carlos Powell got the deserved tournament MVP. The foundation of the Gamecocks winning the NIT was a balanced attack and a talented bench. The leader of that foundation was Carlos Powell.

Justin Christy-

(E-mail me!)