We read a few weeks back that South Carolina hoops coach Dave Odom will be retiring at the end of the season.  What follows is our plea to his players to step it up the last 4 games of the season and send Odom out in style.

Look, fellas, you are checking in right now at 12-14, 4-8 in the conference.  You have 4 games left in the regular season, plus at least 1 game in the SEC tournament.  You must somehow find a way to get your record to .500!

Why?  Because we think Odom deserves to exit on his terms… in the NIT.  Two years ago, Odom led his Gamecocks to back-to-back NIT championships.  No team had won the tourney in consecutive years since St. John’s did it back in 1943 and 1944.  That’s a long time, and an impressive feat by Odom’s squad.

For his career, Odom has led a team to the NCAA Tournament 9 times.  Big whoop.  However, in 6 different seasons, Odom’s teams have managed to win enough games to qualify and be invited to the NIT, but not enough to make the Big Dance.  Now that’s something to talk about.

Odom has never led a team to the NCAA Final Four.  But what about the NIT?  He has won 3 NIT titles and lost once in the finals.  That makes 4 title games and a .750 winning percentage in those games.  That’s Belichick-like!

But Odom’s final team is faced with a tough task.  Right now, the Gamecocks are 2 games under .500, the mark required to be eligible.  They have 4 regular season games left: home to LSU, at Auburn, home to Kentucky, and at Tennessee.  Chalking up that Tennessee game as a loss, South Carolina needs to win the other 3 games and one in the SEC tournament.  As we see it, all 3 of those games are winnable, and the Gamecocks could definitely win one in the SEC tourney against the likes of Alabama or Ole Miss.

So guys, you’re backs are against the wall, but we want you to come out swinging.  Do it for your coach!  One more NIT!  One more NIT!  One more NIT!

***And NIT selection committee, if you’re reading - maybe there’s one of those “sponsor’s exemptions” out there, like they have in golf, that you could grant to South Carolina when their record inevitably is below .500 at the end of the season.  Come on, it’s Dave Odom!  This man’s name is synonymous with your tournament!