COLUMBIA, SC (The Greenville News) – Tyrone Johnson enters the Southeastern Conference Tournament playing the best basketball of his college career.
While he has suffered misfortune since coming to Columbia, the senior enters the event ready to do whatever he can to help the Gamecocks finish the 2014-15 season the best way possible.
He's confident, despite its record, USC will perform well in Nashville, Tennessee.
"I feel like we can beat any team in this conference," said Johnson. "We can play with the best of them. We have taken everybody's best shot. We've given everybody our best shot.
"Coach said both earlier in the season and lately that, when we're playing well and when we make shots and when we do the right things, we've shown what we're capable of doing. We can play with the best of them."
The Gamecocks (15-15, 6-12) enter as the league's 11th seed. They take on 14th-seeded Missouri (9-12, 3-15), a team they defeated in Columbia 65-60.
Third on the team in scoring (10.1) and first in assists (3.5), Johnson has played his best basketball of late. In addition to stepping up his scoring load, he has done a better job directing the team's attack.
Like Johnson, USC coach Frank Martin is pleased with his both his team's level of play and confidence entering the postseason.
"When you take into consideration the one guy that wants to lead on a consistent basis, Ty Johnson, has played 60 college games in his career. It is pretty impressive that a group of guys so inexperienced have managed to stay the course."
Through no fault of his own, Johnson's stay at South Carolina has been brief – at least as a player on the basketball court.
He lost a year of eligibility after opting to transfer from Villanova due to his participation in one early season game.
Rather than obsess after being turned down by the NCAA on his attempt to re-gain a year of eligibility, Johnson opted to put his energy into helping lead the Gamecocks.
He suffered a right foot fracture midway through his junior season that sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign.
Johnson remains confident and upbeat about USC's chances.
"Arkansas is a great team," said Johnson. "They came in here and we lost that game in the last two minutes. We've lost a lot of games, this season, in the last two minutes or the last minute.
"We didn't come together to fight and find ways to win those games. We know what it takes to win and we know what it takes to lose. We just have to be men and find ways to win those games. It starts with Missouri. That's our first test."
•Martin said USC players Demetrius Henry and Shamiek Sheppard, suspended late in the season, would not accompany the team to or compete in the SEC Tournament.
