The Daily Feed: March 22, 2012

TDF - The air was thick with the smell of temptation.

The Search

Sportstalkgolive: Phil Kornblut reports that Tubby Smith is in play for USC job. The rumor mill is grinding fast, but there is no way to know if this Tubby talk is grist or chaff - Eric Hyman is almost certainly conducting all our negotiations through back-channels, agents and proxies. Apparently the Minnesota A.D. is set to retire - is that a good enough reason for Tubby to want to bolt Minneapolis?

Harvard Crimson: South Carolina Interested in Hiring Amaker. So saith S.I.'s Seth Davis. For what it's worth, Davis re-Tweeted a fan question ("Who is the best fit for the new coach at South Carolina?") with a laconic reply - "Gregg Marshall but they gotta pay." Can I get an "Amen" from the congregation?

Dixie Fried Sports: Matt Barber posts a Frank Martin Timeline. How will the fall-out from the suspension of K State fifth-year senior F Jamar Samuels (for receiving $200.00 from his old AAU Coach) affect Hyman's view of Martin - if at all? Wichita Eagle columnist Bob Lutz says Kansas State needs to answer tough questions about Samuels, but most of the heat is directed at KSU's A.D., not Martin. So far, at least.

Leftover Hotdog: Getting to Know Frank Martin from a Gamecocks' Perspective by Flounder.

Kansas City Star: Frank Martin a candidate at South Carolina? The Star's blogger thinks the USC job would be a step down. Alas, it 's hard to argue with that. From Tuesday afternoon, so a bit stale.

From the Twitterverse: Columbus Dispatch writer Bob Baptist says Ohio State assistant (and former Tulane head coach) Dave Dickersen has not been "officially" contacted about the South Carolina opening, but says he would be "very interested." If you haven't been contacted "officially" does that necessarily mean you've been contacted "un-officially"? The P&C's Gene Sapakoff tweets: "Gotta think Eric Hyman, with lots of Texas connections, will at least look into Scott Drew." Gene was responding to a fan question, so I don't think he's advocating Drew - the Baylor coach - as a serious candidate, but any notion that Drew would be interested in leaving Waco for the USC job is a pipe dream in my book.

Gamecock Baseball

Gamecock Central: USC falls to Wofford in extra innings. Brutal. And could not come at a worse time.

GoUpstate.com: Wofford pulls extra-inning upset at South Carolina. They're partying at The Beacon.

Gamecocksonline: Meanwhile, there are a bunch of long faces during the post-game interviews at Carolina Stadium - Gamecocks Fall 5-4 To Wofford In 11 Innings. The bright spot is that Christian Walker did belt 2 HRs; we need him to lead the way from the plate against the Gators.

Post & Courier: Oh yeah, I almost forgot - number 1 is coming to town tonight: SEC powers face off tonight. Darryl has more to say at his P&C blog Spur of the Moment - Michael Roth says USC needs to "grow up fast," and a bunch of other stuff leading into the Florida series.

Leftover Hotdog: General Malaise posts Know Your Baseball Enemy: Florida Gators.

Gainesville Sun: College Baseball: #1 Gators Put Win Streak on Line vs. Gamecocks - the view from the Blue-and-Orange crowd. Think the Gators don't remember Omaha vividly? We have picked a lousy time to get a case of cold bat-itis; and an even worse time to go deep into our bullpen in an extra-inning, mid-week game before this series.

College Baseball Daily: SEC Week in Review.

Gamecock Football

Sportstalkgolive: Recruiting Report 3.21.12.

Post & Courier: Grateful Gamecock: Jerideau working way back into USC's starting lineup.

Gamecock Women's Hoops

Gamecocksonline: Gamecocks Set in Fresno Regional Bracket. Tip-off will be 11:30 P.M. ET on Saturday. There will be a send-off today at 1:30 PM at the Elephant Room of the Carolina Coliseum.

Gamecock Central: USC wants to take offense with it.

Gamecock Softball and Olympic Sports

Gamecocksonline: Softball - Gamecocks Fall in Five at No. 24/25 North Carolina 8-0; Women's Tennis - Senior Anya Morgina Named SEC Player of the Week. Congrats, Anya.

The Daily Gamecock: Tennis - Men’s tennis looks for first SEC win of season. We host Ole Miss tomorrow, then travel to Starkville to take on Mississippi State on Saturday; Swimming & Diving - Members of women's swimming and diving compete at NCAAs.

Loose Feed

Senator Blutarsky: If you’re still wondering what drives the D-1 revenue train….

ESPN SEC Blog: Chris Low runs down SEC opposition to multiyear scholarships.

Team Speed Kills: Year 2 blogs that SEC Preparing to Release New Schedules, but Not Football or Basketball. Why does this not surprise me?