So in case you were living in a cave, South Carolina has gone in a few short weeks from a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament to the school’s first ever Final Four appearance. While the feel good stories are plentiful, let’s put aside the warm fuzzies, and look at something which could matter to some of the league’s weaker basketball programs — maybe even some of the league’s weaker FOOTBALL programs: how has Martin beaten the odds and assembled a team that’s still playing when recruiting powers such as Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke aren’t? Let’s dig deep on Frank Martin, master recruiter — and possible example for SEC football coaches.

The conventional wisdom of sports coaching is that while Xs and Os matter, they don’t matter as much as Jimmys and Joes — that is to say, the guys filling out the jerseys win more games than their coaches. And as much as fans would like to pretend that coaching cures all ills, there’s an element of truth to this. After all, look at the list of recent Final Four appearances and title winners: Duke, Kentucky, Connecticut, North Carolina, etc. Or the CFP Final Four, for that matter: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, etc.

So if you’re not a blue-blood program, the only way to make it to the big time is by crashing the party. And make no mistake, in five seasons at South Carolina, Martin has crashed the party. Carolina has very little basketball tradition, and while Martin is a respected coach, he’s not glamorous. So let’s look at those Jimmys and Joes that he recruited, and see what we learn.

The centerpieces

Senior Sendarius Thornwell is one of two guys on the USC roster who probably could have made the team at Kentucky or Kansas. Thornwell was the 32nd-ranked player in the nation in the 2013 rankings of 247sports (whose rankings I use throughout). As a 4-star recruit who chose SC early over NC State, Thornwell was an instant impact player, a four-year starter, and the building block upon which SC’s success was built. He was Martin’s top-ranked recruit at the time, and he’s played like it, looking like an All-American in this Tournament.

Sophomore P.J. Dozier is the other big name on South Carolina’s roster, and he’s the team’s second leading scorer and lead guard. Dozier was the 25th-ranked player in the class of 2015, which made him the last 5-star player in the group. Dozier visited North Carolina, Georgetown and Michigan, but ultimately chose to stay home in Columbia, South Carolina, and play for the hometown school.

The complementary players

Duane Notice and Chris Silva are the team’s other double-digit scorers. Notice is a senior who was a 3-star recruit, the 309th player in the 2013 class. He was a late signee who also visited Duquesne before Martin found him. He’s been a solid, heads-up player and tough defender for four seasons. Silva was a little more known, but was still a 3-star big guy in the 2015 class, where he was the 141st best player. He visited Seton Hall and Rhode Island before deciding on USC, and in two seasons, he’s become a tough big man who rebounds, scores in the post and is rarely outworked.

There are four other Carolina players who play more than 10 minutes per game. Freshman Maik Kotsar was a 3-star guy, the 347th player in the 2016 class, literally taken from under the nose of Wichita State (he’s from Wichita). Rakym Felder is a 5-foot-10 guard who was the 366th player in the 2016 class and was originally from South Carolina, although he played his senior year of high school in Brooklyn. Martin pulled him back home, over little competition. Justin McKie was essentially completely off the radar, and attended USC because his dad, B.J., was one of the school’s best players ever. Justin was offered by USC, Wichita State, Appalachian State and Murray State. Hassani Gravett was a JUCO offer late in the game. West Virginia offered him as well, but he was not highly recruited.

So yes, three members of Martin’s eight-man rotation are guys from the 2016 class, a class which was ranked 12th in the SEC, three spots behind an LSU class that won just nine games and got its head coach fired. South Carolina has had four McDonald’s all-Americans since the game began in 1979. Kentucky, Kansas and Duke routinely have more than that on their annual rosters — each did this season.

What do we learn from Martin?

First, his big-time guys have been big-time. Martin’s team has two big signees — Dozier and Thornwell — and each has been superb. If Calipari or Self or Krzyzewski signs a McDonald’s player who underachieves, they’ll just recruit over him. Martin had to get big production out of the one he signed — and from the next-best player of his five seasons — and both have shown up and then some.

Secondly, there are under-the-radar guys. When Martin was out-recruiting Duquesne for Notice or stealing Kotsar literally from Wichita, he dug deeper than the recruiting services. All players don’t develop at the same pace, or aren’t fit to fill the same roles. If a coach at a non-blue-blood program is succeeding, he’s hitting on some gambles.

Finally, Martin took advantage of the breaks he had. Dozier was from Columbia, South Carolina. But signing him over North Carolina or Michigan was big. McKie was a legacy recruit who fell into his lap. Felder was a guy who Martin was on early, and so he kept contact despite Felder’s move to the North. These all look like luck now — but Martin earned his luck by pressing the advantages he had.

I’d argue that a successful football coach at a school like Vandy or Kentucky or Mississippi State could certainly do worse than to consider the blueprint above. You won’t beat Alabama by copying Nick Saban. But you might by copying Frank Martin.