In a quick turnaround from Saturday night’s trip to LSU, South Carolina men’s basketball is back on the road Tuesday night against No. 19 Missouri. The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-1) bring coach Frank Martin back, as he returned to the team after being out with a positive result in the COVID-19 test. Carolina will play her first series of consecutive conference games after suffering three postponements in her first five games. Tip in Columbia, Missouri, will be at 7 pm on the SEC Network.
GAME INFORMATION
Arena: Arena Mizzou (15,061)
Broadcast: SEC Network
Game by game: Tom Hart
Analyst: Jon Sundvold
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
In columbia: 107.5 The Game
Game by game: Derek Scott
Analyst: Casey Manning
Sirius: – | XM: 383 | Internet: 973
To watch: App WatchESPN / ESPN
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Mizzou Series: The series is tied, 6-6
In Columbia, Mo.: Mizzou leads 4-1
GAMECOCK NOTES
– Carolina was four points clear at the LSU halftime break, behind 18 points from junior guard AJ Lawson in the first half, but Tigers overcame Gamecocks 51-42 in the second half to close the home win. Lawson finished with 22, his third game in a row with at least 20 points, and junior striker Keyshawn Bryant set a record of 26 in his first game since December 5.
– The status of scholarship holders Alanzo Frink and Jalyn McCreary remains undetermined. Both are in the COVID-19 health and safety protocol and have not traveled with the team to LSU. Frink, who started the first three games of the season, has not played a game since December 5. McCreary lost the Florida A&M competition on January 2, but returned to Texas A&M on January 6.
– Taking action in Mizzou, Lawson leads the SEC and is 73rd nationally, averaging 2.67 points per dispute. Its 32.0 percent beyond the arc is the second in the league. For his career, Lawson averages 1.83 points per contest.
– Red shirt of second guard Jermaine Couisnard overtakes Gamecocks with 22 assists in the year (3.7 per game) against just 11 turnovers, an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.0, which is the third in the SEC. Couisnard has provided at least three assists in five games this season. He failed to make an impact in Saturday’s Baton Rouge match, scoring just five points in 17 minutes in 1 of 8 shots. He dealt with problems from the beginning. LSU’s press defense took advantage of smaller ball handlers like Seventh Woods and TJ Moss with Couisnard on the bench.
– Over the past three games, Carolina has averaged 17.0 assists per fight, with Couisnard distributing 4.7 per fight over the stretch. Gamecocks had an 18 season record at LSU last Saturday.
– Martin has 33-46 (0.417) against opponents classified as head coach. Their teams have four wins over opponents ranked in the top five and two wins over opponents who are in first place.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
– Missouri is headed by coach Cuonzo Martin in his fourth season. Tigers are 8-2 overall and have a 2-2 mark in SEC competition. At home, Mizzou is 4-1 this season, with his defeat coming at the SEC opening against Tennessee.
– Tigers are coming off a three game road swing that saw them win league wins in Arkansas and Texas A&M.
– Four average double digits for Tigers, led by 14.0 Xavier Pinson per game. Dru Smith (11.7), Jeremiah Tilmon (11.3) and Mark Smith (11.0) are also in double digits for the year. Dru Smith is the SEC’s robbery leader with 2.1 per game, which ranks 51st nationally.
– Mizzou is strong on the perimeter from a defensive point of view, leading the SEC and ranking 13th nationally, holding opponents with just 27.3 percent in the three-point range.
– From the general floor, Mizzou is second in the SEC and 36 nationally, keeping opponents at just 39.4 percent.