STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Mississippi men’s basketball team faces South Carolina for the second time in 18 days on Wednesday night at the Humphrey Coliseum. The peak time is set to 18h00 CT and will air on SEC Network.
The Bulldogs (12-11, 6-8 SEC) are coming out of a 66-56 win against Ole Miss on Saturday. MSU guard Iverson Molinar scored 17 points, while redshirt bodyguard DJ Stewart Jr. had 16 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals. Redshirt’s second-year striker Tolu Smith added 12 points and six rebounds.
Molinar leads MSU in scoring with an average of 16.9 points per game, while Stewart is No. 2 on the team with 16.7 points per game. Smith has an average of 12.8 points and 8.3 rebounds, the team record.
The Gamecocks (5-11, 3-9 SEC) lost their last five games, which started with the 75-59 victory of MSU on February 6 in Columbia, South Carolina.
South Carolina is led by one of the most scoring teams in the Southeast Conference, junior point guard AJ Lawson and striker Keyshawn Bryant. Lawson has an average of 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals, while Bryant has an average of 14.2 points and 5.4 rebounds.
Wednesday’s meeting will be the 41st for both hardwood programs. MSU has a 24-16 lead in the series and has won three of the last five meetings and three in a row in Starkville.