South Carolina basketball faces Ole Miss tonight at SECT.
Frank Martin and the South Carolina basketball team begin the postseason game tonight with an opening match against Ole Miss in the SEC tournament. The Gamecocks ended the year at 6-14 and are positioned as seed # 11, while the rebels posted a record of 15-10 to win seed # 6.
The two teams met in mid-February, an 81-74 victory for Ole Miss who saw Devontae Shuler, a native of Columbia, SC, set his career record with 31 points. It was the only meeting of the season.
Things have changed somewhat since that competition, as Gamecocks have dropped eight of their last nine games to fall to the bottom of the conference standings. The Rebels, on the other hand, have won three of their last four games to enter the NCAA tournament bubble.
A win for Ole Miss would extend their season and possibly lock them in to a general offer, while the Gamecocks are trying to get rid of a forgotten year and start again in the postseason. A victory in South Carolina would likely take the rebels out of the March Madness feud.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The two to assist in this game will be the two players who had the most impact in the previous confrontation.
two
Devontae Shuler G
Shuler was an unstoppable force in the first encounter, and the Gamecock defense had no answer. The guard recorded a high career score, shooting 62% of the field. The senior also had seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and four assists.
Frank Martin will need an answer for the sniper, who finished the season in 10th place on the scoreboard.
00
AJ Lawson G
Shuler’s counterpart scored a team record of 22 points in the first encounter, connecting in four points of three points while trying to keep the Gamecocks in the game. Lawson was the team’s top scorer for three consecutive seasons, setting a career record of 16.9 points per game as a junior.
Lawson occupies fourth place in the SEC in scoring and will bear the burden while the Gamecocks try to pull the turn.
KEY STATISTICS
Holding strong: Gamecocks are 6-1 when they keep opponents with less than 75 points, but have lost all 13 games in which they allow 75 points or more.
Defensive feat: Ole Miss is 13-0 when holding enemies with less than 41% shots.
Pace of play: Gamecocks are among the top 10 nationally in possessions per game (75.2), while Ole Miss slows down, occupying the 281st position in the country (67).
GAME INFORMATION
Matchup
South Carolina Gamecocks
6-14
Olé Miss Rebels
15-10
Thursday, March 11
9:30 pm ET
SEC Network
Ole Miss -7.5
The tip is set to 9:30 pm Eastern time, although the start time may be postponed depending on when the first three games of the tournament are over.
The confrontation will be broadcast on the SEC Network, with the rebels joining the game as 7.5-point favorites.