South Carolina Gamecocks at LSU Tigers
When/Where: 6 p.m. tonight at the PMAC | Baton Rouge
Television: SEC Network
Radio: WDGL-FM 98.1 (Baton Rouge)
Series: LSU trails South Carolina in the series, 15-14.
Last Meeting: Then-freshman forward Jarell Martin led the way with 18 points as LSU edged South Carolina for a narrow 71-68 victory Jan. 11, 2014.
LSU’s last game: The Tigers played Vanderbilt back-and-forth in regulation before outscoring the Commodores 10-6 in overtime for a 79-75 victory Saturday. The win put LSU in a five-way tie for second place in the Southeastern Conference.
South Carolina’s last game: The Gamecocks kept close to No. 1 Kentucky for much of the first half Saturday but ended up falling, 58-43. The loss dropped South Carolina to last place in the SEC alongside Missouri and Vanderbilt.
South Carolina (10-8, 1-5 SEC)
Possible Starters and Top Reserves:
Sophomore guard Duane Notice (6’2’’): 11.4 ppg, 26.7 mpg, 2.6 apg, 34.7% 3-point FG (25-72).
Sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell (6’5’’): 11.2 ppg, 28.5 mpg, 5.4 rpg, 34.8% FG (63-181).
Senior guard Tyrone Johnson (6’3’’): 10.1 ppg, 28.8 mpg, 3.7 apg, 82.1% FT (46-56).
Junior forward Laimonas Chatkevicius (6’11’’): 8.8 ppg, 20.9 mpg, 5.1 rpg, 57.8% FG (67-116).
Sophomore forward Demetrius Henry (6’9’’): 6.7 ppg, 20.4 mpg, 4.1 rpg, 50% FG (49-98).
Freshman guard Marcus Stroman (6’2’’): 4.7 ppg, 21.7 mpg, 38.4% FG (28-73).
Junior forward Mindaugas Kacinas (6’7’’): 6.6 ppg, 20.7 mpg, 59.7% (43-72).
LSU (15-4, 4-2 SEC)
Possible Starters and Top Reserves:
Junior guard Josh Gray (6’1’’): 9.0 ppg, 29.0 mpg, 4.8 apg, 42.4% FG (59-139).
Junior guard Keith Hornsby (6’4’’): 12.4 ppg, 34.6 mpg, 4.5 rpg, 38.3% 3-point FG (46-94).
Sophomore forward Jarell Martin (6’10’’): 17 ppg, 35.3 mpg, 9 rpg, 48.3% FG (117-242).
Sophomore forward Jordan Mickey (6’8’’): 16.1 ppg, 34.9 mpg, 10.7 rpg, 3.6 bpg, 51.5% FG (119-231).
Sophomore forward Darcy Malone (7’0’’): 1.4 ppg, 8 mpg, 1.1 rpg, 54.5% FG (6-11).
Sophomore guard Tim Quarterman (6’6’’): 12.1 ppg, 32.8 mpg, 5.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 45.1% FG (79-175).
Freshman guard Jalyn Patterson (6’0’’): 5.4 ppg, 20.1 mpg, 1.1 spg, 37.5% 3-point FG (21-56).
3-point Play
Battle of the boards: What does South Carolina get after out-rebounding the nation’s 10th-best rebounding team on Saturday? A battle against the nation’s ninth-best. The Gamecocks played a physical game against the Wildcats and outmuscled them on the glass, 40-28. But South Carolina now faces a slightly tougher challenge on the boards against LSU, which leads the SEC in rebounding at 40.7 per game. The Tigers are plus-11 (77-66) on the glass in the last two games. Sophomore forwards Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey have more than half of LSU’s rebounds (45-of-77) during that stretch.
Splitting up minutes: With more than half the season gone by, LSU coach Johnny Jones still hasn’t found a consistent second unit. Six Tigers average at least 20 minutes per game, but five of them average at least 29. Seven others average no more than seven. Conversely, South Carolina coach Frank Martin delves a little deeper into his bench. Nine Gamecocks play at least 10 minutes a night, with seven playing more than 20. No South Carolina players averages more than 30 minutes per game. Both teams have played four games decided by four points or less, but a fifth could have an effect on one more than the other.
Clemson loss for one, win for other: LSU and South Carolina have played one common opponent this season — Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference. LSU played Clemson during the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam in late November. The SEC-Tigers built a 31-30 halftime lead, but the ACC-Tigers rallied back for a 64-61 victory. South Carolina and Clemson’s contest wasn’t as close. The Gamecocks trailed Clemson by two at halftime but dropped 40 second-half points en route a 23-point thrashing. But LSU has lost just twice in the 14 games since while South Carolina has dropped five of its last six.