LSU Tigers (15-8, 8-2 Southeastern Conference) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (20-3, 7-3 SEC)
When/Where: 6 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena | Columbia, South Carolina
Television: ESPN2 (Joe Tessitore, play-by-play, and Sean Farnham, analyst, Andy Katz, sideline)
Radio: LSU Sports Radio Network
Things to watch for:
Huge week: At perhaps the perfect time, the Southeastern Conference-leading Tigers hit an important week in their conference slate, traveling to South Carolina tonight before hosting  No. 15/No. 13 Texas A&M on Saturday. Though the Gamecocks have dropped out of the Associated Press poll, they landed at No. 20 in the latest USA Today Coaches poll after a win against then-No. 8 Aggies on Feb. 6. Neither South Carolina nor Texas A&M has played consistently as of late. After starting the season 15-0, the Gamecocks are 5-3 in their last eight games with two double-digits conference losses in that span. Despite their win against No. 14 Iowa State on Jan. 30, the Aggies have lost their last three SEC games. Despite their recent struggles, both opponents appear to be locks to make the NCAA tournament, providing LSU with a golden opportunity for two résumé-boosting wins.
‘Tone’ setter: As he will acknowledge, it took some time for LSU freshman guard Antonio Blakeney to adjust his style of play in his early collegiate career. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard was a volume scorer in high school but has shifted his focus toward efficiency in an offense centered around freshman forward Ben Simmons. At this point in SEC play, Blakeney has fully embraced that task while showcasing his ability to fill up the stat sheet against Mississippi State. The Sarasota, Florida native scored 15 first-half points to erase a 14-point deficit, finishing the game with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting. That 11-of-17 clip from the field included a 4-of-8 clip from 3-point territory.
Strength vs. strength: Statistically speaking, the LSU offense is as prolific and as efficient as any team in the SEC. The same could be said for the South Carolina defense. The Tigers average the most points and the highest field goal percentage in the league, while the Gamecocks lead the SEC in total rebounds and are third in the conference in field goal percentage defense. Frank Martin’s club also forces the second-most turnovers per game of any team in the conference. Although South Carolina is in the middle of the pack of the SEC in terms of scoring defense, it allows just 68.2 points per game, which is well below LSU’s 81.3 points per game average. As the old saying goes, something has to give.
LSU’s last game: 88-77 win against Mississippi State, Feb. 6.
South Carolina’s last game: 81-78 win against No. 8 Texas A&M, Feb. 6.
LSU’s possible starters (based on last game):
G Tim Quarterman (Jr.): 11.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.57 apg
G Jalyn Patterson (So.): 5.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.94 apg, 1.22 spg
G Keith Hornsby (Sr.): 13.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
F Ben Simmons (Fr.): 19.4 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 5.04 apg, 1.87 spg
F Craig Victor II (So.): 12.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 spg
LSU’s top reserves:
G Antonio Blakeney (Fr.): 10.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg
G Josh Gray (Sr.): 6.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 apg
South Carolina’s possible starters (based on last game):
G PJ Dozier (Fr.): 7.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg
G Sindarius Thornwell (Jr.): 12.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.6 apg
F Mindaugas Kacinas (Sr.): 10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
F Michael Carrera (Sr.): 14.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.4 apg
F Chris Silva (Fr.): 5.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg
South Carolina’s top reserves:
G Duane Notice (Jr.): 10.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.1 apg
F Laimonas Chatkevicius (Sr.): 9.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg