No. 11 seed South Carolina (6-14, 4-12) vs. No. 6 seed Mississippi (15-10, 10-8)
Southeastern Conference Tourney Second Round, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee; Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: South Carolina and Mississippi are prepared to match up in the second round of the SEC tournament. The only meeting between the teams this season came on Feb. 13, when the Rebels outshot South Carolina 50 percent to 40.4 percent and hit 12 more foul shots en route to an 81-74 victory.
STEPPING UP: Mississippi’s Devontae Shuler has averaged 15.6 points while Romello White has put up 11 points and 5.8 rebounds. For the Gamecocks, AJ Lawson has averaged 16.9 points and 4.1 rebounds while Keyshawn Bryant has put up 13 points and 4.9 rebounds.ACCURATE AJ: Lawson has connected on 35.6 percent of the 163 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 12 of 37 over his last five games. He’s also converted 68.9 percent of his foul shots this season.
SLIPPING AT 75: South Carolina is 0-13 when it allows at least 75 points and 6-1 when it holds opponents to less than 75.
UNDEFEATED WHEN: Mississippi is a sterling 13-0 when its defense holds opponents to a field goal percentage of 41.2 percent or less. The Rebels are 2-10 when allowing opponents to shoot any better than that.
PACE OF PLAY: The upbeat South Carolina offense has averaged 75.2 possessions per game, the 10th-most in Division I. Mississippi has operated at a slower pace and is averaging only 67 possessions per game (ranked 281st, nationally).
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