South Carolina Gamecocks Open Conference Play At Mississippi State

Dec 19, 2012; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Frank Martin speaks with forward Lakeem Jackson (30) in the second half at Colonial-Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

The South Carolina Gamecocks are just two wins away from matching last year’s win total, and their first two conference games of the year could get them there.

Tonight, the Gamecocks play at Mississippi State, a team ravaged by injury and player defection to the NBA, other schools and graduation during the off season. Right now the Bulldogs are playing with just seven scholarship players.

Bruce Ellington will return to the court full-time tonight, which is a good thing, because Lashay Page was dismissed from the team due to academic issues, and Michael Carrera is questionable with hip problems.

The Bulldogs are 5-7 heading into tonight’s contest, and it’s not hard to see why. They average under 10 assists per game, 63 points per game, and shoot the ball at just a 41 percent clip.

The Gamecocks, on the other hand, average 74 points per game, 13.8 assists (which still isn’t very good), and shoot the ball at a 46 percent clip.

Brenton Williams will be key for South Carolina. He’s shooting threes at a 47 percent clip and scoring 13 points per game on better than 50 percent shooting.

Lakeem Jackson will also have a lot to say about how the game turns out. He’s South Carolina’s best rebound at just under eight boards per game and he’s also the second leading assist man for the Gamecocks with just under three dimes per game.

The contest tips off at 8:00 pm.