Which games are "must wins" for South Carolina basketball to secure March Madness invite?

South Carolina Basketball's "Must Wins" for March Madness Berth
No. 5 @ Mississippi State Bulldogs

In their first SEC game of the season, South Carolina basketball proved they were "for real" by knocking off Chris Jans and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Carolina beat MSU at their own game that day, as well, outrebounding State and playing even tighter defense.

The Bulldogs had the toughest early schedule in the entire SEC, but they still managed to pull off wins against Tennessee and Auburn. The slow start in record led some analysts to write off the maroon and white, but they have rebounded to win 4 in a row and put themselves on the right side of the bubble at 18-8 (7-6) in conference play.

If State can win two of their final five games in SEC play, they will be in a good position to sneak into the Tourney with a win in Nashville at the SEC Tournament. The Gamecocks will get the Bulldogs' best effort (barring an unforeseen four-game losing streak heading into the game), and winning in Starkville isn't easy (just one home loss in the conference).

Unless South Carolina loses to Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Florida, and Tennessee in the four preceding games, the game against Mississippi State will not be considered a "must win."