After falling 78-71 on the road at Florida on Wednesday, Vanderbilt – which has yet to win a Southeastern Conference game – will try to bounce back Saturday and record a league victory as it welcomes South Carolina into Nashville.
South Carolina (4-5 overall, 2-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt (4-8, 0-6)
When: Saturday, January 30 | 7:30 p.m. (CT)
Where: Memorial Gymnasium | Nashville, Tenn.
TV: SEC Network
KenPom prediction: South Carolina by 5
Vanderbilt trailed Florida by 19 points at 66-47 with 7:18 remaining and it looked like it would ultimately lose by 20-plus. That wasn't the case, however, as the Commodores found a spark and climbed all the way back to get within four at 73-69 – but there was only 33 seconds left and they ran out of time.
Despite the loss, Vandy showed that it can play when it wants to, and if the 'Dores played the way they did in that final stretch throughout the entire game, they perhaps could've left Gainesville with a win.
But the past is the past, and Vanderbilt is moving forward with a mediocre South Carolina squad coming into Memorial Gymnasium for the Saturday night matchup. The Gamecocks have had their share of struggles this season, having lost three of their last four games, but are coming off an 83-59 win over Georgia.
In their last time out against Texas A&M on Wednesday, the Gamecocks led by 10 at halftime and outscored the Aggies by 14 in the second half to come away with the dominant win. Four different players finished in double figures for South Carolina, led by 19 points from Keyshawn Bryant and 18 from Jermaine Cousinard. The Gamecocks shot 44% from the field and made nine 3-pointers.
South Carolina is averaging 74.8 points per game on 42.5% shooting, while allowing its opponents to score 74.7 points and shoot 44.5%. The Gamecocks commit 15.4 turnovers each night and force their opponents into 16.7.
Vanderbilt – which is a 5-point underdog according to KenPom – recorded a win in its last time out against South Carolina, an 83-74 victory in the Commodores' regular-season finale on March 7 in Nashville. Four different players finished in double figures for VU, led by 21 points from Scotty Pippen Jr.