How to watch/what to watch for: South Carolina looks to bounce back versus Missouri

Just days after South Carolina suffered its worst loss of the year, it will continue its road trip and look to bounce back. The Gamecocks (13-2, 1-1 SEC) will take on Missouri (8-7, 0-2 SEC) on Saturday afternoon.

Tip-off is at 3:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

Here are some things to watch for.

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Which team will show up to play?

It was a tale of two halves in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday night. For the first 20 minutes, South Carolina hung in there against Alabama. Despite not shooting great, it only trailed by one at the break.

After halftime, all the momentum shifted in the Crimson Tide’s favor. They held the Gamecocks scoreless for the first six and a half minutes while going on a 13-0 run to take a big lead. Alabama’s shooting just became too much to overcome, while South Carolina couldn’t make anything happen.

Heading into Saturday, it’s going to be important to find out which team comes to play. For the most part, the Gamecocks have been great this year. But they need to make sure that bad play from Tuesday doesn’t carry over. Erase it from memory and move on.

Others have to play better

It’s really hard to win a game when only two players on the roster were actually playing fine. Besides Meechie Johnson and Ta’Lon Cooper, the rest of the team shot 7-for-29 from the field against Alabama.

In particular, BJ Mack and Myles Stute have to get it going again. Both are too good to be down for so long. Before Tuesday, Stute had been playing better. But Mack has been in a funk for a few games now.

If South Carolina wants to have long-term success, everyone has to do their part. And it starts with the core players on the team.

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Adjust to the pace of the game

South Carolina usually plays at a slower speed and takes it time to set up the right shot. In hindsight, this isn’t a bad thing, but when the other team moves so quickly, it can be hard to keep up.

This was something the Gamecocks really struggled with. Alabama controlled the tempo of the game in the second half and won convincingly. South Carolina has to find a way to either take the lead and decide the speed of play, or adjust and make a change.

Just get back on track

No, the entire season is not derailed because of one bad loss. South Carolina is still a good team despite losing to Alabama. What needs to happen now is win on Saturday and get back to what’s been working this year.

Last year’s team would lose a game it should’ve won and then lose a few more in the process. So far this year, this team has proven to be everything they weren’t last year. But Saturday, they have to prove they can overcome adversity and win in a tough environment.

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Scouting the opponent

After finishing 25-10 last year, it hasn’t been a good start to the season for Missouri. The Tigers are 8-7 and 0-2 in SEC play. They lost their opener to Georgia and then a tough road game at Kentucky. So it’s becoming more and more important to wake up as conference play heats up.

Missouri’s worst loss of the year came against Jackson State on Nov. 19. Other than that, it has lost to good quality teams like Memphis, Kansas, Seton Hall and Illinois. The Tigers are ranked No. 105 in KenPom.

Missouri is led by senior guard Sean East II. He’s the team’s leading scorer, averaging 17.3 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting. He’s made huge strides since last year when he only put up 7.3 points per game.

The Tigers also have three other double-digit scorers this year. Noah Carter is averaging 12.1 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game. And then, guards Noah Carter and Tamar Bates are both averaging 10.7 points.

Game details

Who: South Carolina (13-2, 1-1 SEC) at Missouri (8-7, 0-2 SEC)

When: Saturday, Jan. 13 at 3:30 p.m.

Where: Mizzou Arena (15,061)

How to watch/listen: SEC Network/107.5 FM

ESPN gives South Carolina a 37.5 percent chance to win

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