How to watch/what to watch for: South Carolina looks to extend win streak
After a close win over Ole Miss, South Carolina will host the struggling Vanderbilt Commodores at home. Before traveling to face a tough Auburn Feb.14, the Gamecocks look to extend their win streak to seven games and gain more confidence.
Tip-off is at 1 p.m. on SEC Network.
Here are some things to watch for.
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Will Stute start?
Since returning from injury, Myles Stute has been battling to gain his starting position back. Zachary Davis replaced Stute in the starting five and has had success with his defense. However with Stute returning to full health and court time, the battle continues.
Last game, Stute had 12 points with four rebounds and two assists going 4-for-5 from the three-point line. It will be interesting to see who gets the starting position against a struggling Vanderbilt.
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Building confidence before the road
South Carolina faces a tough Auburn team next week on the road and the key to winning that game is to go into it with confidence from beating Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt has struggled in SEC play and its currently 1-7 in conference.
Although South Carolina is on a hot streak, the Gamecocks could have a shot at SEC regular season champions if their success continues. Beating Vanderbilt is another step in South Carolina’s mission of making it to the NCAA Tournament.
As a 95.5 percent favorite, South Carolina could use this game as a chance for younger players like Morris Ugusuk and Zachary Davis to show their skills.
How will Meechie Johnson shoot?
After battling through a mid-season slump, Meechie Johnson has slowly inched back to the shooter he started the season as. Despite finishing multiple games with few points, Johnson scored six points, eight assists and five rebounds against Ole Miss.
Overall, Johnson is not completely back to making shots like he has in the past but a big game against Vanderbilt could be the driving factor he needs to excel.
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Scouting the Opponent
Vanderbilt has struggled this season in SEC play. In order to win, Vanderbilt will have to rely on its defense to stop strong players like Ta’Lon Cooper.
The Commodores top scorer is fifth-year guard Ezra Manjon. He averages 14.7 points per game and scored a season high 24 points against UNC Greensboro on Nov. 14th.
Recently, Vanderbilt got their first SEC win over Mizzou 68-61. In that game, Manjon scored a team high 17 point going 5-for-13 from the field but went 0-for-2 from the 3-point line.
Behind Manjon, Tyrin Lawrence is Vanderbilts second strongest shooter. This season, Lawrence has averaged 13.9 points per game with 5.2 rebounds.
Majon and Lawrence will both have to have season high games in order to pull out a win against the Gamecocks.
Game details
Who: Vanderbilt (6-16, 1-8 SEC) at South Carolina (20-3, 8-2 SEC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m.
Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
How to watch/listen: SEC Network/107.5 FM
ESPN gives South Carolina a 95.5 percent chance to win
