South Carolina at Mississippi State: Four things to watch for and an opponent scouting report

It’s time to see what South Carolina is made of.

After going 10-3 in non-conference play, the Gamecocks will hit the road for their SEC opener at No. 17 Mississippi State on Saturday. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. on SEC Network.

Here are four things to watch for and an opponent scouting report on the Bulldogs.

Cannot afford to fall behind early

It’s one thing to get off to a slow start one time or even a few against mid-major opponents. South Carolina has done that a few times and still come out on top without much issue. But it’s becoming a little more concerning just with how frequently the slow starts are occurring.

The Gamecocks have trailed at halftime in four games this season, only going on to lose one of them. Otherwise, they’ve been able to overcome deficits and pull away to wins. But it’s important to note that they have been down at halftime in their last two games against Radford and Presbyterian, two teams ranked outside the top 200 in KenPom.

If this trend continues into the SEC portion of the schedule, it will be interesting to see what happens. Every team in this conference is marginally better than the teams South Carolina came from behind against in non-conference play. The team is going to have to play well throughout the whole game to have a shot at winning. Good teams will always make you pay for mistakes.

[USC-Alabama MBB: Win two tickets]

Chance to start stacking some Quad 1 wins

It’s not so much a chance; it’s really a guarantee if South Carolina can play some good basketball. It will open the SEC slate with 10 straight Quad 1 games, starting with Mississippi State in Starkville. While beating a solid Clemson team was a good win, one that was originally a Q1 victory, it’s currently listed as a Q2 win, according to WarrenNolan.

So as things stand, the Gamecocks technically don’t have a Q1 to their name this season. But with 15 of those coming up over the next 18 games, they will have a big opportunity to make a statement and solidify where they stand for the future.

[Join GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days]

Going to get physical

If there’s one thing to know about the SEC, this is a very physical conference. Mississippi State is no exception to that. Going back to last season, while South Carolina went 13-5 in league play, it didn’t have a true big man to consistently count on.

Yes, it had Collin Murray-Boyles, who could play the five and take on the biggest players if need be. But by the time this team got to the SEC Tournament and March Madness, it became clear they were going to need another player to compliment and help Murray-Boyles in the paint.

To address this need, the Gamecocks brought in Nick Pringle, who has turned out to be a nice addition with 10.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. But the real judgement will come when it’s evident how South Carolina matches up from a physicality standpoint.

[USC-Auburn MBB: Win two tickets]

First availability report comes out on Friday

Just like when football started doing injury reports for conference games, the same will happen for basketball. The SEC will release its first-ever men’s basketball availability report on Friday night, giving some clarity as to the status of teams from a health standpoint.

For South Carolina, it sounds like the team will be in good health for the SEC opener. While the availability report isn’t officially out yet, head coach Lamont Paris gave an early indication of where things stand on Thursday.

“We got a couple guys. A couple games ago, maybe it was the last game, Nick (Pringle) went up and dunked and came down kind of funny. His back a little bit,” Paris said on ‘Carolina Calls’ with Derek Scott on the Gamecocks Sports Network. “A couple guys butted knees and then an ankle or two that have just been rolled a little bit. But nobody’s on the injury report or anything like that. Luckily, we’ve had some good fortune that way.”

[Get USC Gamecocks app notifications]

Scouting the opponent

Just like last year, the Gamecocks will open conference play with Mississippi State. South Carolina won that previous opener at home in Columbia against a team that ended up making it to the tournament. But now this year, the Bulldogs are much improved and one of the better teams in the country.

In Chris Jans’ third season as head coach, Mississippi State is 12-1 on the year with its only loss coming to Butler on a neutral court. With three Q1 wins so far, the Bulldogs have been able to jump into the AP Top 25 at No. 17.

Josh Hubbard returns as the team’s leading scorer this year, averaging 17.5 points on 42.6 percent shooting from the field. He performed well against the Gamecocks in an overtime loss last season where he dropped 28 points in 42 minutes. He’s going to be given plenty of scoring opportunities since he has taken more than 10 shots in 11 games this season. It’s all about minimizing how often he hits on those shots.

The Bulldogs also have a pair of guards who have averaged more than 10 points per game (Claudell Harris Jr. and Riley Kugel) to help compliment Hubbard. Junior forward KeShawn Murphy could present some problems for South Carolina as he’s currently averaging 10.2 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Mississippi State forces nearly 15 turnovers per game, which spells trouble for the Gamecocks since they turn the ball over more than 11 times a game on average. The Bulldogs are also No. 26 in offensive rebounding, another area where South Carolina seems to struggle.

However, Mississippi State averages 16.8 fouls per game, which could help the Gamecocks as a team that gets to the free throw line a lot. If that’s the case on Saturday, they are going to have to knock down their shots to win this game.

[Join GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days]

Game details

Who: South Carolina (10-3) at No. 17 Mississippi State (12-1)

When: Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m.

Where: Humphrey Coliseum (9,100)

How to watch/listen: SEC Network/107.5 The Game

ESPN gives South Carolina a 19.4 percent chance to win

Discuss South Carolina basketball on The Insiders Forum!