What to watch for: South Carolina tries to get on track versus Missouri

South Carolina got the short end of the stick over the weekend against Arkansas. Now, as losers of their last seven, the Gamecocks will try to right their wrongs.

Their next chance to do so will come at Missouri Tuesday night. Despite coming off a loss, the Tigers have been trending upwards, sitting at 17-6.

In short, there’s a lot that needs to go right for South Carolina to end its losing skid. Here’s what to watch for.

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Can GG Jackson put his mistake behind him?

After Saturday’s two-point loss to Arkansas, Jackson was visibly frustrated. He took to an Instagram live where he wasn’t happy about getting the ball more often.

“Why don’t I have the ball in my hands when it’s crunch time?” Jackson said. “Ain’t I supposed to be this ‘Oh, my God, GG’ — I don’t see myself as that — but ain’t I supposed to be ‘that’? Just give me (the ball).”

In the aftermath of his rant, Jackson was quick to apologize for his actions. He vowed to “move in a more mature and positive direction” along with taking the momentum from the game to “get even better.”

Jackson isn’t the first nor will he be the last college kid to make a mistake. But now all eyes will be on him. Can he move on and help South Carolina get back on track?

The Gamecocks will need the happy, high-energy version of Jackson to come to play. He had been on a role of five straight double-digit scoring efforts before putting up nine points on Saturday. That will have to change for there to be any chance of winning.

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Control the crowd, set the tone

Good things can happen if South Carolina shoots the ball well. It’s been done recently against teams such as Georgia and Arkansas. However, it hasn’t been enough to result in wins.

The Gamecocks are heading into a tough road environment in Mizzou Arena, which can be a tough place to play. One way to change the energy is getting off to a fast start. South Carolina might not play at a high tempo but it needs to make its shots when taken.

If the Gamecocks fall behind early, it could get ugly. Even if a win doesn’t show up on the final stat line, they need to show that they won’t fold under pressure.

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Which version of Meechie Johnson will South Carolina get?

After a streak of tough shooting nights, Johnson seemed to find his stroke. He finished with 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 5-of-8 shots coming from three-point land. This is what the Gamecocks signed up for.

The only question is can he keep it going? South Carolina needs him just as much as anyone on the floor. When he’s cooking, he can be an unstoppable force. If not, it’s like watching a different player.

Players go through ups and downs. It’s a long season and hard to expect a great performance every game. But maybe now will be the time when Johnson gets hot and goes on a run in the final weeks of the season.

Play smarter not harder

This might be a cliche saying but it’s probably true. South Carolina has a tendency to make mistakes that have proven to be costly. It ranks dead-last in the SEC with the highest turnover percentage.

That’s not a good sign heading into Missouri. The Tigers have made teams pay for their miscues by forcing nearly 18 turnovers per game, ninth-best in the country. They are blocking 6.8 percent of opposing shots and stealing the ball at an 8.6 percent clip.

The Gamecocks can’t continue to be careless when entering the offensive end of the floor. Teams have taken advantage of their sloppy passes, resulting in open court opportunities. They need to keep their heads on a swivel and make smart passes. Otherwise, it could be a repeat of what’s been seen before.

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Scouting the opponent

Missouri has been the middle of the pack in the SEC, going 5-5 through 10 games. They’ve had some nice wins this year over Iowa State, Arkansas, Kentucky and Illinois — all of whom are ranked inside the KenPom Top 50.

The Tigers were shooting the ball well before a Saturday loss to Mississippi State. They’ve shot 50.2 percent from the field in conference play, while going 32 percent from beyond the arc.

Senior guard Kobe Brown has been an anchor on the Tigers’ offense. He’s a top-five shooter in the league and can be dangerous. He’s averaging 16.2 points per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the field.

Guard play all-around has been solid for Missouri this year. Seniors D’Moi Hodge and De’Andre Gholston round out the double-digit scorers on offense. Hodge is averaging 14.2 points, while Gholston has been putting up 10.4 points a game.

Slowing down the Tigers is possible, though. Mississippi State proved that after halting South Carolina last week. Missouri was held to just 6-of-23 shooting from three-point range, a far cry from what it had done previously. In the three games prior, it had knocked down at least 13 three-pointers per game.

While the Gamecocks need to play smart offensively, forcing bad shots will be critical on defense. There’s a clear formula to win the game. It’ll be up to Lamont Paris and co. to make it happen.

Next game

Who: South Carolina (8-15, 1-9 SEC) vs. Missouri (17-6, 5-5 SEC)

When: Tuesday, Feb. 7 (9 p.m. EST) 

Where: Mizzou Arena (Capacity: 15,061)

All-time series: Missouri leads 8-7 (Last game: South Carolina won 73-69 in 2022)

How to watch: SEC Network

How to listen: 107.5 FM

KenPom prediction: 84-67 Missouri (South Carolina given a 6 percent chance to win)

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