Georgia @ South Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2020 ) South Carolina 75, Georgia 59

South Carolina’s hopes of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament took a hit with two narrow losses last week, adding more urgency to Wednesday’s home contest against Georgia. The Gamecocks had won six out of seven before falling 79-76 on Feb. 19 at Mississippi State, and coach Frank Martin was not pleased with his team’s performance in Saturday’s 86-80 home loss to LSU, a game South Carolina trailed by 19 points with just over five minutes left.

“We got our tails kicked,” Martin told the media after the Gamecocks shot 37.3 percent from the field, 60 percent from the free-throw line, and were outscored in the paint 30-22. South Carolina entered Tuesday tied for fifth in the SEC with Mississippi State, which visits the Gamecocks on March 3. Georgia has struggled through a difficult conference season but has won two in a row, upsetting No. 15 Auburn 65-55 at home on Feb. 19 and surviving Saturday at last-place Vanderbilt, 80-78. The Bulldogs trailed most of the way Saturday, but secured the rebound on a missed Vanderbilt free throw with five seconds left, and senior guard Tyree Crump hit the game-winning 3-pointer from 35 feet at the buzzer.

TIME: 6:30 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT GEORGIA (14-13, 4-10 SEC): Freshman guard Anthony Edwards has returned to form in his past two games after struggling with a virus, scoring 18 points against Auburn and 19 points against Vanderbilt. Senior guard Jordan Harris scored a season-high 17 points Saturday, shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Georgia had its third-best performance of the season in overall shooting (53.6 percent) and 3-point shooting (42.9 percent) against Vanderbilt.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (16-11, 8-6): Sophomore forward Keyshawn Bryant was one of three Gamecocks to score 15 points against LSU, adding 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Junior guard Jair Bolden added 15 points off the bench on 6-for-9 shooting from the field after averaging five points on 31.3 percent shooting in his previous six games. South Carolina is second in the SEC and 20th nationally in field-goal percentage defense (38.9 percent).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Edwards, who won his third SEC freshman of the week honor Monday, leads all freshmen nationally in scoring at 18.9 points.

2. South Carolina redshirt freshman guard Jermaine Cousinard scored 15 points Saturday and is averaging 17.1 points across his past seven games despite shooting 38.6 percent from the field.

3. The Gamecocks held Georgia to one field goal in the first 14 minutes of a 75-59 road victory on Feb. 12, as sophomore guard AJ Lawson scored 20 points.

PREDICTION: South Carolina 75, Georgia 71