South Carolina @ Alabama preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 26, 2019 ) Alabama 68, South Carolina 62

Losing John Petty Jr. is the last thing Alabama, which faces visiting South Carolina on Saturday in an SEC game, needed as it attempts to get hot in time for the SEC Tournament. Petty injured his elbow in a loss to Mississippi State and it is not known whether he will be able to face the Gamecocks.

The importance of Petty, who was injured diving for a loose ball in Tuesday's game, to the Crimson Tide cannot be overstated. The junior is second on the team in scoring at 15 points per game and is tops in rebounding (6.6), and one of the top 3-point shooters in the nation as he hits at a 45-percent clip. "Having maybe the best shooter in the league not there, we struggled," first-year Alabama coach Nate Oats, whose team likely needs a prolonged run in the SEC Tournament to have a chance at the NCAA Tournament, told the media. "You look at the numbers from some of our guys shooting the ball from three, I thought our guys drove sometimes when maybe Petty would have shot it." The Gamecocks, who have a better record than the Crimson Tide overall and in conference but find themselves 25 spots below them in the NET ratings, got big games from all their starters - particularly Alanzo Frink and Maik Kotsar - in beating Georgia to snap a two-game losing streak.

TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (17-11, 9-6 SEC): It has taken him 128 games, but Kotsar is on the cusp of reaching 1,000 career points, needing eight to hit the mark. The senior, who is the only player remaining from South Carolina's 2017 Final Four squad, is on a career-best run, scoring in double figures in nine straight games while averaging 15.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. The 6-11 forward from Estonia had his third double-double of the season in the win over Georgia and clinched the victory by drawing a charging foul late in overtime.

ABOUT ALABAMA (15-13, 7-8 SEC): Even with Petty, the Crimson Tide have their struggles, particularly during the important eight-minute stretch from the end of the first half and start of the second stanza. The problem reared its ugly head against Mississippi State, who represented the last chance for Alabama to get a Quad 1 win, as the Crimson Tide were outscored 25-12 during the span in an 80-73 defeat. "We've had this issue all year," Oats, whose team finished 1-7 in Quad 1 games and is 6-4 in Quad 2 contests with two such games remaining, told the media. "Closing halves, starting halves. Those middle eight minutes."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Kira Lewis, Jr. had 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists against Mississippi State and is the only player in the SEC and one of 10 nationally averaging at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.

2. The Crimson Tide have won four straight games against the Gamecocks, upping their lead in the series to 30-16.

3. Prior to going out injured, Petty became the fifth player in Alabama history with 600 or more 3-point attempts.

PREDICTION: South Carolina 81, Alabama 76