Mississippi State @ South Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 19, 2020 ) South Carolina 76, Mississippi State 79

A pair of SEC teams desperate for a win to improve their NCAA Tournament chances meet Tuesday in South Carolina, where the slumping Gamecocks play their home finale against Mississippi State. Beginning with a 79-76 loss against the Bulldogs on Feb. 19, South Carolina has lost three of four to seriously hurt its bubble status.

The Gamecocks have given up an average of 86.3 points during the 1-3 stretch and coach Frank Martin was frustrated with his team's defensive issues in a crushing 90-86 loss at Alabama on Saturday. "We put up no fight defensively on the ball," he told the media after the Crimson Tide scored 49 second-half points. "You don't win on the road by scoring. ... You win on the road by defending and rebounding. We were embarrassing today." Including its recent victory over South Carolina and Saturday's 67-63 win at Missouri, Mississippi State has won four of five to move into a fourth-place tie in the SEC with Florida, one game ahead of the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs, who finish the regular season against Ole Miss at home Saturday, currently own the tiebreaker with the Gators as the teams vie for one of the four double-byes in the upcoming SEC Tournament.

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

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (19-10, 10-6 SEC): Senior guard Tyson Carter scored 15 points to lead the way at Missouri, including four points in the final minute to fight off a comeback attempt by the Tigers. "Tyson Carter was masterful down the stretch," coach Ben Howland told reporters of the 6-4 Carter, who is averaging 17.6 points over his last five games to boost his season mark to 13.7. "If you go back and look at our game at Arkansas, he was incredible. Against South Carolina at home, he was great. Again today, we were giving him the ball and letting him make plays down the stretch." Sophomore forward Reggie Perry leads the Bulldogs in scoring (17.2) and tops the SEC in rebounding (9.7).

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (17-12, 9-7): Sophomore Keyshawn Bryant has been the bright spot during the Gamecocks' slump, as the 6-5 swingman has notched three consecutive double-doubles and dominanted Alabama on Saturday. He finished with career highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds in the narrow loss and is averaging 17.7 and 11, respectively, during the streak. Guards A.J. Lawson and Jermaine Couisnard, the team's top two scorers on the season, combined for 29 points against the Crimson Tide but both shot 5-of-15 from the floor and 1-of-5 from 3-point range.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bulldogs junior G Nick Weatherspoon led a balanced attack with 18 points in the earlier win over the Gamecocks, who received a season-high 24 points from senior big man Maik Kotsar in the loss.

2. South Carolina sophomore F Alanzo Frink, who averages 5.1 points, has a total of 32 points on 12-of-14 shooting over his last two games.

3. Mississippi State has won four of the last five meetings.

PREDICTION: South Carolina 75, Mississippi State 74