South Carolina @ Missouri preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 13, 2019 ) Missouri 75, South Carolina 85

South Carolina looks to avoid a third consecutive loss when it visits Missouri on Saturday for an SEC matchup. The Gamecocks, who currently are tied with Florida, Ole Miss and Mississippi State for fourth place in the conference standings, are coming off a 68-62 loss to Alabama on Tuesday while the Tigers, who have dropped four straight, were trounced 68-49 by Mississippi State in their last contest.

Chris Silva paces South Carolina in scoring (14.3 points), rebounding (7.4) and blocks (2.1) while his 184 free-throw attempts are over 60 more than the next closest member of the Gamecocks. A.J. Lawson is second on the team with 13.9 points and leads the team in assists (three) but will miss at least the next two contests due to a left ankle sprain suffered against Alabama, meaning Hassani Gravett (12.3 points in league play) will make his second start of the season. Jordan Geist has been the sparkplug for Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin this season, averaging 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and three assists while helping to lead a squad that starts two freshmen and one sophomore. That sophomore, forward Jeremiah Tilmon (10.6 points, team-high 5.7 rebounds), will be counted on for more production with the loss for the season of second-leading scorer Mark Smith (11.4 points) to an ankle injury.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (14-14, 9-6 SEC): One problem with losing Lawson is that coach Frank Martin has developed a trust for the freshman and likes to have the ball in his hands down the stretch in close games. Gravett likely will see the ball more often with Lawson sidelined, and Martin will look for more production from freshman Keyshawn Bryant, who led the Gamecocks with 15 points in their previous meeting with the Tigers this season - an 85-75 victory in mid-January. Bryant has been up and down with his point production and has scored in double digits just once in his last five games, finishing with five or fewer in the other four contests.

ABOUT MISSOURI (12-15, 3-12): Tilmon has been a sign of Missouri's success this season, averaging 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in the team's 12 victories. Tilmon hasn't been as productive in the Tigers' 15 losses, averaging eight points and 5.1 rebounds, partially because he's battled foul trouble in those contests. If Tilmon is able to stay on the floor rather than head to the bench with fouls, he gives Missouri an interior presence, but as he learns the physical game of the SEC, he's had trouble giving that presence as he's fouled out in six of the team's 14 conference games - including the first matchup this season with South Carolina.

TIP-INS

1. South Carolina leads the SEC in 3-point field-goal percentage in conference games, hitting 40.9 percent of its attempts.

2. Missouri is tied for 11th in the conference with 34.9 rebounds but has outrebounded its opponent in seven of its last eight contests.

3. Silva was 11-for-13 from the free-throw line against Alabama on Tuesday, his fourth game this season with 10 or more made free throws.

PREDICTION: South Carolina 68, Missouri 56