Georgia @ South Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) South Carolina 86, Georgia 80

South Carolina was picked 11th in the SEC in preseason, but a victory Saturday over struggling Georgia would lock up the fourth seed and a double-bye for next week’s league tournament and further validate the job Frank Martin has done coaching the Gamecocks through a difficult schedule and a long list of injuries. South Carolina players have missed a combined 119 games this season and only had seven scholarship players available for Tuesday’s 17-point victory at Texas A&M.

“Given where we were at in December, to know that in this league, as good as it is, we figured out a way to play on Friday and get that double-bye, it’s a tremendous accomplishment for these kids,” Martin told reporters after Tuesday’s 71-54 triumph snapped a three-game losing streak. Senior forward Chris Silva, one of the constants for the Gamecocks this season, set a career high with 17 rebounds to go with his 22 points in the victory. The Bulldogs come in off a dreadful performance in Wednesday’s 64-39 home loss to Missouri, and the news only got worse as sophomore forward Rayshaun Hammonds (12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds per game) is lost for the season after having foot surgery Thursday. “(Wednesday) was a dud, offense, defense and rebounding, all across the board,” Georgia sophomore forward Nicolas Claxton told the media afterward.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT GEORGIA (11-19, 2-15 SEC): Hammonds had played just five minutes in the Bulldogs' past three games, which puts more emphasis up front on Claxton, who is tied for the SEC lead in rebounds per game (8.6) and second in blocked shots (2.37). Claxton finished with nine points and 10 rebounds against Missouri in Georgia’s lowest-scoring game in 15 years. The Bulldogs are last in the conference in scoring defense at 74.2 points allowed per game.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA (15-15, 10-7): Silva leads the Gamecocks in scoring at 14.5 points per game, rebounding at 7.4 per contest and field-goal percentage at 50.6 percent. Senior guard Hassani Gravett averages 11.6 points per game and finished with eight assists against Texas A&M, hil going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. South Carolina averages the same amount of points scored per game as points allowed (73.2).

TIP-INS

1. The Bulldogs shot just 3-of-20 from 3-point range Wednesday and overall finished at 25.5 percent from the field.

2. South Carolina shot 44.6 percent from the field Tuesday, after hitting just 36.3 percent of its shots during the losing streak.

3. Silva and A.J. Lawson each scored 19 points lead South Carolina to an 86-80 home victory over Georgia on Feb. 2.

PREDICTION: South Carolina 67, Georgia 57