South Carolina basketball is six games into its 2024-2025 SEC schedule. The Gamecocks are 10-9 and 0-6 in conference play following a heartbreaking 70-69 defeat to the No. 5 Florida Gators.

The season is getting away from the Gamecocks, but there is still much to play for moving forward. As is life in the SEC, though, Carolina will have to face another ranked opponent next as the Mississippi State Bulldogs come to town.

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Resume Check: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Record: 15-4 (3-3 in SEC)
AP Ranking: No. 14
Last Week: Win over Ole Miss 84-81 (Overtime) in Starkville; Loss to Tennessee 56-68 in Knoxville
Previous Meeting: Mississippi State won 85-50 in Starkville on January 4th

Mississippi State has been ranked in the last five AP polls. Chris Jans’ squad is really talented and is a likely NCAA Tournament team. South Carolina basketball witnessed it firsthand earlier this season when they lost by 35 in Starkville. The Gamecocks will get their chance at redemption on Saturday, but nothing will come easy.

The Bulldogs went 12-1 during their non-conference slate. Those 12 wins include victories over ranked Pittsburgh and ranked Memphis. Though they now have three losses in SEC play, all three of those defeats came at the hands of top-10 foes (Kentucky, Auburn, and Tennessee).

Heading into Saturday’s game against South Carolina, Mississippi State ranks 7th in the SEC in scoring (81.5 points per game). They have been inconsistent on defense, allowing 70 points per contest. That number is just 13th in the SEC. As a team, the Bulldogs foul a lot, too, and they surrender the third-most free throw attempts in the league.

None of those numbers are great, but Mississippi State makes up for them by taking care of the basketball. The Bulldogs boast the fourth-best turnover number in the SEC (just 10.11 per game) and the fourth-best assist-turnover ratio (3.73).

Four Mississippi State Bulldogs players average double-digits as scorers. Guards Josh Hubbard (16.5), Claudell Harris, Jr. (10.7), and Riley Kugel (10.3) and forward KeShawn Murphy (10.3) can all light up the scoreboard. The team’s starting lineup has changed a lot this season as only Hubbard has been part of the first five for all 19 of the team’s games.

Hubbard also is one of the top 10 scorers in the conference. However, the sophomore has been in a funk lately as he has posted five games in a row with a shooting percentage below 34%. Chris Jans’ team, as they usually are, ranks in the top 5 in the SEC in rebounding, and two Bulldogs rank inside the SEC’s top 10 in the statistic. Cameron Matthews (7.3) and KeShawn Murphy (7.5) both crash the boards effectively. Matthews also is the only SEC player with 50 steals this season (no one else has more than 42).

Coming into the contest against the Gamecocks, Mississippi State is a relatively healthy team. Before the team’s last game against Tennessee, Coach Jans only included guard Kanye Clary on the team’s availability report. Clary hasn’t played since November with a “lower-leg injury.”

The Gamecocks and Bulldogs will tip off at 1:00 p.m. in Colonial Life Arena on Saturday, January 25th. SEC Network will broadcast the game, and the ESPN app will stream it.