South Carolina will host Mississippi State at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday as part of its annual Legends Weekend. The event includes recognition of basketball alumni during halftime and a private reception for former players at Carolina Coliseum the night before the game.
The Gamecocks, with an 11-15 overall record and 2-11 in Southeastern Conference play, are seeking to end a seven-game conference losing streak. Their most recent game was a 76-62 loss at Florida, where Meechie Johnson led all scorers with 22 points. Johnson has posted nine games this season with at least 20 points and averages 19.8 points, 4.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game in SEC contests.
Head coach Lamont Paris’s team continues to lead the SEC in free throw percentage (78.7%) and is ranked seventh nationally in that category. Mike Sharavjamts leads the team individually at the line with a 90.1% success rate.
Mississippi State arrives with a two-game winning streak after defeating Ole Miss and Auburn. Josh Hubbard leads the Bulldogs, averaging 22.4 points per game—eighth best nationally—and has recorded six games of at least 30 points this season. Freshman Jamarion Davis-Fleming is among the SEC’s leaders in blocks per game.
The matchup marks the only meeting between South Carolina and Mississippi State this season after home-and-home series over each of the past ten years.
Dave Neal and Perry Clark will provide television coverage on SEC Network beginning at 1 p.m., while radio coverage will be available through Gamecock Radio Network.
Among other statistics highlighted by South Carolina:
– The team is one of eleven Division I programs with multiple players having more than 200 career three-pointers.
– Under coach Paris, South Carolina holds a strong record when scoring over 80 points or shooting above fifty percent.
– Several current players have reached personal milestones this season, including Myles Stute and Kobe Knox surpassing one thousand career points.
– Last year, South Carolina set program records for three-pointers made in a season (274) and had their fewest turnovers since joining the SEC.
– The Gamecocks’ schedule remains among the toughest nationally according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.
Following Saturday’s game against Mississippi State, South Carolina will remain home to face Kentucky on Tuesday.
