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Published Feb 28, 2020

Getting to know the opponent: Alabama

Collyn Taylor • GamecockScoop

Beat Writer

@collyntaylor

For the final time this season, the Gamecocks will face a new opponent in SEC play.

South Carolina hits the road to take on Alabama for the first and only time during the regular season, tipping off against the Tide at 8:30 p.m. Saturday on the SEC Network.

It's a huge opportunity for the Gamecocks with a Quad I win on the line in Tuscaloosa, and it'll be an insanely tough task.

The skinny: The Tide and South Carolina are in pretty similar positions, vying for one of the final spots in the NCAA Tournament and a win against the Tide would go a long way in boosting the Gamecocks' resume. Alabama doesn't have a bad loss (outside a neutral court loss to North Carolina) but have wins over Mississippi State, Auburn and LSU (all at home), which is why the NET ranking is so high (39).

Also see: The latest scoop on the football recruiting trail

A win would give South Carolina a Quad I win with two games to go.

The Tide is led by sophomore guard Kira Lewis, but one of its best players in John Petty hurt his arm against Mississippi State and could miss Saturday's game. This year he's averaging 15 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

Alabama (15-13, 7-8 SEC) is a young team (285th in experience) under first-year head coach Nate Oats. The Crimson Tide are 3-6 over its last nine games and when Alabama wins, it's usually because of high point totals.

The Tide are the third-fastest team in the country and the fastest in the SEC, taking quite a few threes per game, which means South Carolina could be in for a track meet.

KenPom prediction: The Gamecocks (17-11, 9-6 SEC) are given a 30 percent chance to win by KenPom with the site predicting a 82-76 Crimson Tide win in Tuscaloosa.

What they do well: Alabama isn't just one of the best offensive efficiency teams in the SEC, but one of the best nationwide. The Tide are averaging 111.2 points per 100 possession (33rd most in the country) and have a top 50 effective field goal percentage (50).

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They shoot the three ball incredibly well (35.4 percent for the season, 34.4 percent in SEC play) and are converting from inside the arc at a 52.6 percent clip, the best since league play started. The Tide are pretty good (fourth-best in the SEC) in effective field goal percentage against and don't turn the ball over that much either. They have a well-below-average turnover rate and are bets in the SEC in non-steal turnover rate as well.

Teams aren't shooting the ball well against Alabama: 30.3 percent from three, 48.2 percent from two.

They pass the ball well, third in assists per made field goal, and it could cause some defensive issues for the Gamecocks Saturday night.

What they don't do well: For as good offensively as the Tide is, the defensive numbers are just mediocre to bad. The Tide is ninth in the SEC in defensive efficiency (103.4 points per 100), and Alabama doesn't force many turnovers. The Tide is 283rd out of 353 teams in allowing offensive rebounds, which is good news for a good offensive rebounding team like South Carolina.

The Tide are slightly above average height-wise (South Carolina is one of the tallest teams in the country) and because of it the Tide don't block a lot of shots. The problem, while the Tide doesn't turn the ball over much, it does have the propensity to get the ball stolen a lot, with one of the nation's highest steal percentages.

The Tide foul a lot, sending opponents to the line quite a bit.

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Player to watch: Kira Lewis Jr., guard

Lewis makes things tick for Alabama from the point guard spot, leading the team with 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game. He's also top three on the team in rebounds, free throws per game, three-point percentage, and field goal percentage.

He's not the team's leading scorer in SEC play (that goes to Jaden Shackelford) but he plays a vital part as the team's point guard and the Gamecocks have struggled at times to keep good guards in front of them this season.

Lewis Jr. will be a big test for likely Jermaine Couisnard. It could be a good matchup for him, listed a full inch taller than Lewis Jr. and a full 46 pounds heavier.