Coming down from it's toughest stretch in SEC play, the Gamecocks get a little bit of a come-down, playing arguably the worst team in the SEC this season in Vanderbilt.
The Gamecocks are coming off a loss to Auburn but get a game at home to catch their breath with an 8 p.m. tip-off at Colonial Life.
Before they do, a look at Vanderbilt and what the Commodores (8-10, 0-5 SEC) bring to the table.
The skinny: So Vanderbilt might well be the worst team in the SEC this year and it got worse when they lost SEC Player of the Year candidate Aaron Nesmith for maybe the rest of the season with a foot injury early in conference play.
Also see: Hoops recruiting notes
The Commodores have lost 23 straight regular season conference games (24 in a row counting tournament games and come to Colonial Life trying to end the streak.
They do it having lost six straight games with their closest margin of defeat being a four-point loss against Auburn at home. They've lost their last four SEC games by an average of 18.8 points.
Their best win of the season is against KenPom No. 93 Davidson, a five-point win at home, but they don't have a win over another top 100 team this season.
In short, it's just a team searching for an identity after losing its heartbeat in Nesmith, who was averaging 23 points and shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from three.
They're one of the youngest teams in the country, averaging just a little over a year of experience across the board.
KenPom prediction: The Gamecocks (10-8, 2-3 SEC) are given a 79 percent chance to win by KenPom with the site predicting a 80-71 Gamecock win in Columbia.
What they do well: It's hard to really find something the Commodores do really well, especially in SEC play. They're top 30 in FTA/FGA, meaning they get to the line a lot and their effective field goal and three-point percentages are good but boosted by Nesmith.
In SEC play they're last in both categories.
Also see: 2021 quarterback likes Bobo hire, details future plans
They do a good job, though, of not turning the ball over with their offensive steal percentage second in the SEC and top 100 nationally (89).
In SEC play the Commodores' three-point defense is four-best with teams shooting just 28 percent from deep and they do a good job of forcing turnovers.
What they don't do well: There are a lot of things here. Vanderbilt is last in offensive efficiency and 12th in defensive efficiency through the start of conference play and rank below 10th in effective field goal percentage, turnover rate, offensive rebound rate, three-point and two-point percentage, block percentage and non-steal turnover rate.
Essentially, the team isn't shooting well, turning the ball over, not offensive rebounding and getting shots blocked at a really high rate.
It's just been an all-around struggle for this team, especially over their last five games.
Also see: Friday evening recruiting notes
Player to watch: Saben Lee, G
Lee is the team's starting point guard since Nesmith went down, and he's been playing really well as almost a one-man band offensively.
He's averaging 15.9 points per game and shooting 48 percent from the field, including going almost 35 percent from three. In SEC play he's averaging 16.2 points, 2.6 assists and 3.6 turnovers per game while shooting 48.8 percent and 27.8 percent from three.
He's the best player in an anemic offense through five SEC games, but the Gamecocks have struggled to keep good guards in front of them and out of the paint at times this season.
Lee is seventh in the SEC in fouls draw per 40 minutes, which means if the Gamecock guards aren't careful then he could be shooting a lot of free throws.
