SOUTH CAROLINA MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Gamecocks try to hold on to fourth place in the SEC when they host the Razorbacks Saturday.

1. Bounce back

After the blowout loss at Kentucky, Frank Martin said South Carolina simply “didn’t answer the bell.” You could argue the same thing happened in losses at LSU and Oklahoma State, the first another blowout loss to a good team, the second a loss to an inferior team that was simply more focused that day.

So which Gamecock team will show up Saturday? You should be able to tell pretty quickly how engaged South Carolina is. They fell behind quickly in all three games, with only unexpected three-pointers keeping things close for a little while against LSU and Kentucky.

2. Battle of the bigs

Saturday’s game will feature two of the SEC’s best big men in Chris Silva and Arkansas’ Daniel Gafford. Gafford is a 6-11 sophomore. During conference play, he is fifth in scoring, second in rebounding, and fourth in blocked shots. For the season, Gafford is averaging 16.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, with 2 blocks per game.

Silva, for comparison, is averaging 15.0 points and 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in conference games.

So we all know this drill by heart. Everybody say it with me now: “The player who can stay out of foul trouble is the one who probably leads his team to a win.”

3. SEC standings

South Carolina is still alone in fourth place in the SEC, but is now just one game up on a group of teams with 5-4 records. Arkansas is one of those teams. Arkansas is also on a hot streak, unlike South Carolina. Arkansas has won four straight games, while South Carolina is 2-2 over the same stretch. This is the only meeting between the two schools, so earning the tiebreaker is key.

4. Mac time

At halftime, longtime equipment manager Mac Credille will be honored. Credille - although everyone just knows him as Mac - was with South Carolina for over four decades. Mac retired in January, although he has been at nearly every game since then. Mac worked with the football program before basketball, and he has more behind-the-scenes stories about Gamecock athletics than probably anyone. And he loves to tell the stories, perfectly willing to talk your ear off, though nobody ever complains.

Mac is being honored as part of Legends Weekend. The weekend began with a reception Friday night, and will culminate with all Legends in attendance being honored at halftime.

5. Scouting the Razorbacks

As mentioned above, Arkansas has won four straight conference games after a slow start, although there is a non-conference loss to Texas Tech in that streak. In addition to Gafford, Arkansas has Jalen Harris, who is fifth in the league in assists, but not much of a shooter, only averaging 8.5 points per game.

In the past couple of years, Arkansas’ guards have had a field day with South Carolina, which bodes well for Harris and freshman Isaiah Joe. Joe leads the SEC - and is second in the nation - in three-pointers made. Joe shoots just under 45 percent from three.

The Ws

Who: South Carolina (11-11, 6-3) vs Arkansas (14-8, 5-4)

When: Saturday, February 9, 3:30 pm

Where: Colonial Life Arena

Watch: SEC Network

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