South Carolina will try to keep momentum going when it hosts Missouri Saturday.

I joked the other day that in the chaotic SEC, winning one game feels like a winning streak. So winning three games in a row? Utter domination of course! Consider that, in losing to South Carolina, Arkansas dropped from a tie for fourth to sole possession of tenth place.

That is what makes this game a little extra important. There are basically four teams at the bottom of the SEC. Missouri is one of them, along with Ole Miss, Georgia, and Vanderibilt. With everybody so jumbled and every team possessing flaws, there are basically only these “should win” opponents. You can’t afford to lose one of these games.

It goes double for South Carolina, which already has a resume littered with bad losses. So if we are having fun with words, this game isn’t “must win,” it’s “must not lose.”

2. Better Bolden

Since the DNP-CD against Kentucky, Jair Bolden has turned his season around. He has taken on the sixth-man role inhabited in the past by players like Hassani Gravett and Duane Notice. In the last four games, Bolden is averaging 13.5 points and three assists while shooting 55 percent on threes. Bolden has never been a particularly strong defender, but even his defense has seen an uptick. He played solid defense on the final play against Arkansas, and along with Trae Hannibal and AJ Lawson, forced the Razorbacks into a desperation shot.

3. Hannibal Rising

Speaking of Hannibal, let’s take another look at his game against Arkansas, especially the second half. Hannibal had a few freshman moments in the first half (careless ballhandling, quick, ill-advised shots), but he was a stud in the second, and completely replaced TJ Moss as the backup point guard. But he settled down in the second half, scoring all of his career-high 11 points and hitting a pair of clutch free throws. Maik Kotsar called Hannibal “an aggressive person,” and said Hannibal’s biggest challenge is harnessing that aggression.

“For him, sometimes he gets a little too careless with the ball, tries to stick to his high school days when he attacks the rim every time, but that’s something that comes with experience and he’s a great player,” Kotsar said.

That aggression served Hannibal and the Gamecocks well on the final play of the game. Hannibal asked to guard Mason Jones, who had gone off for 34 points. The Razorbacks tried to run a play where Jones inbounded and then got the ball back, but Hannibal denied Jones and the play broke down. Kotsar said Hannibal had been asking to guard Jones, an impressive request from the freshman.

“I remember it a few times during the game, when he was like, let me get number 15. That shows real maturity and shows he is ready to take on the challenge,” Kotsar said. “As a freshman, obviously, it caught me a little bit off guard. At the same time, knowing the person he is, I should have expected that.”

4. This that and the other

If you need more than basketball to hold your interest, there are a couple of other things happening Saturday.

EdVenture will host a book drive outside of the Colonial Life Arena entrance before the game as part of the 12th annual Read with the Gamecocks program. Organizers are asking fans to donate new or gently used books that will be distributed to underserved areas in the midlands. For more information, click here.

At halftime, the newest members of the football team will be introduced. Mid-year enrollees will be introduced, and the group is expected to include Luke Doty, O'Donnell Fortune, Collin Hill, Dominick Hill, Trai Jones, Mohamed Kaba, Vershon Lee, MarShawn Lloyd, Adam Prentice, Chuck Strickland, Jazston Turnetine, Tyshawn Wannamaker, Darryle Ware and Michael Wyman

5. Scouting the Tigers

In a nutshell, Mizzou doesn’t score much, but also doesn’t give up much, allowing just 62.6 points per game, second in the SEC and 36th in the nation. But I want to talk about free throws. Free throws could swing the game.

Mizzou is shooting 77.3 percent from the line as a team. That is second in the SEC and 15th in the nation, but that’s not the whole story. Over a two-game span earlier this season, Mizzou made 54 consecutive free throws. South Carolina is elated to make five in a row.

That’s a potential problem area for the Gamecocks, who are one of the nation’s worst free throw shooting teams, and send opponents to the line at an alarming rate. That is potentially a lot of extra points for the Tigers. The good news for the Gamecocks is that the tigers have attempted the second fewest free throws in the SEC, so they may not be able to take advantage of the opportunity.

For comparison, Missouri has attempted just one more free throw this season than Tennessee. In their game against South Carolina three weeks ago, Tennessee attempted 28 free throws.

The Ws

Who: South Carolina (12-8, 4-3) vs Missouri (10-10, 2-5)

When: Saturday, February 1, 3:30 pm

Where: Colonial Life Arena

Watch: SEC Network