The No.3-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks (24-7) and Georgia Bulldogs (18-12) meet in the third round of the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Action begins at 9:25 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and can be seen on SEC and ES3.
The Gamecocks come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, topping Arkansas 76-61 in their last matchup. Sindarius Thornwell played a pivotal role, recording his third double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-69 win against Mississippi State in the 2. J.J. Frazier led the game in scoring by accounting for 28 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
Frazier has upped his play for the Bulldogs, averaging 23.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers over the past five games.
Baskets could be hard to come by as South Carolina ranks 11th in the nation, allowing just 96.6 points per 100 possessions, while Georgia is 27th (100.4). Moreover, the Bulldogs are among the nation’s elite on the offensive backboards, ranking 21st in OR% at 32.0%. But the Gamecocks rank 25th at corralling defensive rebounds with a DR% of 70.7%.
The Bulldogs have emerged victorious in both games against the Gamecocks this year, including a 74-72 win the last time these two teams met. In the victory, Frazier led all scorers with 28 points.
Notes
The Georgia Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 100.4 (ranked 27th), while the South Carolina Gamecocks have an offensive rating of 106.5 (ranked 162nd).
On average, South Carolina has 71.7 possessions per game and scores 1.065 points on each possession. Georgia has both fewer possessions (68.0) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.029).
Georgia has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.8%. South Carolina is a solid 8-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Georgia, the 20th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.3 blocks per game. South Carolina ranks 67th with 4.4.
South Carolina is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking eighth. Georgia ranks 28th in defensive rebounds.
Georgia makes an average of 5.0 steals per game. South Carolina has a solid 16-6 record when it allows at least 5 steals.
