LSU Men’s Basketball Heads to South Carolina on Saturday

On Saturday, the South Carolina Gamecocks will host the LSU Tigers for an SEC men’s basketball showdown in Colonial Life Arena. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

Season Updates

South Carolina is off to a pretty strong start to the season with a record of 16-10. For SEC play, the Gamecocks are 8-5 overall, ranking them fifth in the SEC. South Carolina’s most notable win on the season is an 81-78 victory over the number 10 ranked Kentucky Wildcats. The Gamecocks are a strong defensive team allowing only 66.8 points per game.

LSU started the season off very hot going 8-2 but have recently cooled off losing four out of the last five games. LSU is 18-8 overall now and 9-4 in conference play. They are third in the SEC, tied with the Florida Gators. The Tigers are averaging the sixth-most points per game in college basketball with 80.6 but have struggled at times defensively, allowing 73 points per game.

Key Matchups

Lawson vs. Mays

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Guard AJ Lawson is the center of South Carolina’s offense with a team-leading 13.7 points per game. Lawson has been fairly efficient from the field this season, shooting 42.9 FG% and 35% from beyond the arc.

Skylar Mays is LSU’s lead guard. At 6’4 205 pounds, he has an extremely aggressive playstyle. Mays has been playing lights out, averaging 16.5 points off shooting 50.2% from the floor. Mays is an all-around player too, as he is averaging 1.9 steals per game, 3.2 assists per game, and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Slicing through the defense to the rack! pic.twitter.com/piV8C2zw4y

— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) February 19, 2020

Williams vs. Kotsar

Emmitt Williams is an aggressive, physically dominant forward for the LSU Tigers with a frame of 6’6 and 230 pounds. Williams crashes the boards well with 7 rebounds per game, while also protecting the rim with a team-leading 1.3 blocks per game. Williams averages 13.5 points per game on the season and has seen scoring highs of 27,24, and 23 points.

Maik Kotsar is the foreign forward for South Carolina who is a solid all-around player. At 6’11 270 pounds, Kotsar thrives on defense, averaging 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Kotsar also impacts the game in man ways, including adding 10.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

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