Georgia hosts South Carolina in hoops tonight at 7: Preview and Open Thread

The Dawgs followed a road win against Georgia Tech with a deflating loss at Oakland, only to turn around and post a tremendous second half knocking off Auburn. And on the heels of a win that resurrected NCAA dreams comes a chance to really get back on a bubble with 10-3 South Carolina coming to town.

For those who haven’t been paying attention all season, (and judging by the attendance, you haven’t) the Dawgs will rely heavily on star G JJ Frazier and big man Yante Maten, with a little help from freshman Jordan Harris now starting at SG, junior stalwart Juwan Parker at SF, and sophomore Derek Ogbeide inside. Senior Houston Kessler and sophomore Mike Edwards come off the bench to provide post help, while some combo of senior Kenny Paul Geno, junior Pape Diatta, and sophomores Turtle Jackson and Toe Wilridge provide backup minutes on the perimeter (yeah, I know we have a solid freshman G in Tyree Crump too, but does Mark Fox know that?).

In terms of style of play, don’t expect near the scoring output we saw in Auburn, or against Oakland really, as both teams will look to operate mostly in half court sets. Both teams will play physical D, use up a good bit of shot clock on O, and attack the glass. So basically, we see who’s better at doing what we both like to do.

From the Gamecock side of things, this is firey coach Frank Martin’s fifth season on the South Carolina bench. And after 9 previous games against the Dawgs, the Miami native has gone 1-8 (including 3 defeats last year in Athens, in Columbia, and at the SEC Tournament). But his teams do have a style, as mentioned above, being very physical defensively, controlling the glass, and efficient half court offense.

In terms of players, the big news is that senior G Sindarius Thornwell returns from a six game suspension. The SEC All-Defensive team member from last year led the Gamecocks in scoring, rebounding, and assists when he was forced to sit out. His departure from the lineup also saw a team that had gone 7-0 with wins over Syracuse and Michigan proceed to drop 3 out of 6 with losses to Seton Hall, Clemson, and Memphis.

Thornwell may or may not start, but he’ll definitely play for a team that desperately needed his leadership, perimeter defense, sharpshooting, and ball handling. Senior Duane Notice and sophomore PJ Dozier will definitely start on the outside, and they are the only two averaging double figures for South Carolina aside from Thornwell. 6’9 sophomore Chris Silva, from Gabon, provides a defensive and rebounding force inside, though he often struggles with foul trouble, and starts alongside 6’10 Estonian freshman Maik Kostar up front. Senior Justin McKie has been starting while Thornwell was out, but is little more than effort and minimal production on the floor.

Off the bench for South Carolina are mostly newcomers. The bulk of their reserve minutes go to sophomore G Hassani Gravett, who hails from Villa Rica after a short stay at Pensacola State College, as well as freshmen Rakym Felder, Sedee Keita, and Khadim Gueye. Felder has been very effective knocking down three pointers, but the rest are little more than hustle and giving the starters a breather.

Both Georgia and South Carolina are potential bubble teams come March, so a win for either side would be a solid boost to RPI and their resumes. Expect a hard fought game, and as said, a much lower score than we saw last week against Auburn, but this is one Georgia can win, and if history of Fox vs. Martin is any indication, should win. For those who can’t get a seat in Stegeman tonight, the game will be on ESPN U.

GAME & BROADCAST INFO

• Opponent: South Carolina
• Records: Georgia (9-4, 1-0), South Carolina (10-3, 0-0)
• Rankings: Georgia NR, South Carolina NR
• Tipoff: Wednesday, January 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Stegeman Colisum - Athens, Ga.
• Video: ESPNU (Kevin Fitzgerald, pbp; Sean Farnham, analyst)
• Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network by IMG (Scott Howard, PBP; Chuck Dowdle, Color; Tony Schiavone, Producer)
• Flagship: WSB AM 750 | Affiliates
• Audio Stream: Georgiadogs.com | Mobile
• Live Stats: GameTracker