How to watch/what to watch for: South Carolina travels to Texas A&M

With four games to go, South Carolina has a chance to get hot at the right time heading into postseason play.

The No. 18 Gamecocks picked up a much-needed win over Ole Miss last Saturday. And now, they’ll head to College Station for another road matchup with Texas A&M.

Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday on SEC Network.

Here are some things to watch for.

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What’s at stake

As we get closer to March, the race to the finish line is going to be as close as it gets. Right now, South Carolina is tied for third in the SEC standings with a 10-4 conference record. Only Tennessee and Alabama are ahead.

Ideally, the Gamecocks would love to hold their position or move up to claim a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament. If that’s the case, this would mean they’d get a double bye and not have to play until that Friday of the tournament. Meaning they’d only need to win three games to win the tournament championship.

Three of their final four games come against SEC teams with winning records. So it’s going to super important to take care of business against a team like the Aggies, who have struggled lately.

Don’t expect to see Stute

Before last Saturday’s game, it was announced that Myles Stute would not play due to a sprained left knee he sustained in practice. After the game, head coach Lamont Paris sounded unsure about when the veteran player would return. So it doesn’t seem likely he’ll play versus Texas A&M.

But don’t rule anything out, either. Something similar to this happened earlier in the season when Stute made a quicker than expected return from his shoulder injury. If he plays, great. If not, South Carolina has more than enough depth and talent to be just fine for another game.

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Keep getting Mack the ball

Over the last few games, BJ Mack has been playing fairly well. He’s put up double-digit points in four straight games. Against Ole Miss, he scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting and went 3-for-7 from three-point range.

With how inconsistent some of the other scorers have been lately, it’s been good to have a guy like Mack that’s been dependable. Just keep giving him looks while he’s got the hot hand.

Go on the road and do it again

South Carolina, after suffering two bad losses, went into Oxford and controlled the entire game against Ole Miss. The Gamecocks essentially led from start to finish and never relinquished the lead.

That same thing needs to happen in College Station. Any time you go on the road in the SEC, it’s never going to be easy. While Texas A&M has struggled lately, it’s still going to be a challenge for the Gamecocks to go in and get the win.

The key will be to get off to a good start and keep the tempo in their favor. That’s when South Carolina plays its best brand of basketball. But it would also be good for some more guys to get involved in hitting shots. This would be a great time for Meechie Johnson to find his shot and get back to basics.

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Scouting the opponent

As aforementioned, Texas A&M (15-12, 6-8 SEC) hasn’t been playing great over the last few games. After upsetting Tennessee a few weeks ago, the Aggies have lost four straight, including a one-point loss to Vanderbilt.

Despite that, the Aggies are ranked No. 57 in KenPom and No. 58 in the NET rankings. Besides Tennessee, their best win came against Iowa State earlier in the year.

Texas A&M is led by leading scorer Wade Taylor IV. He’s averaging 18.8 points per game on 36.4 percent shooting. He’s also the team leader in assists and steals.

Tyrece Radford is another guy who can go out and get buckets for this team. He’s putting up 15.1 points per game on 41.1 percent shooting from the field.

While they do have some scorers, the Aggies aren’t a great shooting team overall. In KenPom, they rank 352nd with a 44.5 percent effective field goal percentage. It gets worse from the outside as they clock in at No. 360 in three-point percentage at just 27.1 percent. However, they are ranked No. 1 in offensive rebounding percentage.

Game details

Who: No. 18 South Carolina (22-5, 10-4 SEC) at Texas A&M (15-12, 6-8 SEC)

When: Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m.

Where: Reed Arena (12,989)

How to watch/listen: SEC Network/107.5 FM

ESPN gives South Carolina a 27.6 percent chance to win