South-Carolina
Ole Miss basketball vs South Carolina score prediction, scouting report for key SEC game
Ole Miss coach Chris Beard on Arkansas win
What Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard said after Arkansas win.
OXFORD — Ole Miss basketball failed to hold serve at home last week, splitting games with Mississippi State and Auburn.
Now, if it wants to remain in the top half of the SEC, it will have to steal one of two upcoming road games on the schedule. The first comes on Tuesday (5:30 p.m., SEC Network), when the Rebels (18-4, 5-4 SEC) travel to play surging South Carolina (19-3, 7-2).
Here’s what to watch for.
Two of college basketball’s biggest turnaround stories clash
Roughly 11 months ago, Ole Miss and South Carolina met in Nashville as two of the four teams obligated to play on the unglamorous first day of the SEC Tournament.
The Gamecocks had just concluded a four-win regular season riddled with dysfunction to start Lamont Paris’ tenure as coach. The Rebels had fired former coach Kermit Davis after recording just three SEC wins and were playing out the schedule under interim Win Case.
Now, both reside in the top five of the SEC. Paris’ second season in charge has made South Carolina one of college basketball’s best stories. Winners of five straight, the Gamecocks have conference victories over Kentucky and Tennessee and have lost once at home all season.
Ole Miss has enjoyed a similar renaissance in its first season under coach Chris Beard. The Rebels finished their nonconference slate unbeaten and have proven themselves capable of winning in the SEC, though a recent loss to Auburn halted the momentum from a three-game winning streak.
Meechie Johnson and Jaylen Murray set for intriguing guard matchup
South Carolina’s leading scorer is its point guard, Meechie Johnson, who is in his second season with the program after transferring in from Ohio State.
Johnson averages 14.9 points per game, and is a willing 3-point shooter, attempting nearly six in each contest and shooting 35.2% from beyond the arc.
He’ll be met by Ole Miss point guard Jaylen Murray, an offseason find by Beard out of St. Peter’s who has blossomed as a Rebel. Murray gives the Rebels 14.5 points per contest and is also prolific from beyond the arc, where he shoots 43%.
The clash of off-the-ball guards is equally interesting, with a pair of veterans in that spot. South Carolina’s Ta’Lon Cooper is the second-best 3-point shooter in the SEC at 47.4%. He’s also a willing facilitator, posting 4.4 assists per game.
The Rebels rely on their two-guard, Mattew Murrell, for 16.8 points per game. He’s unlocked a newfound efficiency under Beard, shooting a career-high 47% from the field on the season.
BEARD: Why Chris Beard said Ole Miss basketball lacked mental toughness vs Auburn and how he plans to respond
Keep an eye on status of Jamarion Sharp pregame for Ole Miss basketball
Jamarion Sharp, Ole Miss’ 7-foot-5 rim protector, missed Saturday’s game against Auburn with what a team spokesperson described as a non-COVID illness.
“At this point, he’s kind of day-to-day,” Beard said Saturday.
The Rebels certainly missed Sharp against the Tigers. His absence asked a lot of fellow center Moussa Cisse, who played for 24 minutes ‒ six more than his previous average in SEC games.
Auburn dominated Ole Miss on the offensive glass, something that has been arguably the biggest problem for the Rebels this season. Ole Miss has one of the worst defensive rebounding percentages in all of college basketball, and the worst in the SEC.
South Carolina is a strong offensive-rebounding team, at 33.5% on the season. Whether or not Sharp plays, finding a way to mitigate that will be a major key for Ole Miss.
Ole Miss basketball vs. South Carolina score prediction
South Carolina 78, Ole Miss 74. If Ole Miss can defend the way it did on the road against Texas A&M two games ago, it can win this one. But the Rebels haven’t proven they can do that consistently on the road in conference play.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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South-Carolina
South Carolina Research Authority announces funding opportunity for rural healthcare tech startups
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The South Carolina Research Authority announced a funding opportunity available to tech startups focused on improving rural health access on Wednesday.
The Tech Catalyst Fund is one of five initiatives within the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program. The program is brought to life by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
SCRA was chosen to administer the Tech Catalyst Fund by SCDHHS due to its expertise in fostering innovation, supporting startups, and driving economic development through investments.
“We look forward to partnering with SCRA to promote consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions to drive development and innovation across rural South Carolina,” said SCDHHS Director Eunice Medina.
Non-dilutive funding will be provided to awarded tech startups that address the unmet needs in rural South Carolina, specifically focused on prevention and management of chronic diseases, while increasing quality, affordability, and access to care.
“The Tech Catalyst Fund will drive the development and deployment of medical innovations, bringing meaningful change to those who need it most,” said Bill Kirkland, SCRA President and CEO.
Prospective startups will have until June 25 to apply for this funding opportunity, after which a series of evaluations will take place. More information about eligibility can be found here.
The Clarendon County coroner identified the woman who died after being struck by an airborne umbrella during strong winds at a Lake Marion restaurant Saturday night.
A night out at Driftwood Grill on Lake Marion turned deadly Saturday just after 7:30, when Clarendon County dispatch got a call that a woman was unresponsive after being struck by a flying umbrella during sudden strong winds.
When first responders arrived, they found 56-year-old Dana Weigner with injuries to her head and neck. EMS worked to save her life on scene, but the coroner said she could not be revived.
The restaurant, Driftwood Grill: Home of the Lazy Gator, sits near the Palmetto Shores Campground on Lake Marion.
Jacqueline Blackwell, the coroner for Clarendon County, said strong wind gusts were reported at the time and is now working with emergency managers to review official weather data from Saturday night.
“It was a strong, strong wind, like a microburst that came through and knocked not just the umbrella. It knocked all of the furniture and other debris came onto where they were sitting,” Blackwell said.
Investigators said Weigner was at the restaurant with her husband and other family members when it happened.
“It was very emotional for him,” Blackwell said. “I spoke with the owners of the restaurant, and they say all the family members were gathered there as well. They were there eating; they had a large crowd.”
Restaurant owners declined to speak to reporters out of respect for the family but did mention grief counseling has been offered to staff, family and the community.
In a post online they shared, “Out of respect for the family and those impacted, we ask for continued prayers, compassion and privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”
“This is not an everyday occurrence,” Blackwell said. “This is just one of those tragic things that happens.”
The Democrat wins come after last month’s Supreme Court decision, which reversed a decades-old precedent and ruled that the Voting Rights Act, passed during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, did not require states to create congressional districts that provided minority voters with the opportunity to elect candidates roughly in proportion to their overall population in the state.
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