South Carolina basketball is five games into its 2024-2025 SEC schedule. The Gamecocks are 10-8 and 0-5 in conference play coming off of a 20-point loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.

The upcoming week represents a massive (and, perhaps, the last) opportunity for Lamont Paris’ team to save their season. As is life in the SEC, Carolina will welcome two NCAA Tournament-bound teams to Colonial Life Arena. First up is a date with the Florida Gators.

[Win tickets: South Carolina-Florida MBB]

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Resume Check: Florida Gators

Record: 16-2 (3-2 in SEC)
AP Ranking: No. 5
Last Week: Loss to Missouri 82-83 in Gainesville; Win over Texas 84-60 in Gainesville
Previous Meeting: South Carolina won 82-76 in Columbia during 2023-2024 season

Florida has been ranked in the AP top 25 all season for a reason. Todd Golden’s team is really good and could challenge for one of the top seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

The Gators went 13-0 during their non-conference schedule, including a win over the North Carolina Tar Heels in Charlotte. Though they have two losses in conference play, they’ve come by a combined seven points. UF also knocked off the then-No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in dominant fashion, 73-43.

Heading into this week, Florida is 4th in the SEC in scoring (85.9 points per game). They also are 3rd in the league in scoring defense (65.6 points per game). The Gators are the best rebounding team in the SEC and tie for the top rebounding margin in America. They do send opposing teams to the free throw line at a high rate, something that plays into the Gamecocks’ strong ability to get to the charity stripe.

Florida boasts four double-digit scorers as all three perimeter starters (Walter Clayton, Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard) and big man Alex Condon each average at least 10.8 points per contest. Clayton and Martin lead the way at 17.9 and 16.2, respectively. Clayton ranks second in the conference in 3-pointers made, as well.

Both of Florida’s starting post players (Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu) sit in the SEC’s top 10 in rebounding as they each pull down better than seven rebounds a night. However, the Gators are a balanced rebounding group with six different players averaging at least 4.5 boards per game.

Coming into the game against South Carolina, the Florida Gators are pretty healthy. Thanks to a broken leg suffered last season, 7’1″ post player Micah Handlogten is redshirting this year (along with 7’9″ center Olivier Rioux). Other than those expected absences, UF hasn’t dealt with many players missing games. Coach Golden didn’t include any Gators on his SEC-mandated availability report last week.

The Gamecocks and Gators will tip off at 7:00 p.m. in Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday, January 22nd. SEC Network will broadcast the game, and the ESPN app will stream it.