South Carolina basketball score prediction, scouting report vs. Florida in Top 25 SEC game

Last season, the late-January matchup between South Carolina and Florida didn’t exactly draw the interest of many SEC basketball fans as both were bound for losing seasons.

What a difference a year makes.

The Gamecocks will host the Gators on Saturday (noon, ESPN) at Colonial Life Arena with plenty at stake.

South Carolina (23-5, 10-4 SEC) and Florida (20-8, 10-5) remain in contention not only for double byes in the SEC Tournament but for the regular-season crown as well after being tabbed for 14th- and eighth-place finishes, respectively, in the league’s preseason poll.

Instead Saturday’s game will be a Top 25 matchup what with South Carolina ranked No. 18 in the latest USA TODAY Coaches Poll and Florida No. 24.

The Gamecocks are alone in third place in the SEC standings, one game behind Alabama and Tennessee, while the Gators are tied for fourth with Auburn and Kentucky.

Here are three storylines to follow on Saturday as well as a score prediction:

The ‘return’ of South Carolina’s Meechie Johnson looms large

The Gamecocks need Meechie Johnson to be his old self to fully realize their potential down the season’s home stretch. Johnson scored just five points and made only 1-of-15 shots against LSU and Ole Miss, but snapped back Wednesday night at Texas A&M, pacing the Gamecocks with 22 points on a 7-of-14 touch.

“He made some big plays,” South Carolina coach Lamont Paris said. “Meechie did some incredible stuff, made some incredible plays, made some incredible passes. He attacked the rim like he was shot out of a cannon on one (play), and I thought that was important.”

Johnson has scored 20 or more points in eight games and finished in double figures in 18 of the team’s 28 games.

South Carolina, Florida have distinctly contrasting styles

Florida likes to play an up-tempo style, as evidenced by an average of 84.7 points per game.

South Carolina prefers to play at a considerably more measured, deliberate pace, as evidenced by its 71.8 scoring average and the Gamecocks lead the SEC in scoring defense at 65.1.

“They have an identity – they come out, they’re physical, they guard you, they make you earn everything offensively,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “If we can do a good job of pushing tempo and keeping pace up, that would benefit us. If we get stuck in a halfcourt, grind-it-out game, that’s going to benefit them.”

Zach Davis epitomizes Gamecocks’ team concept

Davis is a prime example of Paris’ team-first philosophy.

The sophomore guard from Orangeburg has emerged as a late-season gem for the Gamecocks. After scoring in double figures in only two games in his first 25 games, Davis has been a major contributor the past two games. He scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a win at Ole Miss, then established in a new career high with 16 points Wednesday night at Texas A&M.

South Carolina score prediction vs Florida

South Carolina 73, Florida 70: The Gamecocks are 13-2 at Colonial Life Arena while the Gators are 3-4 at SEC road venues. That calculates to a victory that will keep South Carolina in the hunt for the top spot in the league.

ON THE ROAD: South Carolina basketball holds off Texas A&M for seventh SEC road victory of the season

Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer