Vanderbilt basketball vs. South Carolina: Score prediction, scouting report in SEC game

South Carolina has been where Vanderbilt basketball is.

Just a year ago, the Gamecocks (20-3, 8-2 SEC) were outside the top 200 in KenPom, had losses to George Washington and East Carolina and won just 11 total games.

A year later, South Carolina is likely to make the NCAA Tournament.

Entering the matchup between the two at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday (12 p.m. CT, SEC Network), the Gamecocks are projected a No. 5 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology. It’s the kind of leap that many hoped for from Vanderbilt after just missing out on the tournament a season ago. Instead, the Commodores (6-16, 1-8) have fallen into the conference basement.

Here’s what to know about the matchup:

Most improved team

South Carolina is the SEC’s most improved team, going from KenPom No. 221 a year ago to No. 45 entering this matchup. The Gamecocks are a success story of a quick turnaround in coach Lamont Paris’ second season.

Of South Carolina’s five most common starters, three were transfers brought in this offseason and one is a freshman. Only Meechie Johnson, who transferred from Ohio State in 2022, is a returning starter.

Johnson leads the team in scoring, followed by Wofford transfer BJ Mack (who scored 19 against Vanderbilt last season) and Minnesota transfer Ta’Lon Cooper.

Reunited with Myles Stute

One of the transfers the Gamecocks added in the offseason was Myles Stute from the Commodores. Stute left the team before the NIT a year ago and Jerry Stackhouse stated that one reason for the departure was that Stute wanted a different role on the team and to play more on the perimeter.

At South Carolina, Stute has averaged 9.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 40% from three. However, he has recently dealt with a shoulder injury that cost him three games and has kept him out of the starting lineup since returning. Just how much that injury affects Stute remains to be seen.

Can Evan Taylor continue his hot streak?

Evan Taylor started out the season ice cold from three, struggling in his transition from Lehigh to Vanderbilt. But he’s come on as of late, scoring in the double digits in three of his past five games. Against Kentucky, he led the team with 20 points and five 3-pointers.

This performance came despite Taylor playing through a sprained ACL, an injury he suffered against Missouri. Termed a “game time decision” for the Kentucky game, Taylor suited up with a brace on his knee and played 21 minutes.

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Score prediction

South Carolina 68, Vanderbilt 59: The Gamecocks generally play grind-it-out, low-scoring games, and Vanderbilt lacks enough firepower to win that type of game.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.