FINAL: No. 19 South Carolina 77, @Mississippi State 73

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/WillSammon/status/830152554218651648

State has struggled lately with how it begins its games, but the Bulldogs likely cannot afford another slow start against No. 16 South Carolina.

Bulldogs have lost five of their last seven games while South Carolina is coming off a quadruple-overtime loss to Alabama on Tuesday.

Bulldogs (14-9, 5-6 SEC) host South Carolina (19-5, 9-2).

Is IJ Ready?

Ben Howland said he has given some thought to making a change to his starting lineup, considering the Bulldogs have started poorly in several recent games but a lack of depth prevents anything drastic.

Senior point guard I.J. Ready, who has made 13 starts but had been coming off the bench before missing the last three games, is still out with a back injury. He rode the bike Thursday but did not practice, Howland said.

"There aren't a lot of different things we can do right now," Howland said. "Basically, we're playing nine guys without I.J. being out there. Are we going to start E.J. (Datcher)? Probably not. I don't see us changing too much. It would be one guy, if that."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/DCTheState/status/830426224061202435

South Carolina is in great position. At 19-5 (9-2 SEC), the No. 19 Gamecocks are tied for first in the SEC and a lock in NCAA tournament projections. They're not a "last four in" or "on the bubble," they're in, as high as a No. 5 seed in one faux bracket.

They know the nagging feeling hovering around Columbia, though, and recognize it. This was how it began last year, with a loss to a low-RPI opponent. The fans have their anxiety, but if the team had any, it was addressed head-on.

"We all hurt in the locker room, and the first response was, 'You got to come into practice ready to work and can't turn this into two in a row, and do whatever we got to do to be prepared for Saturday,' " Sindarius Thornwell said.

It's a tight line to walk, trying to keep the pressure of Saturday's game at Mississippi State (14-9, 5-6) on the same wavelength as any other game but knowing how important it is. The Bulldogs are a heavy 114 in the RPI.

Must-win?

[jbcarol]

David Cloninger ‏@DCTheState 2h2 hours ago

FINAL: No. 19 South Carolina 77, Mississippi State 73. The Gamecocks improve to 20-5, 10-2 SEC and host Arkansas on Wednesday.

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Howland would not offer an update on Ready, who missed his fourth straight game.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 10h10 hours ago

How about the defensive job by South Carolina at Mississippi State? Gamecocks held Quinndary Weatherspoon to just one made field goal.