GoGamecocks.com
Mississippi St. counts on an extra element
Bulldogs add inside presence to their accurate perimeter shooting
CommentsTAMPA, Fla. — Three South Carolina assistant coaches watched from press row Thursday afternoon as Mississippi State became USC’s next opponent.
One thing may have concerned the Gamecock coaches: Mississippi State, which beat USC last month, appears to have added a dimension that will make it tougher to beat today in the SEC tournament quarterfinals.
Power forward Kodi Augustus played three minutes when MSU used its 3-point shooting to beat South Carolina, 75-70, in Starkville. But in Thursday’s 79-60 victory against Georgia, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound Augustus had a team-high 19 points in 17 minutes.
Mississippi State starts four guards and relies heavily on the outside shot. But Augustus, paired with All-SEC center Jarvis Varnado, makes the Bulldogs more than a one-dimensional team.
“That’s a real plus for them as far as advancing in this tournament,” Georgia forward Terrance Woodbury said. “If he keeps up his aggressiveness as far as what he did against us, they pretty much have the talent to beat anybody.”
Augustus, a sophomore, started the first nine games this season. Then he got in coach Rick Stansbury’s doghouse. He did not become a regular rotation member again until the final three games of the regular season.
“He’s a different matchup for a lot of people,” Stansbury said. “He’s a big guy now that still can shoot the basketball. But he has the ability to pass it, and at his size, put it on the floor and drive the basketball to the point, which means now we don’t have to depend on that 3-point shot as much.”
NCAA bubble update. Baylor’s upset of Kansas in the Big 12 tournament may give the Gamecocks’ nonconference resume a boost, as USC won at Baylor in December. Bubble teams Providence, Kansas State and Miami lost.
Tournament analyst Jerry Palm, who runs CollegeRPI.com, said Baylor’s win will only matter to USC if Baylor wins the Big 12 tournament. At the moment, South Carolina does not own a victory against a team that is certain to make the NCAA tournament.
Palm believes South Carolina needs a win today, and possibly one more, to get into the field.
“South Carolina has to take care of their own business,” Palm said Thursday. “They can’t worry about Baylor or anyone else. They have their own problems.”
Resting up. The ease of its win allowed Mississippi State to rest a lot of regulars. No one played more than 27 minutes, and Stansbury emptied his bench for the final minutes.
Stansbury pointed out they had 33 bench points on Thursday, and 53 in the final two regular-season games.
Good weather, bad news. There will be no magical run for Georgia, which won last year’s tournament in a four-game run of upsets. Three came after the event was moved from the Georgia Dome to Georgia Tech’s home court, which senior guard Corey Butler joked about after Thursday’s loss.
“We definitely needed this first win so that we can get the tornado tomorrow night and then go on a three-game run,” Butler said, smiling. “But you got to win the first one, and we were unable to do that.”
Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.
Most Viewed Stories
- Gamecocks' Gilmore wise beyond his years
- Men's pregame: USC vs. Miami
- Kentucky rallies to beat Georgia 34-27
- Parker Attends Clemson Game
- Barnes Has Good Visit With USC
- Gamecocks' bowl bid needs 1 for the road
- Women's pregame: USC vs. Penn State
- Clock runs out on LSU in 25-23 Ole Miss win
- USC fends off Bulls' charge
- Morris: Laval knew how to win, no matter the sport
@Nyx.CommentBody@