The South Carolina men's basketball team (5-2) will return to Columbia to face Massachusetts (3-4) at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday.
The Gamecocks will return from a loaded trip, including the Puerto Rico Tip-off, a road trip to Frank Martin’s Alma Mater Florida International University and a neutral site game against Temple at Madison Square Garden.
The Gamecocks have won three out of their last five games, while the Minutemen have lost three out of their last five games.
According to the ESPN Basketball Power Index, the Gamecocks have an 83.1 percent chance to win. South Carolina is off to a strong start after losing its three key stars from last year. Younger players have stepped up to fill the expectations of a Final Four team.
Junior forward Chris Silva, a member of last year’s Final Four squad, leads the team in points per game, rebounds per game and blocks per game. Silva is averaging 12.7 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game and 1.6 blocks per game. Junior guard Hassani Gravett leads the team in assists per game with 4.7.
Silva recorded a 26-point game against FIU, which was his career high and tied former SEC Player of The Year Sindarius Thornwell's point total in the Elite Eight in 2016.
The Minutemen are coming off of a 15-18 season, in which they went 4-14 in Atlantic 10 play. The Minutemen are without last year's leading scorer Donte Clark. This season's leading scorer is sophomore guard Luwane Pipkins, who is averaging 17.3 points per game.
The Minutemen are averaging 73 points per game, while the Gamecocks are averaging 72.9 points per game. The Minutemen are allowing 70.9 points per game, while the Gamecocks are only allowing 62.9 points per game.
However, Massachusetts holds the edge over South Carolina in field goal percentage with 45 percent shooting, compared to the Gamecocks’ 43.3 percent rate from the field. The Gamecocks lost their last game to Temple, and the Minutemen are on a three-game losing streak.
The Gamecocks hope to live up to the expectations set a year ago and look to impress in non-conference play, so they can enter SEC play with a record that will impress the selection committee come March.