'Dores look to avenge January loss in Columbia
On Wednesday, Horn and the Gamecocks showed their focus was untarnished and that the Auburn game was just a bump in the road by toppling LSU 64-56 for the first time in Baton Rouge since 2001.
As for Vanderbilt, it has hit a bump in the road of its own — the Commodores fell at Florida 65-61 in an overtime duel on Wednesday. But Vandy can't dwell on that too long, as USC will be in Nashville on Saturday.
After a 14-point loss at the Colonial Life Arena earlier this season, Vanderbilt will be looking for revenge against South Carolina and senior forward Sam Muldrow, who tallied the second triple-double in USC history that night.
The Commodores have only lost twice at home this season, at the hands of West Virginia and Arkansas. But, of the three overtime matches Vanderbilt has had, it has yet to win a single one. In contrast, South Carolina hasn't lost an overtime game, going 3-0 in contests that needed an extra period. Such was the circumstance when USC and Vandy last played each other, as the Gamecocks were able to outscore the Commodores 11-3 in the extra period to win their opening SEC game.
Jenkins among best in SEC: When USC and Vandy last played each other, Vanderbilt sophomore guard John Jenkins' 27 points and five rebounds were overshadowed by Muldrow's triple-double. However, Jenkins has stood out as one of the top players in the SEC this season.
Averaging 19.3 points per game and shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point land, Jenkins is having a career year, with his best game this season coming against the Gamecocks. The Commodores need for Jenkins to tone down the scoring and dish the ball out more though, as Vandy has not won a game in which he has had over 22 points.
USC bench play getting better: On Wednesday, the Gamecocks got the increased bench production they'd been searching for after seeing a 12-point effort from Malik Cooke.
"He just gave us great energy," Horn said of Cooke. "He grabbed a couple of boards, and he just gave us some presence down inside. I think offensively he did a really good job for us. Sometimes he would make the extra pass, which led to the basket. He just gave us a lot of energy."
Changes to the USC lineup: With strong forward Lakeem Jackson returning from flu-like symptoms, coach Darrin Horn moved guard Ramon Galloway into the starting five and brought guard Brian Richardson off the bench, after his eight points last week.
South Carolina outscored LSU 20-10 in bench points.