3 things to know about the South Carolina Gamecocks: SEC Tournament edition

Auburn takes on South Carolina in its first game of the SEC Tournament. What are some of the most important things to know about the Gamecocks?

The No. 12 Auburn Tigers take on the No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals this afternoon.

Auburn earned the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament, which earned it a double-bye, meaning this game will be its first of the tournament.

The Gamecocks are the No. 5 seed and beat the No. 12 seed Arkansas Razorbacks 80-66 yesterday in the second round.

What are three of the most important things to know about South Carolina?

Meechie Johnson can make things difficult for opponents

South Carolina's 6-foot-2 junior guard leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game. He also averages 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 40% from the field.

When Auburn played South Carolina in February, Johnson was the game's second-highest scorer with 22 points.

The Tigers will have their work cut out for them when it comes to keeping Johnson under control.

South Carolina's defense is one of the league's best

The Gamecocks hold opponents to 66.4 points per game on average which places them at the top of the SEC.

In the February meeting between the two teams, Auburn scored 101 points which was the most South Carolina has allowed all season.

Auburn needs to replicate what worked in the last meeting between the two teams.

South Carolina has been an up-and-down team

The Gamecocks have wins over some of the conference's best teams but have also fallen to some of the worst.

This includes a road win over the Tennessee Volunteers home losses to LSU and Georgia.

Consistency has been a struggle for South Carolina this season.

Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. The television broadcast can be found on ESPN, and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.