Commodores host South Carolina in Regular Season Finale at Memorial Gym

Vanderbilt and South Carolina close out their regular seasons today with an 11:30 AM tipoff at Memorial Gym.

The Vanderbilt Commodores and South Carolina Gamecocks will conclude their regular seasons this morning when they face off in an early start (11:30 AM) at Memorial Gym.

Both teams enter the final game off wins as Vanderbilt knocked off Alabama on the road and Carolina defeated Mississippi State at home earlier this week. 

At 18-12 overall, and 10-7 in conference play, the Gamecocks of head coach Frank Martin have a lot to play for with the possibility of improving their seeding for next week's SEC Tournament and a potential NCAA Tournament bid still in the balance. 

The Commodores, despite their win in Tuscaloosa Tuesday, have only the hope winning the SEC Tournament to make it to the Big Dance, but as we witnessed against Alabama,  this scrappy bunch has not quit and are capable of knocking off Carolina today.

The Gamecocks, like most of the SEC, are a team capable of knocking off the top and losing to the bottom of the league on any given game day. Earlier this season they defeated Kentucky in Columbia and then just last Saturday lost to Alabama in Tuscaloosa.   

Averaging 73.4 ppg offensively, the Gamecocks can score the basketball, but they also allow opponents to do the same by allowing 69.1 ppg surrendered. Still, they've managed to win more than they have lost but they have played some close games along the way and managed to avoid a worse record. 

Guards AJ Lawson (13.6 ppg) and Jermaine Couisnard (12.1 ppg) along with forward Maik Kotsar (11.1 ppg) lead the Gamecocks in scoring and are three of the top four in minutes played per game on the season.

Couisnard is the team leader in assists, dealing out 3.2 per game while Kotsar leads in rebounding. steals and blocked shots for Martin's squad. 

Martin has a deep bench at his disposal, having used eleven players who are averaging more than ten minutes per game and all having played in 25 or more of the Gamecocks games this season. 

The Commodores are no stranger to being outmanned, as that has been the case the majority of the season, and throughout conference play as injuries have decimated their roster. Yet they managed to find their second conference win of the season on the road this week against a team that one week ago defeated this South Carolina squad. 

That fact alone should have Carolina's attention today, and it will take another outstanding team effort if the Commodores are to punch a hole in Carolina's postseason dreams as they did to Alabama on Tuesday. 

The good news is that with the early start time, we won't have to wait long to find out if the Commodores can get it done.