South Carolina (6-7, 1-0 SEC) vs. No. 14 Mississippi State (12-1)

Start time: 9 p.m.

TV: ESPNU

Live stream: watchespn.com

Last game

The Gamecocks kept the good vibes rolling in 2019 with a stunning last-second road upset of Florida, when Chris Silva’s dunk capped an improbable comeback from a deficit as large as 14 points. Hassani Gravett continued his strong play off the bench with a team-leading 22 points to go with Silva’s 18, and Keyshawn Bryant — who made some of the biggest plays of his young career so far against the Gators — finished with eight.

What to watch for

The fourteenth-ranked Bulldogs with a sterling 12-1 record look to be among the SEC’s best so far, and are opening league play tonight against the Gamecocks. In their nonconference slate, Mississippi State notched a couple solid wins against teams like Clemson and Cincinnati, and the Bulldogs boast five players averaging double figures: Quinndary Weatherspoon (17.2 points, and thank God this dude is finally a senior), Lamar Peters (13.2), Aric Holman (12.5), Tyson Carter (10.5), and Nick Weatherspoon (10.1). This will be another tough test for the Gamecocks, but hopefully their recent momentum and home court advantage can give them a boost.