South Carolina and Ole Miss will square off in the second game of the 2011 SEC Basketball Tournament. Tip off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
South Carolina is the fifth seed from the SEC East but did defeat the third seeded Rebels in their only meeting this season. The Gamecocks broke a five game losing streak by defeating Ole Miss 79-73 in Columbia behind 23 points from Sam Muldrow. That victory was South Carolina's only win in its last nine games of the regular season.
Ole Miss enters the tournament with a 19-12 overall record and fresh off of a 84-74 victory over Arkansas in its regular season finale. The Rebels are led by one of the SEC's top scorers in senior guard Chris Warren whose 18.9 points per game average ranks him second in the conference.
South Carolina finished a disappointing 14-15 on the season and just 5-11 in conference play. Of the Gamecocks five conference victories, two came at the expense of SEC East heavyweights Florida and Vanderbilt. So South Carolina is capable of pulling the upset behind the stellar play of freshman guard Bruce Ellington how averages 13 points and 3.2 assists per game.
The winner of this game will be rewarded with a match-up against the East's No. 2 seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the second round.