Starting Five: Mizzou at South Carolina

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Prior to each Mizzou hoops game this season, we will get Tiger fans set with The Starting Five. In this feature, we'll give you the anticipated starting lineups for each team, break down keys to a Missouri win and offer up a prediction.

Here is the breakdown of today's game against South Carolina.

OFF THE BENCH: The Tigers will bring Torrence Watson and Xavier Pinson off the bench in the backcourt. Pinson is coming off a career-high and team-leading 14 points against Tennessee and is settling in. Watson has struggled offensively as a freshman but can be a dangerous shooter. Inside, K.J. Santos is getting more and more minutes and Reed Nikko is the first true big man off the bench. These are the only Tigers playing significant minutes right now.

OFF THE BENCH: Frank Martin goes mostly with a seven-man rotation. Only that many Gamecocks played as many as five minutes in an overtime win against Mississippi State. Senior Hassani Gravett is the main reserve in the backcourt. He actually is third on the team in minutes and is shooting 40% from three-point range. Inside, Felipe Haase brings bulk off the bench averaging six points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Location: Colonial Life Arena

Tipoff: 12 p.m.

TV Info: SEC Network

Radio: Tiger Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, click here.

1. Keep Tilmon on the floor. Missouri's sophomore big man had two fouls in 2:15 and sat the rest of the first half against Tennessee. The Tigers got eaten alive inside. Right now, they just aren't equipped to win SEC games if Tilmon isn't playing a big role. The interior depth isn't there. Silva is capable of getting him in trouble early. Silva draws 7.5 fouls per 40 minutes, which ranks 25th in the country. The Gamecocks start two players 6-9 or bigger and bring another one off the bench. Missouri is going to be challenged to keep pace in the paint.

2. Shoot the ---- out of the ball. Because of the decided disadvantage inside, the Tigers are going to have to make up for it by shooting well. They've done that most of this year, ranking 23rd in the country at 39.1% from three-point range. It's going to take that and maybe more on Saturday for the Tigers to compete. They don't have to necessarily take 25 threes (but they probably will). It's more important that they take good shots and make a good percentage of them.

3. Avoid the usual scoring drought. The last six minutes of the first half have been terrible for Missouri this season. The Tigers didn't make a field goal for the last 7:02 of the first half against Tennessee and saw a nine-point lead turn into an 11-point deficit at the break. All teams go through droughts, but rarely do they seem to happen at the same time to a team. The last few minutes of the first half have sunk the Tigers a number of times this season. Even when Mizzou starts well, it has seemed to lose a lot of the momentum it builds early. The Tigers need to make sure that doesn't happen.

A week ago, this game looked like one that Missouri not only could, but should, win. And while the Gamecocks are still just 7-7 and 105th on KenPom, they've won at Florida and at home against Mississippi State in the last seven days. This could come down to whose style wins out. Missouri is one of the slowest teams in the country, ranking 322nd in adjusted tempo. South Carolina ranks 21st. Like many games, if this one gets into the 70s, Missouri's chances go way down. A major factor in that could be the free throw line. Mizzou ranks 217th in both free throws/field goal attempted and free throw percentage. South Carolina isn't great, but it's better in both categories. Expect South Carolina to go at Tilmon early and often in an attempt to get him off the court. And we expect it to work.

Prediction: South Carolina 75, Missouri 65

Player of the Game: For Missouri, we see Javon Pickett having a nice day with 12 points and 7 rebounds, but the Tigers don't have enough to avoid an 0-2 start.