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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 this afternoon's game against South Carolina.

OFF THE BENCH: SEC freshman of the year candidate A.J. Lawson was injured in the Alabama game and won't play on Saturday. That means Felipe Haase is the only Gamecock who played more than two minutes and won't start. Frank Martin will certainly use one of his other guards in a reserve role, probably T.J. Moss. Wing Alanzo Frink could also see increased court time.

OFF THE BENCH: Your guess is really as good as ours. Reed Nikko will play some. How much depends on how many fouls Tilmon has. Either Mitchell Smith or K.J. Santos will get minutes at power forward. In the backcourt, you should see Xavier Pinson, although he played just nine minutes at Mississippi State and didn't see the floor in the second half. Ronnie Suggs and Torrence Watson will contribute as well. These are the five reserves, but which ones play more seems to vary greatly night to night.

TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m. Central

TELEVISION: SEC Network/WatchESPN

RADIO: The game will be broadcast on the Tiger Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, click here.

1. Big men play to a draw. This is a different way of saying keep Jeremiah Tilmon on the floor. Tilmon played 27 minutes or more in seven straight games, but has relapsed badly into foul trouble. The Gamecocks bring Chris Silva to town, who is one of the best big men in the league. Tilmon doesn't have to outplay him, but he's got to at least hold his own. WIth Mike Kotsar and Felipe Haase, Frank Martin has plenty of size down low.

2. Avoid the droughts. In pretty much every game, Missouri goes through a five or ten minute stretch in which it's just not good. The Tigers don't have enough talent to overcome that against anybody in the league outside of Georgia and Vanderbilt. Mizzou might not need 40 good minutes against the Gamecocks, but it will probably need close to that.

3. Get to the line. Missouri is shooting fewer free throws than any other team in the SEC and it's not all that close. Do they get some poor whistles? Sure. But a season-long trend can't be explained away by the officials simply not liking Missouri in every game. The Tigers have to get the ball into the paint and pressure the opposing defense to put them on the free throw line. And then the Tigers have to make them.

There's been a certain Groundhog Day element to Missouri's second half so far. The Tigers take a lead into the second half, often one that is double digits. They then manage to cough up that lead, fight back to make it interesting and run out of gas in the final five minutes. We think the first 30 minutes of this one follows the script. Mizzou jumps out to a lead, then lets South Carolina back into it. But based on nothing more than a hunch, we think this is a day the Tigers manage to find enough late to hang on.

PREDICTION: Missouri 71, South Carolina 67

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jeremiah Tilmon rises to the occasion in a physical game to get 17 points and eight rebounds, while committing only four fouls.