South Carolina vs. Limestone preview: Game time, what to watch for, etc.

South Carolina will return to the action for the first time since losing to Clemson on December when it hosts Limestone on Wednesday.

This will be the final tune-up for the Gamecocks before opening up SEC play on Sunday at Ole Miss.

Meanwhile, Limestone comes into the game at 6-7 overall in Division II competition.

This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Game Details

Date: December 27, 2017

Location: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC

Time: 3 p.m. EST

TV: SEC Network+

What to Watch For

Obviously, this matchup shouldn’t provide much of a challenge for the Gamecocks.

The eight-day layoff could cause South Carolina to be a bit rusty in the early going, but that should wear off as the games progresses.

A game like this should allow Frank Martin to tweak some things in preparation for the trip to Oxford this weekend, and he’d probably like to see his offense find a rhythm against an inferior opponent.

The Gamecocks’s offensive numbers haven’t been great thus far, as they rank 233rd nationally in field-goal percentage (43.7 percent), 264th nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage (32.9 percent), and 301st nationally in free throw percentage (66.0 percent).

It’s also essential that South Carolina finds more offensive firepower beyond Chris Silva, who continues to lead the way with 13.5 points and eight rebounds per contest.

If players like Frank Booker, Justin Minaya, Maik Kotsar, and Hassani Gravett can continue to elevate their offensive game, it will bode well for the defensive-minded Gamecocks going forward.

There probably won’t be a lot of takeaways from a game like this one, but it’ll at least help South Carolina build confidence heading into SEC play.