2013 SEC Tournament:**USC vs. Mississippi State GAME Thread**

[Cocklover]

South Carolina has earned the No. 12 seed and will face No. 13 seed Mississippi State in the opening round of the 2013 SEC Tournament, set to be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., March 13-17. The Gamecocks and Bulldogs are set for a 7:30 p.m. ET start time on Wednesday, with the contest to be televised on the SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) on the call. The Gamecocks and Bulldogs split the regular season series in 2013, with each team winning on its home court. Fans can also listen on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network via GamecocksOnline.com and on 107.5 The Game in Columbia with Andy Demetra (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (analyst).

OPENING TIP
Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Arena: Bridgestone Arena (18,160)
Series: Miss. State leads 17-9 (SC leads 2-1 in neutral site contests)
Last Meeting: South Carolina win, 79-72 on March 6, 2013 in Columbia, S.C.
Broadcast: SEC Network (check local listings)
Talent: Dave Neal (pxp), Jon Sundvold (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock IMG Radio Network
Sirius: 126; XM: 199
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)

Scouting Mississippi State
The Bulldogs enter Wednesday's contest having won two of their last three games, with the loss coming against South Carolina last week. Mississippi State battled Auburn into overtime, claiming a 74-71 win in the regular season finale to secure the 13th seed in the SEC Tournament. Freshman guard Craig Sword paces the team with 10.3 points per game and freshman forward Gavin Ware leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per outing. The Bulldogs have had to battle injuries all season, with the most recent setback to junior guard Jalen Steele who suffered a torn ACL in the contest at South Carolina last week. The squad is led by head coach Rick Ray in his first season.

http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sport...031213aah.html