Arkansas, S. Carolina meet in SEC tourney

No. 11 seed Arkansas (20-12, 8-11) vs. No. 6 seed South Carolina (18-13, 10-8)

Southeastern Conference Tourney Second Round, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee; Thursday, 8:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Arkansas is set to match up against South Carolina in the second round of the SEC tournament. The only meeting between the teams this season came on Jan. 29, when the Gamecocks shot 50.9 percent from the field while holding Arkansas’s shooters to just 40.7 percent en route to a two-point victory.

TEAM LEADERSHIP: The prolific Mason Jones is averaging 21.3 points and 5.3 rebounds to lead the way for the Razorbacks. Jimmy Whitt Jr. is also a key contributor, accounting for 14 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Gamecocks have been led by Maik Kotsar, who is averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds.

SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Jones has either made or assisted on 47 percent of all Arkansas field goals over the last five games. Jones has accounted for 43 field goals and 18 assists in those games.

UNDEFEATED WHEN: Arkansas is a perfect 16-0 when it holds an opponent to 72 points or fewer. The Razorbacks are 4-12 when opponents score more than 72.

ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Razorbacks have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Gamecocks. South Carolina has an assist on 44 of 91 field goals (48.4 percent) across its previous three outings while Arkansas has assists on 44 of 75 field goals (58.7 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Arkansas has attempted the sixth-most free throws in all of Division I. The Razorbacks have averaged 24.3 free throws per game, including 26.9 per game against conference foes.