GAME NOTES: The sixth-seeded Ole Miss Rebels will begin play in the 2015 SEC Tournament on Thursday night, when they take on the 11th-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks at Bridgestone Arena.

The winner of this game will move into Friday's quarterfinal round against No. 3 seed Georgia.

Ole Miss squandered opportunities to finish higher in the standings. The Rebels dropped three of their last four games, including setbacks to squads like Georgia and LSU, which earned double-byes in this event. Andy Kennedy's squad returns to the site of its 2013 SEC Tournament title, their second SEC crown in school history.

South Carolina didn't have a real strong season in conference play this year (6-12), but the Gamecocks did win two of their last three games during the regular season to climb back to .500 overall. The team carried that momentum into the conference tournament with Wednesday's 63-54 victory over Missouri. South Carolina has never won this event and is 19-23 in this event all-time.

These two teams met once in the regular season, with Ole Miss routing South Carolina, 65-49 in Oxford on Jan. 10.

South Carolina had some problems offensively this season, ranking 10th in the conference in scoring at 65.4 ppg. The team didn't place anyone in the top-20 scorers in the SEC, although guard Duane Notice does come in at No. 21 (11.5 ppg). Also boasting of a double-figures scoring average in the regular season was Sindarius Thornwell (11.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Tyrone Johnson (10.1 ppg).

Thornwell led the way in the first-round win over Missouri, netting 18 points and doling out six assists. Michael Carrera added 12 points and six rebounds to the cause for South Carolina, which shot .457 from the field. Notice tacked out nine points and five assists in the win.

The Rebels aren't the most efficient squad around, shooting a rather pedestrian .430 from the floor this season, but they do put up a solid 73.1 ppg that keeps the team in most games.

Ole Miss does possess a top-of-the-line weapon in junior guard Stefan Moody. The 5-10 Moody finished sixth in the SEC in scoring this season at 16.6 ppg, thanks in part to his team-high 70 3-pointers. Moody was tabbed an All-SEC First-Team honoree by the league's coaches. Fellow guard Jarvis Summers (12.3 ppg) is a solid addition along the perimeter for Ole Miss, while 6-6 senior LaDarius White (11.0 ppg) is a valuable asset coming off the bench. Both Moody and Summers stepped up their play against conference foes, with Moody tying for the conference-lead in scoring (18.6 ppg in SEC games), while Summers topped the list in assists (5.3 apg in SEC games).

The Rebels could make a run in this event behind the play of Moody. With fresh legs, expect Ole Miss to knock off South Carolina here.