Alabama interim coach Philip Pearson hopes a week of self-help will pay off when the Crimson Tide returns home today against SEC East contender South Carolina.

“We were happy to have the midweek portion of this week off to regroup mentally and physically,” Pearson said. “I think South Carolina is playing about as well as anybody in the league right now. They’ve been impressive all year.”

First-year coach Darrin Horn’s Gamecocks are 17-5 overall, 6-3 in the SEC. They’ve already played at Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky. But Horn said he’s focused solely on Alabama (13-10, 3-6).

“It’s league play. Anything can happen,” Horn said. “We’re going to Alabama, whose overall record is not great. I think they’re as talented as anybody in our league in a lot of ways.”

The game tips off at 2 p.m. and will be televised by Raycom Sports (Channels 3 and 12 in Lee County).

Pearson said he expects outstanding freshman JaMychal Green, who suffered a hip pointer against LSU on Sunday, will play.

“He’s had treatment two or three times a day all week,” Pearson said. “He’s done some light running and stretching … Hopefully, he’ll be at or close to full speed.”

South Carolina, which also was off earlier this week, leads the SEC in offense, averaging 80.4 points per game. The Gamecocks average 46.3 percent shooting from the field and an SEC-leading 39.1 percent from 3-point range.

Devan Downey is Carolina’s best player. He averages 20 points and 4.4 assists per game. Pearson said he is a candidate for SEC Player of the Year.

“I would say that he, (Kentucky’s Jodie) Meeks and probably (Marcus) Thornton at LSU are probably the three toughest matchups from a perimeter standpoint,” Pearson said. “We’ve seen him on tape, and he’s so good with the basketball. He’s so fast, so quick. He can get in the paint. He can create baskets for other guys on the floor if you help.”

Zam Fredrick, another guard, averages 15.9 points per game. Inside, Dominique Archie and Mike Holmes both average more than 11 points per outing.

Horn said the Gamecocks expect a tough game in Tuscaloosa.

“This is an Alabama team that has played very well at home all year long and is extremely talented and capable of doing really good things in this league,” he said. “It’s going to be important for us when we go on the road to make sure that, collectively, we do a good job of defending, rebounding and taking care of the basketball. Those three things will give you an opportunity for success in league play.”

Alabama is led by senior swingman Alonzo Gee,  who averages team-best 14.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Pearson said Gee has shown leadership since the turmoil of Mark Gottfried’s forced resignation.

“You get into a practice early Wednesday,” Pearson said. “I thought the tempo needed to pick up a little bit. So I whispered to Alonzo, ‘Zo, we’ve got to pick it up,’ and boom, off we went. The practice, pretty quickly, kind of turned. When you’ve got experienced leaders, I think they can do that for you.”