FAYETTEVILLE -- A tough schedule, injuries and breaking in new players left South Carolina with a 5-7 record when the Gamecocks opened SEC play at Florida.
"It's hard to win games when you've got those three things in front of you," South Carolina Coach Frank Martin said. "Some time in early December we started getting a little healthier."
WHEN 2:30 p.m. Central, Saturday
RECORDS Arkansas 14-8, 5-4 SEC; South Carolina 11-11, 6-3
SERIES Arkansas leads 20-13.
Martin said being forced to play freshmen more minutes against opponents that included Virginia, Michigan and Clemson also helped them grow up quickly and made him have additional patience.