Jan. 25, 2010

The Gamecock men’s basketball team (11-8, 2-3 SEC) is set to host No. 1 Kentucky (19-0, 4-0 SEC) at Colonial Life Arena for ESPN’s “Super Tuesday” matchup on Tuesday. The contest will tip at 9 p.m. with Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes and Jeannine Edwards on the call. Fans can also listen to Andy Demetra and Casey Manning on the Gamecock Radio Network across the state.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tipoff: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Kentucky leads, 41-9
Television: ESPN
Talent: Brad Nessler (pxp), Jimmy Dykes (analyst),
Jeannine Edwards (sideline)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pbp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Multimedia: ESPN360.com

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 102nd season of basketball.
– South Carolina is 0-7 all-time against schools ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The Gamecocks are 0-1 against Kentucky when the Wildcats are ranked No. 1. South Carolina is 0-1 in home games against No. 1s.
– The Gamecocks are 8-2 in games played at Colonial Life Arena this season – averaging 81.4 points per game in those contests. Senior point guard Devan Downey leads Carolina with 22.2 points per game in home contests this season.
– Carolina is 9-4 this season in games in which it scores at least 70 points.
– Downey recorded his 2,000th career point (including one-year total from Cincinnati) in South Carolina’s contest at Florida on Saturday. He has tallied 1,619 points as a Gamecock, which ranks fifth all-time in South Carolina history.
– South Carolina holds a +17.0 scoring margin in games it’s won this season.
– Tuesday’s contest vs. Kentucky marks the fifth of 10 for the Gamecocks on the ESPN family of networks during the 2009-10 regular season. South Carolina holds a 10-13 record in games played on the family of networks since the 2005-06 season.
– Devan Downey’s 3.2 steals per game lead the league and rank tied for first in the nation.
– South Carolina owns a 76-69 (.524) record all-time in SEC homes games.
– Darrin Horn led teams are 87-16 (.844) all-time in home games. South Carolina is 24-5 (.827) at Colonial Life Arena under Horn’s direction.
– In league play, Downey accounts for 46.6% (158/339) of South Carolina’s scoring.
– Freshman forward Lakeem Jackson paces Carolina in league play with 5.8 rebounds per contest.
– Downey (21.9 ppg) leads the team and the SEC in scoring in overall games this season. He has led or shared the team lead in scoring 15 times, including the last 11 games. He ranks ninth in the nation in points per game.
– Carolina’s 7.1 blocked shots per game rank third in the Southeastern Conference, behind Mississippi State’s 8.4 and Kentucky’s 7.3 per contest, and eighth in the nation (as of Jan. 25 NCAA stats). Junior forward Sam Muldrow paces the Gamecocks with 3.3 blocks per game, second in the SEC and eighth in the nation.
– The Gamecocks are in their 19th season of competition in the Southeastern Conference. Carolina owns a 118-175 (.403) all-time record in SEC play. The Gamecocks are 42-106 (.284) all-time in league road games.
– Darrin Horn-led teams are 69-30 (.696) all-time in league play. Horn led Carolina to a 10-6 record in SEC action during his first year in Columbia.
– The Gamecocks own a 395-337 (.539) all-time record in the month of January.

South Carolina vs. No. 1
– South Carolina is 0-7 all-time vs. teams ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. South Carolina has hosted a No. 1 team just once (vs. Michigan, 1977). Below is the game-by-game breakdown.

Feb. 22, 1957 – at North Carolina – L, 62-75
March 9, 1957 – vs. North Carolina – L, 75-95 (ACC Tourn.)
Dec. 14, 1957 – at North Carolina – L, 58-70
Jan. 2, 1977 – vs. Michigan – L, 86-90
Dec. 12, 1977 – at Kentucky – L, 65-84
Jan. 20, 1979 – at Notre Dame – L, 73-82
Nov. 20, 2001 – vs. Duke – L, 56-81 (at Maui Invite)

Star Watch
– Senior point guard Devan Downey continues to be the star on both ends of the court for South Carolina. Downey surpassed the 2,000-point plateau for his career (including one-year total from Cincinnati, 403) on Saturday at Florida, connecting on the third of three free throws with 16 seconds left on the clock in the opening half.
– Downey ranks among the top five in several categories in the Carolina record book, including scoring average (t-3rd, 19.7), steals (2nd, 252) and steal average (1st, 3.07). He surpassed the 1,500-point mark in the Garnet and Black vs. LSU, and is currently 126 points away from matching Jimmy Foster (1,745) for fourth in scoring all-time in Carolina history.
– Downey has registered double figures in 18 of 19 games this season and has topped the 20-point mark 10 times, including eight of the last nine games, and the 30-point mark four times this season, including three of the last five games.
– If Downey continues to register three steals per game, he will near the 100-steal mark for the second time in his career. Downey holds the SEC single-season record for steals with 103, which he set during the 2007-08 campaign. Downey is two steals shy of matching Tim Winn (St. Bonaventure, 319) for 21st all-time in NCAA history in career steals. – In his Carolina career, Downey has tallied at least 15 points and four steals 28 times, including seven times this season.
– Downey enters Tuesday’s game vs. Kentucky leading the SEC in scoring in overall games (21.9) and league games (31.6). Downey averages 12.3 points better than Georgia’s Trey Thompkins, who is second in scoring with 19.3 points per game in SEC action after pacing Georgia with 21 points in its victory over then-No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday.

By The Numbers
– 12 – Devan Downey recorded 12 of South Carolina’s 21 made baskets at Florida on Saturday. Sam Muldrow added three, while Brandis Raley-Ross, Stephen Spinella and Ramon Galloway each contributed two.
– 100 – Tuesday’s game vs. Kentucky will mark the 100th conference game that Darrin Horn has coached in his career.
– 0 – South Carolina failed to record a fast break point for just the second time this season (vs. Wofford) in its loss at Florida on Saturday. Carolina’s 24 fast break points vs. Jacksonville marked a season high. The Gamecocks average 10.2 fast break points per game.

Kentucky Series Information
– Kentucky holds a 41-9 advantage in the all-time series against South Carolina.
– South Carolina swept the season series vs. UK for just the second time (1997) last season under first-year head coach – and Lexington, Ky., native – Darrin Horn.
– Kentucky has won six of the last 10 meetings, including three of the last five in Columbia.