Jan. 4, 2010

The Gamecock men’s basketball team (8-5) will entertain Longwood (3-12) in its final non-conference contest of the regular season on Tuesday at Colonial Life Arena. The contest will tip at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports Carolinas with Dave Neal and Eddie Fogler 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 5, 2010
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: First Meeting
Television: FOX Sports Carolinas
(Ch. 31 Time Warner – Columbia)
Talent: Dave Neal (pxp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pbp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: Tickets are available via the Gamecock Ticket Office. (1-800-4SC-FANS).

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 102nd season of basketball.
– Gamecock senior forward Dominique Archie will undergo season-ending knee surgery on his right knee. He suffered the injury in the championship game of the Charleston Classic vs. Miami on Nov. 22.
– South Carolina is 7-3 this season in games in which it scores at least 70 points.
– The Gamecocks are 6-1 in games played at Colonial Life Arena this season – averaging 82.9 points per game in those contests. South Carolina was 8-0 in games played at home to start the 2008-09 season.
– Darrin Horn led teams are 85-15 (.850) all-time in home games. South Carolina is 22-4 at Colonial Life Arena under Horn’s direction.
– Downey (18.5 ppg, 2nd) leads the team and ranks among the top three scorers in the SEC. He has led, or shared the team lead, in scoring nine times this season, including the last five games. Downey’s 29 points vs. Boston College and 20 points vs. Baylor led the Gamecocks.
– Carolina’s 8.2 blocked shots per game rank second in the Southeastern Conference behind Mississippi State’s 8.4 per contest and fourth in the nation. Junior center Sam Muldrow paces the Gamecocks with 3.5 blocks per game, second in the SEC and ninth in the nation.
– Devan Downey’s 3.0 steals per game rank tied for third in the nation.
– The Gamecocks own a 392-334 (.540) all-time record in the month of January. Darrin Horn led South Carolina to a 7-2 record during the first month of the year in 2009, including notable wins over then-No. 19 Baylor and then-No. 24 Kentucky – both road victories.

Non-Conference Breakdown
– Tuesday’s contest marks the final regular-season non-conference game for South Carolina.
– Darrin Horn led teams are 73-36 (.669) all-time in non-conference play.
– Horn has directed South Carolina to a 19-9 (.678) non-conference mark in his one-plus seasons at Carolina.
– South Carolina is 15-2 (.882) in non-conference home games under Horn.

By The Numbers
– 19 – Lakeem Jackson tallied a career-high 19 points in South Carolina’s contest vs. Baylor. Jackson also dished two assists, blocked three shots and swiped a career-best six steals. Jackson averaged 4.3 points per game in the first six games of the season, but has found his offensive rhthym of late, averaging 9.9 points per game the last seven games.
– 6 – South Carolina committed a season-low six turnovers in its contest vs. Baylor. It marked the lowest turnover total for the Gamecocks since having a 2008-09 season low of five turnovers vs. Mississippi State on March 13 competing in the SEC Tournament in Tampa.
– +5.2 – The Gamecocks’ +5.2 turnover margin ranks second in the SEC and tied for eighth in the nation.

Longwood Series Information
– Tuesday’s contest marks the first meeting between South Carolina and Longwood.

Scouting Longwood
– Longwood enters Tuesday’s contest with a 3-12 record, having lost its last three games. The Lancers most recent loss came in a 95-80 decision on the road at Colgate. Longwood began the season on an eight game losing streak before defeating Florida Gulf Coast 82-75 on Dec. 5.
– Longwood suffered a 65-52 loss at Richmond – its only common opponent with South Carolina to date.
– The Lancers are led by senior guard Dana Smith with 15.9 points per game. Sophomore center Antwan Carter adds 14.7 points and a team-high 7.1 boards per game.
– The Lancers are 0-7 on the road this season.

Baylor Contest Notables
– After Baylor’s win at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday, the away team has won each of the four matchups in the all-time series between BU and South Carolina.
– South Carolina attempted a season-high and Colonial Life Arena record 83 shots in the contest. The most since Carolina attempted 85 shots against Tennessee on Feb. 10, 1993. It was also the highest field goals attempted total by any team in the SEC this season.
– Downey led Carolina with 20 points. It was the second time this season he has recorded back-to-back games with 20 or more points (20 vs. Miami, 34 vs. Jacksonville).
– Junior forward Johndre Jefferson earned his first-career start vs. Baylor. He finished the contest with three points and a team-best four blocks – one block shy of matching his season high.
– Freshman forward Lakeem Jackson posted season-highs with 19 points – the most by a freshman in a game since Evka Baniulis recorded what still stands as his career high with 21 points vs. Auburn on Jan. 31, 2007 – and six steals, the most by a Gamecock player other than Devan Downey since Dominique Archie collected five, also against Auburn on Jan. 31, 2007.

Up Next For South Carolina
– The Gamecocks begin SEC play when they travel to Auburn on Saturday.
– Auburn holds a 17-13 upperhand in the all-time series with South Carolina, including a 6-3 advantage in games played in Auburn.
– South Carolina has won two straight, and three of the last four in the series. The Gamecocks earned a 69-63 win over the Tigers in their last trip to Beard-Eves Memorial Coliseum.
– Auburn (8-6) – winners of three straight – will host West Georgia on Tuesday evening.