Jan. 1, 2010

The Gamecock men’s basketball team (8-4) opens up the 2010 calendar year hosting the Baylor Bears (10-1) at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday. The contest will tip at Noon ET and will be broadcast on FOX Sports Carolinas with Tom Werme and Eddie Fogler on the call. Fans can also listen to the contest via the Gamecock Radio Network with Andy Demetra and Casey Manning.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2010
Tipoff: 12 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: South Carolina leads 2-1
Television: FOX Sports Carolinas
Talent: Tom Werme (pbp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Talent: Andy Demetra (pbp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: Tickets are available via the Gamecock Ticket Office.

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 7-2 this season in games in which it scores at least 70 points.
– The Gamecocks are 6-0 in games played at Colonial Life Arena this season – averaging 84.3 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 85-14 (.859) all-time in home games. South Carolina is 22-3 at Colonial Life Arena under Horn’s direction.
– Downey (18.4 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 eight times this season, including the last four games. Downey’s 29 points vs. Boston College led the Gamecocks.
– Carolina’s 8.3 blocked shots per game rank second in the Southeastern Conference behind Mississippi State’s 8.7 per contest. Junior center Sam Muldrow paces the Gamecocks with 3.7 blocks per game, second in the SEC.
– The Gamecocks own a 392-333 (.541) 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.
– South Carolina is 9-10 all-time against current schools in the Big 12. Carolina’s last victory over an opponent from the league came in last year’s upset of then-No. 19 Baylor on the road in Waco. The last Gamecock loss to a Big 12 foe also came against the Bears during the 2007-08 campaign when Baylor earned a 92-84 win at Colonial Life Arena.
– Darrin Horn is 2-1 all-time against the Big 12.

By The Numbers
– 8 – Sam Muldrow blocked a career-high eight shots against Boston College on Wednesday. It marked the most blocks in a game by a Carolina player since Brandon Wallace blocked eight against the College of Charleston on Dec. 5, 2006 – a span of 98 games. Muldrow surpassed his previous career high of seven blocks, which he collected against Kentucky on Feb. 25, 2009. He led South Carolina to a school record 16 blocks in the contest vs. the Wildcats – the second Carolina win over UK last season.
– 11 – Devan Downey has collected a combined 11 steals in his last two contests – 7 vs. Furman and 4 vs. Boston College. He’s also averaging 22.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists in his last two outings.
– 1 – Boston College collected just one steal against South Carolina – a season low for Gamecock opponents.
– 47.8 – this season South Carolina has proven to be a better second-half team in terms of shooting. Hitting 47.8 percent (180-376) of their second-half attempts compared to 41.2 percent (159-386) of their first half attempts. This held true for Carolina vs. Boston College – the Gamecocks were 12-of-33 (36.4%) in the opening half compared to 19-of-37 (51.4%) in the second half.

Baylor Series Information
– South Carolina holds a 2-1 upperhand in the all-time series vs. the Bears.
– Carolina collected an 85-84 upset win over then-No. 19 Baylor on Jan. 2, 2009. Senior guard Zam Fredrick’s lay-up with just over five seconds remaining in the game proved the game-winning basket in the one-point Carolina win.
– The win marked the first Gamecock road win over a ranked non-conference opponent since a 97-83 road victory over then-No. 8 Cincinnati at the Shoemaker Center on Feb. 15, 1997.
– Gamecock fans will remember the 2008 matchup between the two squads in Columbia. South Carolina held a 20-point lead, but Baylor finished the opening half on a 16-2 run before opening the final 20 minutes of play on a 19-3 run to put the game out of reach for Carolina. South Carolina won three straight after the loss.

Scouting Baylor
– Baylor is off to a 10-1 start, having most recently defeated Arkansas on Wednesday night. LaceDarius Dunn led the Bears with 19 points, but the story of the night was Ekpe Udoh’s 15 rebounds, including six offensive.
– Baylor’s lone loss this season came against Alabama in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic on Nov. 26. The Bears have won six straight entering Saturday’s matchup with South Carolina.
– LaceDarius Dunn leads three in double figures with 17.5 points per game. Tweety Carter – who scored 18 vs. the Gamecocks in Waco last season – adds 16.4 per game and Ekpe Udoh contibutes 14.0 points to go along with his team-best 10.3 boards per game. Udoh has six double-doubles this season.
– Baylor out-scores its opponents by 18.7 points per game (4th in the Big 12), and also holds a Big 12-leading +11.4 advantage on the boards.

Boston College Recap
– Devan Downey set a Conte Forum record with his 28 shots attempts in the contest. It also marked Downey’s career high for attempts in a game, surpassing his 27 attempts at Vanderbilt last season.
– Lakeem Jackson and Sam Muldrow each pulled down a team-best seven rebounds in the contest. A South Carolina player has not collected double-figure rebounds since Jackson tallied 10 against Western Kentucky on Dec. 2.
– Carolina blocked 10 shots in the contest, marking the fourth time this season the team has tallied 10 blocks or more. The Gamecocks posted 10 or more blocks just twice last season – vs. Kentucky (16) and Tennessee (10).
– BC’s 17 assists were the most by a South Carolina opponent this season.