Dec. 29, 2009

The Gamecock men’s basketball team (8-3) returns from the holiday break on Wednesday, traveling to face Boston College (8-4) in a non-conference matchup at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The contest will tip at 9 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU with Bob Picozzi, Mark Gottfried and Andy Katz on the call. Fans can also listen to Andy Demetra (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (analyst) on the Gamecock Radio Network across the state.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tipoff: 9 p.m.
Location: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Arena: Silvio O. Conte Forum (8,606)
Series: South Carolina leads 1-0
Television: ESPNU
Talent: Bob Picozzi (pbp), Mark Gottfried (analyst), Andy Katz (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Talent: Andy Demetra (pbp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 102nd season of basketball.
– Wednesday’s contest at Boston College marks the third of 10 for the Gamecocks on the ESPN family of networks during the regular season of 2009-10. South Carolina holds a 10-11 record in games played on the family of networks since the 2005-06 season.
– Carolina’s trip to Boston College marks its third contest against an ACC opponent this season, marking the most SEC vs. ACC matchups in a single season for Carolina since the Gamecocks also faced three squads from the league during the 2004-05 campaign (Clemson, Miami, Maryland).
– The Gamecocks travel to BC in search of their first road victory of the season after falling at Clemson (61-72) and at Wofford (61-68).
– 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 7-1 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.
– Downey (17.5 ppg, 4th) leads the team and ranks among the top five scorers in the SEC. He has led, or shared the team lead, in scoring seven times this season, including the last three games. Downey’s 34 points vs. Jacksonville (11/27) marked his season high.
– Carolina’s 8.1 blocked shots per game rank second in the Southeastern Conference behind Mississippi State’s 8.4 per contest. Junior center Sam Muldrow paces the Gamecocks with 3.3 blocks per game, second in the SEC and 11th in the nation.
– South Carolina is 274-262 (.511) all-time in the month of December, including an 8-3 record under head coach Darrin Horn.
– South Carolina is 280-400 (.411) all-time against current schools in the ACC. The last Gamecock victory over an ACC opponent came in a 69-68 overtime win over Florida State in the Postseason NIT during the 2005-06 campaign. South Carolina suffered an 85-70 loss to ACC foe Miami in the final of the Charleston Classic earlier this season, and also suffered a 72-61 loss to intrastate rival Clemson in early December.

By The Numbers
– 7 – the number of steals Devan Downey collected in Carolina’s victory over Furman. The mark matched his career high, which he has reached five times – most recently before the contest vs. Furman in the Gamecocks’ win over NC Central on Dec. 16, 2008.
– 15 – freshman forward Lakeem Jackson and freshman guard Ramon Galloway each registered season-highs with 15 points in the win over Furman. It marked Jackson’s second double-figure scoring game and Galloway’s sixth. The duo combine to average 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
– 10 – all 10 available Gamecocks registered at least two points in South Carolina’s victory over Furman. Senior guard Robert Wilder, a former walk-on, registered his first two points of the season.
– 36 – Sam Muldrow’s block total this season – which is just one less than the combined block total for ALL of South Carolina’s opponents.

Boston College Series Information
– Wednesday’s contest marks the first in a home-and-home series between South Carolina and BC.
– South Carolina owns a 1-0 upperhand in the all-time series with BC. The only previous meeting between the two schools came in an 86-64 Gamecock win on Dec. 28, 1971, competing at the Quaker Classic in Philadelphia, Pa. Danny Traylor led the Gamecocks with 22 points in the win.

Scouting Boston College
– Boston College enters Wednesday’s matchup with an 8-4 overall record on the year. The Eagles most recently defeated Massachusetts 79-67 on Dec. 23. Corey Raji and Joe Trapani led BC with 18 points apiece in the contest.
– Raji paces the Eagle offense with 15.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Trapani adds 15.3 points and Reggie Jackson contributes 13.8 per game.
– BC out-rebounds its opponents by an impressive +9.0 margin – second in the ACC to Wake Forest’s +9.3 rebounding mark.
– The Eagles most notable wins this season came at Michigan (62-58) and at home vs. Miami (61-60) – the only common opponent thus far between BC and South Carolina.