Dec. 18, 2009

The Gamecock men’s basketball team (7-2) travels to Spartanburg, S.C. to face Wofford (5-6) in a non-conference matchup at Benjamin Johnson Arena on Saturday. The contest will tip at 7 p.m. and will be televised on SportSouth with Tom Werme (play-by-play) and Eddie Fogler (analyst) 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

South Carolina Game Notes

Date: Saturday, December 19, 2009
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Location: Spartanburg, S.C.
Arena: Benjamin Johnson Arena (3,500)
Series: South Carolina leads 41-18
Television: SportSouth
Talent: Tom Werme (pbp), Eddie Fogler (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.
– Carolina most recently defeated Richmond 76-58 following a 10-day break for exams. Carolina struggled in the first half against the Spiders – posting a season-low 24 points in the set – but, led by Devan Downey’s 13 second-half points, the Gamecocks scored 52 in the final half of play to put the game out of reach for Richmond.
– Saturday’s game at Wofford marks Carolina’s second true road contest of the season. The Gamecocks suffered a 72-61 loss at Clemson in the previous road matchup.
– South Carolina is 6-1 this season in games in which it scores at least 70 points.
– The Gamecocks are 5-0 in games played at Colonial Life Arena this season – averaging 85.0 points per game in those contests. South Carolina was 8-0 in games played at home to start the 2008-09 season.
– Downey (17.7 ppg, 4th) leads the team and ranks among the top five scorers in the SEC. Downey led Carolina with 18 points against Richmond.
– Carolina’s 7.8 blocked shots per game rank third in the Southeastern Conference. Junior center Sam Muldrow paces the Gamecocks with 3.3 blocks per game, second in the SEC and eighth in the nation.
– Junior forward Johndre Jefferson netted his first career double-figure point effort with 12 against Richmond. Jefferson also pulled down a season-best eight rebounds. Gamecock head coach Darrin Horn called his performance “bordering on the perfect game.” He also blocked three shots and collected two steals.
– Two active Gamecocks average double figures entering Wednesday’s contest, Devan Downey (17.7) and Brandis Raley-Ross (11.9). Injured forwards Dominique Archie (14.4) and Mike Holmes (11.7) also average double-figures in games they’ve played this season.
– South Carolina is 273-261 (.511) all-time in the month of December, including a 7-2 record under head coach Darrin Horn.
– South Carolina owns a 279-126 (.689) all-time record against current schools in the Southern Conference. Carolina’s last loss to a SoCon opponent came in a 70-63 decision to Davidson in the opening round of the NIT last March. The Gamecocks’ 78-61 win over Wofford (Jan. 5, 2009) marks their last win over an opponent from the league.
– Darrin Horn is 3-2 all-time vs. Southern Conference opponents.

By The Numbers
– 200 – Carolina’s game at Wofford marks the 200th of Darrin Horn’s coaching career.
– 13 – The number of fast break points Carolina tallied in its win over Richmond. This is notable due to the fact that the Spiders had allowed just 10 fast break points ALL SEASON entering the matchup vs. South Carolina.
– 45 – Carolina’s total rebounds vs. Richmond – 24 of which were on the offensive glass, eclipsing the previous season high of 19 against USF. The 24 offensive boards were the most for Carolina since collecting 23 in an 86-63 win over Winthrop on Nov. 16, 2008.
– 30 – the number of blocked shots that Sam Muldrow has through just nine games this season. Muldrow needs just four more blocks to surpass his total from a year ago, and just eight more blocks to surpass Dominique Archie and Mike Holmes’ team-leading total of 37 from last season. Muldrow is currently on pace to block nearly 100 shots this season. Danny Traylor holds the Gamecock record for most blocked shots in a season when he blocked 122 during the 1971-72 campaign.

Richmond Notables
– South Carolina took a 9-8 lead in the all-time series against Richmond with its 76-58 win.
– Johndre Jefferson picked up his first career double-figure scoring game. Three of South Carolina’s newcomers this season (Jackson, Galloway, Jefferson) have reached double figures at least once.
– Carolina’s 80% (12-15) shooting from the foul line was its top performance of the season when attempting at least 15 foul shots.
– Austin Steed’s matched his season high with six points, while his six rebounds were a season high. He averages 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest.

Muldrow’s Double-Double Quest
– Junior forward Sam Muldrow is still in search of his first career double-double. Muldrow has finished three of the last four games (Jacksonville, WKU, Richmond) with eight rebounds. In fact, he collected his eighth rebound vs. the Spiders with 15:22 remaining in the contest but was unable to reach double digits on the boards down the stretch. In his career, Muldrow has collected two games with double-digit rebounds – they just haven’t matched his eight career double-digit scoring games.

Downey Named Cousy Award Candidate
– The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., announced this week the candidates for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford Financial Services. The annual award, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes college basketball’s top point guard. 72 candidates have been nominated for the 2010 award, including South Carolina senior point guard Devan Downey. He was also named a candidate for the Cousy Award during the 2007-08 season.