Dec. 15, 2009

The Gamecock men’s basketball team (6-2) returns to the court on Wednesday to host the visiting Richmond Spiders (7-2) following a 10-day break from game action for exams. The contest will tip at 7 p.m. and will be televised on SportSouth with Dave Neal (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

Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Tied 8-8
Television: SportSouth
Talent: Dave Neal (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.
– The Gamecocks return to the court after a 10-day break due to final exams on the Columbia campus. Carolina dropped a 72-61 decision to No. 18/19 Clemson in its last contest before the break.
– For the first time in his career, senior guard Brandis Raley-Ross led Carolina in both scoring (16) and rebounds (8) when he did so against Clemson on Dec. 6. Raley-Ross’ eight boards was his highest total since also collecting eight against Presbyterian on Dec. 23, 2008.
– Senior guard Devan Downey (17.6 ppg, 4th) leads the team and ranks among the top five scorers in the SEC. Downey snapped a string of 24 straight games with double-figure scoring when he posted eight points in the loss at Clemson. It was the first non-conference contest of Downey’s Carolina career in which he did not post double figures.
– In the contest at Clemson, two freshmen – Lakeem Jackson (10) and Ramon Galloway (11) – registered double figures in the same game for the first time since Dominique Archie (11) and Brandis Raley-Ross (12) did so against Tennessee on Feb. 17, 2007.
– Freshman forward Lakeem Jackson pulled down a season-best 10 rebounds vs. Western Kentucky on Dec. 2, the first rookie to collect double-figure boards since Mike Holmes collected 11 vs. Tennessee on March 14, 2008. Jackson posted his first career double-figure scoring game with 10 points at Clemson.
– Carolina’s 7.4 blocked shots per game rank third in the Southeastern Conference. Junior center Sam Muldrow paces the Gamecocks with 3.4 blocks per game, second in the SEC and eighth in the nation.
– Two active Gamecocks average double-figures entering Wednesday’s contest, Devan Downey (17.6) and Brandis Raley-Ross (12.3). 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 272-261 (.510) all-time in the month of December, including a 6-2 record under head coach Darrin Horn.
– South Carolina is 53-33 (.616) all-time versus current schools in the Atlantic 10. South Carolina’s last win over an A-10 opponent came in a 78-68 victory over La Salle in the opening round of the Charleston Classic last month. Carolina’s last loss to a member of the league came in a 63-50 decision to Temple on Dec. 22, 2005.

By The Numbers
– 5 – the number of steals Devan Downey collected against Clemson on Dec. 6. Despite not scoring double figures for the first time this season, Downey earned a season-best five steals – the most for the fifth-year senior since also collecting five in Carolina’s 77-59 win over Kentucky on Feb. 25, 2009.
– 4 – the number of times that Brandis Raley-Ross has led the team in scoring during his Gamecock career. Raley-Ross led four Gamecocks in double figures, posting a team-best 16 points in the loss at Clemson.
– 2 – the number of games until South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn coaches in his 200th career game as a college head coach.
– +5.4 – South Carolina’s turnover margin, which ranks second in the SEC and 13th in the nation. Gamecock opponents commit an average of 19.9 turnovers per contest.

Clemson Notables
– South Carolina matched its season-low with just 10 turnovers against Clemson. On the flip side, Carolina swiped 14 steals – a season-best – led by Devan Downey with five, followed by Lakeem Jackson with four – both season-highs.
– Senior guard Brandis Raley-Ross hit four 3s in the contest. It marked the second time this season and the fifth time in his career he has hit four in a game.
– The win was Clemson’s sixth-straight over Carolina.

Series Information
– The all-time series between South Carolina and Richmond is tied at 8-8, while Carolina holds a 4-1 edge in games played in Columbia.
– South Carolina won the most recent meeting between the two schools, a neutral site contest, 67-61 during the 2003 campaign. Richmond had won the previous three and four out of the previous five.
– Despite a 24-point effort from BJ McKie, Richmond collected a 62-61 upset victory over South Carolina, a No. 3 seed in the East Region, in the opening round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. The score stood at 62-61 for the final 1:17 of the contest. Richmond missed a shot with 10 seconds left, setting up the final play for the Gamecocks, but Carolina failed to connect and fell victim to a first-round upset for the second-consecutive postseason.
– The meeting in Columbia on Wednesday marks the first since Jan. 3, 1983, a 73-72 South Carolina win.

Scouting Richmond
– Following its 65-57 loss to cross-town rival VCU on Saturday, Richmond enters Wednesday’s matchup vs. South Carolina with a 7-2 overall record.
– The loss to VCU snapped a five-game Spider win streak, which included quality victories over Mississippi State, Missouri and Old Dominion.
– Richmond, picked third in the A-10 preseason poll, returns four starters from its 20-win, College Basketball Invitational squad from a year ago.
– Junior point guard Kevin Anderson was named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First-Team, while senior guard David Gonzalvez was named to the Second-Team and junior center Dan Geriot was picked on the Third-Team.
– Anderson paces the squad with 17.3 points per game, while Gonzalvez adds 13.3 per contest. Geriot pulls down a team-best 6.4 boards per outing.

Up Next For Carolina
– Carolina travels to face Southern Conference foe Wofford on Saturday in Spartanburg.
– South Carolina has won 23 straight against the Terriers, including a 78-61 win on Jan. 5, 2009, at Colonial Life Arena.
– Wofford, currently 5-6 on the year, nearly defeated Pitt in its opening game of the year, only to follow with an impressive 60-57 win at Georgia. Wofford most recently defeated Navy 73-62.
– Noah Dahlman, the only Terrier to average double figures at 18.3 per game, has led the team in points eight times and rebounds seven times entering Saturday’s matchup.

Game Time Change For Jan. 2 Matchup vs. Baylor
The men’s basketball contest on Jan. 2, 2010, against Baylor, scheduled for 1 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena, will be moved to a 12 p.m. start time to avoid conflict with the 2 p.m. kick off of the PapaJohns.com Bowl between the Gamecock football team and Connecticut in Birmingham, Ala. The men’s hoops contest will still be televised on FOX Sports Carolinas.

Two New Ticket Packages Available
Two new ticket packages are still available for men’s and women’s basketball games, including the Gamecock Flex Pack for men’s basketball and the Holiday Hoopla Package. For strictly men’s games, the Gamecock Flex Pack is back for another year. The package includes eight ticket vouchers, which may be used for any men’s basketball game, in any combination, at any time. The Flex Pack costs just $98. All seats with this promotion are located in the upper deck, with exact location dependent on availability. The only limitation on the Flex Pack is if the arena is sold out, ticket vouchers will not be available to be used.

The Holiday Hoopla Package includes two tickets for the Jan. 2 men’s basketball contest versus Baylor, two tickets for the Jan. 16 matchup against Vanderbilt, two tickets for the Jan. 31 women’s basketball contest against Tennessee, two food vouchers (good for hot dog, popcorn and soda) and one premium gift. The Holiday Hoopla package is a great Christmas gift and comes wrapped and ready to give!