Dec. 31, 2006

South Carolina senior point guard Tre’ Kelley, the team’s leading scorer, will not play in the Western Carolina game (Jan. 3 in Columbia) after spraining his left knee in the Jacksonville game on Dec. 29. Kelley has not practiced since the game and is not expected to practice between now and the Jan. 3 Western Carolina game. He will continue to rehab the knee and his condition will be re-evaluated in the next few days.

Carolina, 9-2, plays its final two SEC tune-ups this week: Jan. 3 vs. Western Carolina (7:30 pm) and then a national tv game on Jan. 7 vs. Kansas (4:30 pm on CBS). Both will be played at the Colonial Center.

Kelley is averaging a team-leading 16.8 ppg and is tied for fourth in the SEC. He is second in the SEC in assists with a team-leading 5.27 apg. He led the SEC in assists last year.

This season Kelley is on pace to set a number of school records including the Carolina school records for career assists and career games played.

Kelley, who scored 20+ points in 12 games during his career including three of the last four games, has scored in double figures 10 of 11 games this season. He started his 55th straight game in the 80-73 win against Jacksonville on Dec. 29, dating back to the Ole Miss Senior Day game his sophomore year.