Feb. 23, 2006

Game 26 – South Carolina at Georgia – Feb. 23, 2006 – Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) – Athens, Ga.

Tipoff: 7 pm (EST)
TV: ESPN (Jimmy Dykes, Brad Nessler)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Sirius radio: Channel No. 123
Series Record: USC leads 43-42
In Columbia: USC leads 25-14
In Athens: UGA leads 24-15
Neutral site: UGA leads 4-3
Last Meeting: UGA won 64-61 (OT) on Jan. 14, 2006 in Columbia

South Carolina Information
Coach: Dave Odom (Guilford, 1965)
USC Record: 91-66 (5th year)
Overall Record: 369-240 (20th year)
Record vs. UGA: 5-6 (3-3 H, 2-2 A, 0-1 N)

Georgia Information
Coach: Dennis Felton (Howard, 1985)
UGA Record: 38-45 (3rd year)
Overall Record: 138-99 (8th year)
Record vs. USC:1-4 (0-2 H, 1-2 A)

Probable Starters for the Georgia game (starters from previous game)

South Carolina Gamecocks (14-11, 5-7 SEC)

Georgia Bulldogs (14-11, 4-8 SEC)

SEC Throwback Week Continues as Gamecocks Travel to Georgia; Host Vandy Saturday on Senior Day

USC, 14-11 and 5-7 in the SEC, will travel to Athens for an unusual Thursday night game in the SEC with Georgia, 14-11 and 4-8 in the SEC. The Georgia game, televised nationally on ESPN at 7 pm, will feature announcers Jimmy Dykes and Brad Nessler making the call. It will be Jimmy Dykes fifth USC game this year — with USC holding court with a 4-1 record when Dykes makes the call.

The Georgia game will be carried on the Gamecock Radio Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (color analyst). The game can also be heard via the internet at www.uscsports.com and on Sirius radio channel 123.

USC will return home Saturday to host Vandy on JP in a 1 pm game when USC will honor its senior class prior to the game (Antoine Tisby, Rocky Trice and Tarence Kinsey).

Cursed?

USC’s famed ‘Chicken Curse’ appears to be alive and well on CBS. USC is 0-3 on CBS in the Colonial Center. USC hasn’t won on CBS since Feb. 27, 1999 (70-66 vs. Georgia), posting an 0-4 record on the network during that span.

On the other hand USC is 7-1 on ESPN/ESPN2 over the past two years – with Jimmy Dykes posting a 4-1 record during that span.

Last time

USC and Georgia are both coming off disappointing home performances Feb. 18. USC dropped a 79-66 game to UK after going to the lockerroom at the break with a 28-25 lead. UK’s Patrick Sparks scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half, including hitting 6-6 from the three point line. USC was led by Tarence Kinsey’s 21 points.

Without three of their regulars, the Bulldogs never could get on track. While freshmen Mike Mercer and Billy Humphrey were serving a one-game suspension for violating team rules, Georgia freshman Terrance Woodbury, who had already missed 10 pre-conference games with an injury, did not play and is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his back. Georgia was only down five at the break, but saw Vandy score 40 in the second half to win the game handily (72-55). Shan Foster had 23 points in the Commodores effort, with Georgia’s Younes Idrissi (12) and Levi Stukes (15) both hitting double figures.

A look back

Georgia won the first game this year between the two bordering state schools 64-61 in overtime on a last-second three pointer by Levi Stukes (Jan. 14, 2006). Prior to that game, USC had won four straight against the Bulldogs (see page 4 for game recap).

A USC win would give Dave Odom 370 career wins and hand Dennis Felton his 100th career loss. A UGA win would give the Bulldogs their first series sweep of the Gamecocks since the 2002-03 season (66-79 in Athens, 65-60 in Columbia). The 60-55 overtime Bulldog win in Columbia on March 9, 2003 televised nationally on CBS was Jim Harrick’s final game at Georgia. All victories that season were later vacated due to NCAA sanctions (list 0-8 as record when actual record was 19-8), but USC still lists both losses in its own records. Since joining the SEC, the two teams have racked up six series sweeps: UGA in 1994 and 2003 and USC in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005.

USC has won eight of the last 12 against UGA. USC is 3-5 vs. the East this year, while UGA has put together a 2-6 campaign against the same side.

USC has played more games against the Bulldogs than any other SEC opponent.

A few things about the rivalry:

First Meeting: Feb. 4, 1922 (27-36 in Columbia)

Last Meeting: Jan. 14, 2006 (61-64 OT in Columbia)

Last 5 Meetings: 4-1

Last 10 Meetings: 6-4

Most USC Points in Athens: (112-90 Most UGA Points in Athens: 96 (96-81, Dec. 21, 1956)

Largest USC Winning Margin in Athens: 21, Jan. 10, 2004 (84-63)

Largest UGA Winning Margin in Athens: 28, Jan. 22, 2000 (90-62)

What’s left?

USC travels to Georgia on Thursday and then returns home for its final two home games of the season. Vanderbilt (Feb. 25, JP) and LSU (Feb. 28, ESPN) are the two teams left on the home schedule. Entering Wednesday’s games those 2 are 9-9 on the road this season, including 6-6 in SEC play. The two also combine for a 0-4 record in the Colonial Center, with coming to Columbia looking for its first wins in the Colonial Center.

USC will honor Zam Frederick at the LSU game It is the 25th anniversary of Frederick winning the NCAA Division I scoring title when he scored 28.9 ppg during the 1980-81 season. A co-captain of the 1981 team that finished 17-10, Frederick was named to the Citizens Savings All-America team. The native of St. Matthews, S.C., Frederick scored 1,383 points in his career and his is currently No. 14th on the all-time points scored list. His 781 points his senior year were second only to Grady Wallace’s 906 points (1957).

USC will close out the regular season at Auburn on March 4 and then travel to Nashville for the SEC Tournament March 9-12.

Leading the way

Carolina is led by Tarence Kinsey and his 15.2 ppg. For stats geeks, Kinsey leads the Gamecocks in scoring in just about every way you can figure it: SEC games (14.2 ppg), wins (14.8 ppg), losses (14.7 ppg), home (15.3 ppg), away (13.9 ppg) and neutral (21.0 ppg). Kinsey also leads the team in mpg (33.9), 3pt % (40.2%) and free throw % (86.9%). He is second in steals (1.3) and fourth in assists (2.1). Kelley is second with 12.0 ppg and 4.2 apg. Renaldo Balkman’s third on the team with 10.2 ppg and 2.2 apg. He leads the team with 1.6 spg and 6.2 rpg. Brandon Wallace is second with 6.0 rpg and 2.4 apg. He leads the team with 1.4 bpg and is fourth with 7.2 ppg. Wallace’s three double-doubles match Balkman’s total and top Kinsey’s two.

American Top 50

USC is in the top 50 of five NCAA catagories: No. 18 in turnovers per game, No. 26 in personal fouls per game, No. 39 in blocked shots per game and No. 49 in field goal %. Tarence Kinsey is No. 28 in free throw %.

USC has turned the ball over 20+ plus times once this year: a 20 TO performance in the loss at Clemson. USC has turned the ball over 10 or less times this season six times, posting a 6-0 record. USC posted a season-low five turnovers against S.C. State and at Vanderbilt. It was the fewest turnovers for a Gamecock basketball team since they turned it over five times against Yale in a 59-48 win on Dec. 30, 2003.

Balkman and the Boards

Renaldo Balkman has recorded four or fewer rebounds in seven games this season. When Balkman grabs four or fewer rebounds, Carolina is 2-5. When he records five or more rebounds in a game, Carolina is 12-6.

Halftime

Carolina has led at halftime in seven of the 12 SEC contest this season. Six of the seven SEC contest where they led at the half were at home. The only time leading at halftime on the road was in Gainesville against the Gators (2-4 overall on the road). The other games on the road, USC either trailed or was tied at the break. USC has not trailed at halftime at home in a SEC game this season, but only holds a 3-3 record at the Colonial Center in SEC play.

‘Cats needed to guard this guy Tarence Kinsey has scored 59 points on 22-of-43 from the floor in the last three games against Kentucky. In addition he has pulled down 15 boards.

Whose were those?

The SEC has established a throwback program for the 2005-06 season and will celebrate Throwback Week from Feb. 18-26. Each of the 12 member institutions will wear throwback jerseys representing various eras during the week. USC wore the home uniforms vs. Kentucky and will wear them again for Vandy (Feb. 25). USC wears the away uniforms at Georgia on Thursday.

The uniforms USC is wearing are patterned after the early 1970’s – specifically 1971. USC was 23-6 and 10-4 in the ACC in 1970-71. John Roche and Tom Owens were named All-ACC. In addition, John Roche was named to a number of All-American teams. The 1971 team won the ACC Tournament with victories over Maryland, NC State and North Carolina. Three players made the ACC All-Tournament team (John Roche, Tom Owens, Tom Riker (2nd team). They then went to the school’s first NCAA Tournament. With a 23-4 record, USC fell 79-64 to undefeated and third-ranked Penn on March 18, 1971. Tom Owens led the Gamecocks with a double double: 16 points, 10 rebounds. USC later lost 100-90 to Fordham in the NCAA Regional Consolation Game. In that game Tom Riker scored 39 points.

Brandon, Then Ryan, Tony and Renaldo

Brandon Wallace’s two blocks in the Kentucky game moved him two past Ryan Stack (124, 1995-98) for fifth place on the career list with 126 career blocks. Wallace now needs 34 more blocks to hit No. 4 Mike Brittain (160, 1983-86). The career blocks leader might be a stretch: Danny Traylor blocked 235 from 1971-73.

Wallace has blocked three or more shots in four games this season, tallying 34 on the year. Wallace has blocked a shot in 58 of the 92 games he’s played. He has three+ blocks in 19 games in his career. After blocking 35 shots his freshman year, Wallace blocked 55 shots last season. The 55 were the most since Ryan Stack blocked 55 in the 1997-98 season.

Renaldo Balkman has 34. The two combine for 56% of the team’s blocks this season. Balkman has already topped last year’s total of 21 after blocking 43 his freshman campaign. Balkman has 98 blocks in his career, which puts him at No. 7 on the career list. Next on his list was the man Wallace just finished off: Tony Kitching with 123 (1999-2003).

18 More

Tarence Kinsey’s 380 points this season already surpassed the points he scored in his sophomore (273) and junior years (286). He scored just 43 points his freshman season. Kinsey has hit 20+ points seven times this season, including two 21 point performances at Kentucky and then at home against Kentucky.

In his first three seasons at USC, Kinsey played in 85 games and in those 85 games he hit the 20+ mark only twice. (23 vs. South Carolina State, 12-22-04 and 21 vs. Idaho, 11-18-03). Kinsey has racked up 982 career points and needs 18 points to hit the 1,000 mark and become the 38th Gamecock to go over the 1,000 mark. Kinsey has 105 career three-pointers and needs four more to enter the career top 10 at Carolina (109, Antonio Grant 1997-2001). He is hitting 36.8% in three’s which would put him at No. 6 on the all-time list if the season ended today.

Dishin it

In USC’s 14 wins Tre’ Kelley is averaging 11.0 points per game while in the 11 losses he is averaging 11.4 a game. Very close, but the difference is in the field goal % and in the assists.

In the 14 wins, Kelley has combined to make 45 of 108 shots (42% from the field) while he has made 45 of 117 shots (less than 39 % from the field) in the 11 losses.

He has dished out 4.8 apg in the wins and 3.3 apg in the losses. As a team, Carolina is averaging almost four more assists a game in their victories than in losses. (15.6 assist per game in a win compared to 11.8 assists per game in a loss).

Looking down the road, Kelley has 755 career points and is averaging a career-high 11.9 ppg this season after hitting 5.1 ppg his freshman year and 8.9 ppg his sophomore year.