Feb. 3, 2006

Gamecocks off mid-week; Travel to Arkansas Sat., Feb. 4

Playing its second of three straight games outside the Palmetto State borders, South Carolina, 11-9 and 2-5 in SEC play, travels to Fayetteville for a Sat., Feb. 4th 3 pm (EST) showdown with Arkansas. With Wednesday off like the Gamecocks, the Razorbacks enter the game at 14-6 and 3-4 in the SEC.

The UA game will be televised on Jefferson Pilot with Dave Baker and Cliff Ellis making the call. The game will be carried on the Gamecock Radio Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (color analyst). In addition, the game can be heard via the internet at www.uscsports.com and on Sirius radio channel 126.

Both teams are coming off disappointing road losses last weekend. USC fell 65-81 in Knoxville to the then-No. 19 Volunteers on Saturday. Tarence Kinsey led Carolina with 12 points and six rebounds. Tre’ Kelley and Dwayne Day each scored 11 points the Gamecocks, who were outrebounded 43-30. The Vols got many of their points at the free throw line. They were 15-of-21 while the Gamecocks were only 2-of-4. UT put four in double figures to Carolina’s three. Up 69-63 with 3:11 to go, UT went on a 12-2 run to close out the game. UT has since jumped to No. 13.

Arkansas has its own reasons to kick itself after leading UK by 18 in the first half (6:16 mark) last Sunday on CBS and finished the half up by 12 (35-23). A resurgent UK team rallied in the second half to out-score the Razorbacks 55-41 in the second stanza, winning 78-76. Randolph Morris led a second-half UK upswing by matching a season-high 19 points in the Wildcats’ fourth-straight win. Morris, who led the team with a season-high eight rebounds, had a one-handed dunk to tie the game at 57 with 6:45 left. He gave the Wildcats the lead for good on a 3-point play in the next possession.

Arkansas’ Ronnie Brewer scored 23 and Eric Ferguson added 19, including four 3-pointers for Arkansas.

We’re not the only ones

UA and USC have something in common. Both enter the game with losing records in the SEC and both are probably kicking themselves when they watch the tape. South Carolina’s first six SEC games were decided by seven points or less, including its win over No. 4 Florida and its win at Vandy. Three of the losses were by five points or less (by 5 at Ole Miss, by 3 vs. Georgia, by 2 at UK).

Arkansas’ four losses in the SEC (at MSU, vs. LSU, at Alabama and at UK) have been decided by five points or less, including two by two points (at MSU and at UK) and a total of 12 points. Its wins on the other hand have been by double-digits with the exception of the win over Vandy, which saw Arkansas eight better than the Commodores.

Kinsey, Kelley, Balkman, Wallace

South Carolina is 11-9 and 2-5 in the SEC. Individually Carolina continues to be led by Tampa’s own Tarence Kinsey, who is averaging a team-leading 15.3 ppg. For stats geeks, Kinsey leads the Gamecocks in scoring in just about every way you can figure it: SEC games (14.6 ppg), wins (16.2 ppg), losses (14.1 ppg), home (15.4 ppg), away (13.6 ppg) and neutral (21.0 ppg).

Kinsey also leads the Gamecocks with 33.8 mpg and is third with 4.9 rpg. Junior Tre’ Kelley is second with 11.7 ppg and 33.4 mpg. He leads the team with 3.8 apg.Junior Renaldo Balkman’s third on the team with 10.3 ppg and 2.4 apg. He leads the team with 6.3 rpg and 1.6 spg.

The last time USC had three players finish with double figures at season’s end: Odom’s second season in 2002-03 when Carlos Powell (12.6 ppg), Chuck Edison (11.3 ppg) and Rolando Howell (10.0 ppg) all averaged double digits. In SEC play that year, USC had five players averaging double figures when the final buzzer rang: Chris Warren (11.0 ppg), Powell (10.9 ppg), Edison (10.5 ppg), Tony Kitchings (10.3 ppg) and Kerbrell Brown (10.1 ppg).

Brandon Wallace is second on the team with 6.0 rpg, 1.5 bpg, and 2.5 apg. He is fourth on the team with 7.1 ppg. He leads the team with 14 dunks. His three double-doubles this season top Balkman and Kinsey’s each.

The Razorbacks

Led by fourth-year head coach Stan Heath, Arkansas enters the USC game 14-6 and 3-4 in the SEC. They were off Wednesday.

The Razorbacks are led by All-American candidate and Fayetteville Ronnie Brewer. Brewer leads the SEC with 18.9 ppg and steps it up a notch in SEC play, averaging 19.9 ppg, including the 23 he poured in at Kentucky last weekend. Brewer also leads the SEC in steals with 2.8 spg. Steven Hill is No. 1 in the SEC with 3.2 bpg.

Jonathon Modica and Darian Townes also average double figures, with Modica scoring 14.1 ppg and Townes averaging 11.1 ppg. Townes also leads the Razorbacks with 5.9 rpg to Brewer’s 4.9 rpg.

USC and Arkansas have no common non-conference opponents, but both have played Vanderbilt and won and played Kentucky and lost. Arkansas has the edge with a win over Ole Miss (at home), something USC has yet to do in eight trips to Oxford.

Is it those tator tots?

Tarence Kinsey (15.4) and Renaldo Balkman (10.9) both average double figures at home. On the road Kinsey (13.6), Tre’ Kelley (13.1) and Dwayne Day (11.3) average double figures this season. Oddly enough, Day averages just 4.0 ppg when playing in front of the home crowd. He averages 13.6 mpg at home and a whopping 21.9 mpg on the road.

USC has four in double figures in neutral site games: Kinsey (21.0), Balkman (15.0), Kelley (15.0) and Brandon Wallace (10.0).

The new ones

Arkansas and South Carolina both joined the SEC in 1991-92 and are playing their 15th season of SEC basketball. With no history prior to joining the SEC, the Razorbacks handled Carolina pretty easily the first eight years, winning eight of the first nine games between the two schools. Since then, USC has won five of the last seven, including the last two. During that seven game stretch USC has won two of three in Fayetteville. Four of the last six games in the series have been decided by 10 or less while three of them have been decided by seven or fewer points.

The two are 1-1 when meeting in the SEC Tournament. In the two team’s last meeting in the league tournament USC beat Arkansas 91-81 on March 11, 2004 on the way to Carolina’s NCAA Tournament berth two days later. Captain Mike Boynton, Jr. scored 32 points with five three’s. His 32 points still stand as the most points scored by a Gamecock since BJ McKie scored 37 points in an 87-77 win over Ole Miss in the second round of the SEC Tournament on March 7, 1998. Boynton was 17-19 free throw line in the 2004 game, while McKie went 20-22 from the charity stripe in 1998.

Balkman doubtful

Renaldo Balkman is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game after suffering a sprained left knee. Balkman injured his left knee during play early in practice on Monday. After x-rays and an MRI, USC’s team doctors and medical staff examined him and determined it was a knee sprain. Balkman is rehabbing his knee twice a day with USC trainer Dennis Williams and the medical staff.

“After talking with the doctors and our medical staff, I am going to be very careful not to bring Renaldo back until we are confident his knee is completely recovered and able to withstand the physical demands of SEC basketball,” said Dave Odom. “The doctors are monitoring his progress daily and a final decision will be made closer to Saturday’s game-time. Along with Renaldo, his coaches and teammates feel relieved that no serious damage was sustained in the fall during practice.”

They said

Dave Odom talked about the UA game on the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Thursday. (On facing Arkansas): “Playing Arkansas anytime is difficult but certainly playing them in Fayetteville is very, very difficult. They’re drawing very well and I notice that their attendance figures are way up as well they should be. They’ve got great fans, a great team and they’ve got great coaches. There’s a lot of similarities between the teams at this point. Both of us need a win badly, there’s no question about that, and both of us had an off night (Wednesday).

“We had a week off to get ourselves ready, that’s good and bad,” continued Odom. “It’s good in that we needed the rest and needed the practice. It’s bad in that we’ve incurred an injury with Renaldo Balkman straining his knee on Monday and his status is right now cloudy at best. He did make some progress in the last couple days. We did not practice on Sunday and we did not practice on Wednesday. We did practice Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday he rehabbed all day and the report Thursday morning is that he’s better but if we played right now he would not play. So as coaches we have to plan to go without him but if he plays that would be a real blessing to us because we need him badly.”

UA Head Coach Stan Heath, in his fourth year with the Razorbacks, commented on the USC game on Thursday. “We have to get ready to play on Saturday and fight for a win. We have to create our own breaks and get to the point where we’re greedy with a lead. South Carolina is 2-5, but look at their two wins. They beat Florida at home and they won at Vanderbilt. They’ve shown they can win on the road and that they can beat a top-notch opponent. They also had double-digit leads against Kentucky and Tennessee.

“Tarence Kinsey is very underrated and Tre’ Kelley is a very good guard,” continued Heath. “They have four starters back from their NIT championship team. This is a big, big game. I still see a very positive ending ahead of us, but we have to do our part.”

One trip after another after another, but we do come back soon

From Jan. 11 to Feb. 11, USC will have played half of its SEC schedule. Of those eight games, six will have been on the road, including the three straight after a home win over Florida on Jan. 25. USC played at UT on Jan. 28, will play at Arkansas on Feb. 4 and at Florida on Feb. 8. The trio combine for a 34-1 home record going into Saturday’s games, including a 9-1 record in SEC play. The only loss in the trio was a 58-63 loss by Arkansas to first place LSU.

But on the flip side after that stretch USC’s next five of six will be played in Columbia at the Colonial Center. In that six game stretch USC will host Mississippi State (Feb. 11, FSNS), Alabama (Feb. 14, ESPN), Kentucky (Feb. 18, CBS), Vanderbilt (Feb. 25, JP) and LSU (Feb. 28, ESPN). The five teams who will march into the Colonial Center in February, entering Saturday’s game, are 14-15 on the road this season, including 9-9 in SEC play. The five also combine for a 3-6 record in the Colonial Center with Alabama, Vanderbilt and LSU still searching for its first win in the Colonial Center.

During that time USC will travel to Georgia on Feb. 23 for a rematch on ESPN. USC will close out the regular season at Auburn on March 4 prior to traveling to Nashville for the SEC Tournament the next weekend.

Looking forward to it all

USC basketball head coach Dave Odom announced this week Carolina will honor Zam Frederick at the LSU game (Feb. 28), this year’s SEC legend, Larry Davis, at the Mississippi State (Feb. 11 at 6 pm) and the 2006 Senior class of Tarence Kinsey, Rocky Trice and Antoine Tisby at the Vanderbilt game (Feb. 25 at 1 pm). Both Frederick and Davis will sign autograph photos provided at half time in the Colonial Center atrium of their respective games.

In addition, USC announced fans will be able to welcome back former Gamecock basketball players in town for the USC Basketball Reunion Weekend on Sat., Feb. 18 prior to the Kentucky game. The gathering will take place on the atrium (open area above the ticket office) at the Colonial Center from 12:45 – 1:15 pm. A number of players from several decades are expected back for the reunion with one of the highlights being a special halftime recognition ceremony.

ESPN also announced today it has changed the South Carolina-LSU men’s basketball game on Tues., Feb. 28 from 9 pm to 7 pm. Please note tip-off will now be at 7 pm for the last home game of the year.

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 are second only to Grady Wallace’s 906 points he scored in 1957.

The 2006 South Carolina SEC Legend, who will be honored at the SEC Tournament in Nashville March 9-12, Davis helped lead the Gamecocks’ to their first SEC title in basketball in 1997. Davis was a two-time All-SEC guard and named to the 1997 third team Basketball Times All-America team. The Denmark, S.C. native, who transferred from North Carolina and played for USC for two years, finished his career with 1,068 points – good for 31st best on the all-time list. He scored in double figures in 52 of 63 games while at Carolina. The 1997 team finished the year with a 24-8 record – the second-most wins ever by a Gamecock squad – and was No. 6 in the final AP poll.

He is

Tarence Kinsey is in the top 10 of six categories in SEC overall stats and in six of the top 10 of SEC only stats.

In overall play Kinsey is No. 3 in free throw %, No. 4 in 3 point field goal %, No. 6 in minutes played, No. 7 in scoring, No. 8 in field goal % and 3 pointers made per game.

In SEC play the Tampa native is No. 3 in minutes played, tied for No. 3 in free throw %, No. 6 in 3 point %, No. 7 in assist-turnover ratio, tied for No. 9 in 3 pointers made per game and No. 9 in scoring, . He is tied for No. 17 in rebounding as well.

Winning that battle
In SEC play the Gamecocks are winning the battle of the speciality stats in three of the four categories. See chart below for averages. For actual numbers, see chart on page nine.

Nationally

USC is in the top 50 of four categories, including No. 15 at two in the latest NCAA stats released on Jan. 30. USC is No. 15 in the country with 12.1 turnovers per game. In SEC play USC has turned the ball over 10.9 per game to its opponents 12.3, including eight turnovers against Florida’s 17. USC is also No. 15 nationally in foul per game with 15.5

USC is No. 36 nationally with 5.1 bpg and No. 49 in field goal percentage at 47.0%.

Tarence Kinsey is No. 36 in free throw percentage, hitting 87% of his attempts from beyond the charity stripe (59-68).