Dec. 18, 2017

South Carolina at Clemson

• Game Notes
• Watch
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Ticket Information

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Following a 10-day break for final exams, South Carolina is back in action when it travels to the Upstate to face Clemson on the road Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. The meeting marks the 168th all-time between the two schools.

STARTING FIVE

> South Carolina travels to face Clemson on Tuesday at Littlejohn Coliseum in Carolina’s first game back following a 10-day break due to final exams on campus in Columbia.
> The Gamecocks have already played six games away from home this season, including two true road games, collecting a 2-0 record in those contests (at Wofford and FIU).
> In Carolina’s last game, the Dec. 9 home win over Coastal Carolina, junior guard Hassani Gravett scored the Gamecocks’ final four points, including a jumper with 6.5 seconds remaining, to clinch the win.
> Graduate student guard Frank Booker tallied a season high 19 points, matching a career best with seven made field goals, in the win over Coastal Carolina. Booker has hit a season high in points in each of Carolina’s last two games. He has connected for at least three 3-point baskets in seven of Carolina’s 10 games this season.
> Junior forward Chris Silva is pacing three Gamecocks in double figures with 13.7 points per game. He also leads the Gamecocks with 8.0 rebounds per outing, which ranks among SEC leaders. Over the course of the last five games, he is averaging 15.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per outing.

PALMETTO SERIES

> Tuesday’s matchup between the Gamecocks and Tigers is part of the Certified SC Grown Plametto Series. The winner of the contest on the hardwood will collect another point for its school in the series, which the Gamecocks currently lead 6-3. South Carolina has won the Palmetto Series the last two years.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS

> South Carolina is 8-2 on the season after most recently capping a three-game home win streak with an 80-78 victory over Coastal Carolina on Dec. 9.
> The Gamecocks will be playing their seventh game away from home on Tuesday vs. Clemson.
> Junior forward Chris Silva paces three in double figures with 13.7 points per game. Grad transfer Frank Booker provides 11.4 per outing and rookie forward Justin Minaya scores 10.8 per game.
> After a 13-point performance in the win vs. Coastal Carolina, Minaya has now hit double figures in five straight games, and in six games total this season. After hitting just 27.3 percent from the floor through the first three games of the season, Minaya has hit 48.4 percent from the floor over the course of the last seven games.
> In Carolina’s two true road games of the season (at Wofford, FIU), the Gamecocks are averaging 75.5 points per game, and have hit 49.6 percent from the field.
> In the six games away from home this season, Carolina is averaging 72.5 points per game and 43.0 percent from the field.
> Carolina’s six top scorers are each averaging at least 41.1 percent from the field. Chris Silva‘s 54.4 percent is a team high.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

> Clemson is 9-1 on the year following a 71-69 neutral site win over No. 22 Florida last Saturday.
> CU is led by head coach Brad Brownell in his eighth season and 16th season overall. The Florida win marked the 300th of his career.
> In the most recent win over Florida, junior guard Marcquise Reed scored a team high 22, while also dishing six assists in 38 minutes of action. Gabe DeVoe (19), Donte Grantham (11) and Shelton Mitchell (10) were also all in double figures.
> Clemson’s lone loss this season came against a common opponent to the Gamecocks, as the Tigers suffered a 67-60 loss to Temple in the finals of the Charleston Classic on Nov. 19.
> Clemson has won five straight games entering Tuesday’s matchup vs. the Gamecocks.
> Five average double-figures on the season, with Grantham’s 15.5 a team high. Elijah Thomas paces the team with 8.9 rebounds per outing.
> Clemson is averaging 50.2 percent from the floor, while holding opponents to 41.0 percent.

BY THE NUMBERS

1.7 – Sophomore forward Maik Kotsar ranks tied for third in the SEC with 1.7 steals per game. Kotsar already has 17 on the year. (0.7 per game in 2016-17).
2.4 – Junior guard Hassani Gravett ranks fourth in the SEC (games through Dec. 17) with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.4.
3 – Grad transfer guard Frank Booker has 25 3s on the year, which is a team high. He has hit three 3s in seven of Carolina’s 10 games this season.
6-3 – South Carolina was 6-3 last season in games against opponents ranked in the top 25.
+6.9 – South Carolina currently ranks sixth in the SEC (games through Dec. 17) with a rebound margin of +6.9. Carolina has held an advantage in the rebound column in every game this season with the exception of the Temple and Coastal Carolina contests.
8+ – South Carolina has posted at least eight made 3-pointers in eight of 10 games this season.

UP NEXT

> Following Tuesday’s matchup at Clemson, South Carolina will break for the holidays and return home to host Limestone on Dec. 27 at Colonial Life Arena. Tip time for that matchup is set for 3 p.m. ET. Following the matchup with Limestone, South Carolina begins SEC action when it travels to Ole Miss on Dec. 31. That contest will tip at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2.