Nov. 14, 2017

South Carolina vs Illinois State

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina travels to the beach this week for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach. Due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria to Puerto Rico, the event was relocated to the HTC Center in Conway. The Gamecocks begin Tournament action on Thursday versus Illinois State at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

STARTING FIVE

> South Carolina enters Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach action undefeated after posting wins over Wofford (73-52) and Western Michigan (78-60) to begin the 2017-18 campaign.
> Gamecock head coach Frank Martin is just two wins away from capturing his 100th win as head coach at South Carolina.
> Junior forward Chris Silva has been a monster on the boards early this season, as he’s led the Gamecocks with 10 rebounds in each of the first two games.
> Junior guard Hassani Gravett battled foul trouble in the first half vs. Western Michigan on Monday, but returned in the second half to post 13 points in the stanza to reach 15 for the game, a career high.
> South Carolina was 9-4 in neutral site contests over the course of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns. Thursday’s matchup vs. Illinois State marks the Gamecocks’ first at a neutral site this season.

Frank Martin

> South Carolina head coach Frank Martin is in his sixth season leading the Gamecocks and 11th season overall as a head coach in 2017-18. Martin, the 2017 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year (CollegeInsider.com), led South Carolina to its first Final Four and a school record 26 wins a season ago. In his 10 seasons as a head coach, Martin has led his teams to at least 21 wins seven times, including a combined 51 wins for the Gamecocks the past two seasons. Martin is a native of Miami, Fla., and a graduate of FIU.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS

> South Carolina aims to continue its winning ways when it faces Illinois State on Thursday in the first of three games at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach this week.
> Four Gamecocks scored in double-figures in Monday’s win over Western Michigan, led by Gravett’s career high 15. Graduate transfer Frank Booker added 14, connecting on five shots, including three 3s. Booker paces the Gamecocks early with 13.0 points per game.
> The South Carolina defense looked solid and locked in during the first two contests of the 2017-18 campaign, holding Wofford to just 34.7 percent from the field, and Western Michigan to just 36.2 percent.
> Frank Martin led teams are 37-29 (.560) in neutral site contests, and the Gamecocks are 20-10 (.667).
> Led by Chris Silva‘s 10.0 rebounds per contest, the Gamecocks look strong on the glass, holding a +13.0 rebound margin early on.
> The South Carolina offense has been very balanced to begin the 2017-18 campaign, as four have scored in double figures in both games thus far, and nine Gamecocks registered points vs. Wofford and again vs. Western Michigan.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE

> Illinois State is led by former Vanderbilt assistant Dan Muller in his fifth season. Muller is an ISU alum.
> The Redbirds kicked off the 2017-18 season on the road at Florida Gulf Coast, suffering a 98-87 loss last Saturday.
> Junior guard Keyshawn Evans – who averaged just 5.8 points per game last season – scored a career-high 28 points, making 10-of-17 shots from the field, and 7-of-13 from long range at FGCU.
> Three scored in double-figures for the Redbirds vs. FGCU, including Evans’ 28, Phil Fayne added 24 and Taylor Bruninga scored 14.
> Milik Yarbrough, a transfer from Saint Louis who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, dished 10 assists vs. FGCU.
> The Redbirds were 28-7 last season, including a 17-1 mark in Missouri Valley Conference contests, which tied for first in the league standings. ISU advanced to the Postseason NIT, posting a win vs. UC Irvine, before a season-ending loss to UCF.

UP NEXT

> South Carolina will face either Boise State or UTEP in the second round of action at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach on Friday. The Gamecocks are 0-1 all-time vs. the Broncos, having suffered an 80-54 loss to Boise State at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in December 2013, while the Gamecocks are 1-0 all-time vs. UTEP, having posted a 67-64 win over the Miners on Dec. 28, 1989, competing in the Sun Carnival Classic in El Paso.