Dec. 17, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 6/6 South Carolina prepares for its third top-10 matchup of the season and its first at Colonial Life Arena when No. 9/9 UCLA visits Columbia for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Sunday. In a game to air on ESPN2, the Gamecocks (8-1) look to open their final week of pre-holiday games with their fourth win over a ranked opponent.

South Carolina Notables

• Tonight marks the Gamecocks’ third-straight home game, matching their longest homestand of the season. Going forward into SEC play, South Carolina plays back-to-back home games just once.
• Facing a top-10 team for the third time this season, the Gamecocks are hosting that level of opponent for the first time. In fact, of South Carolina’s six non-conference games against teams in this week’s AP Top 25, this is the only one to be played at Colonial Life Arena.
• Senior center Alaina Coates blocked a season-high four shots against Clemson Thursday night, inching closer to the program’s career blocked shots record currently held by teammate A’ja Wilson, who stayed one ahead of Coates by blocking two of her own against the Tigers.
• The Gamecocks’ frontcourt of Coates and Wilson accounts for 31.2 points per game on 62.1 percent field goal shooting. The twin towers’ offense is complemented nicely this season by transfer guards Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray, who combine to post 29.7 points per game, including 38.5 percent shooting from 3-point range.
• Four Gamecocks earned spots on the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List — Alaina Coates, Kaela Davis, Allisha Gray, A’ja Wilson — with Coates and Wilson also on the Wade Watch List.

By the Numbers

3 Gamecocks’ RPI through games of Dec. 15, tops in the SEC
3.7 Combined assists per game this season for All-America post players Alaina Coates and A’ja Wilson
4 Gamecocks who have recorded at least one 20-point game this season
11 Wins against top-10 opponents by the Gamecocks since the start of 2014-15
12 Double-doubles against nationally ranked opponents by Alaina Coates

UCLA Series Notes

The Gamecocks and Bruins have split their all-time series 1-1, but just one of those games had taken place during the lifetime of any player on either team. South Carolina claimed last season’s meeting (Nov. 22, 2015) at Pauley Pavilion 68-65 after the Gamecocks locked down defensively in the final four minutes. The inaugural meeting between the two teams was a Jan. 5, 1981, game that was later forfeited by South Carolina, along with seven others, due to the participation of an ineligible player. Ranked No. 10 in the nation at the time, the Gamecocks defeated the Bruins 86-81 in Columbia.

Ranked Readings

Under head coach Dawn Staley, South Carolina is 42-44 against nationally ranked opponents. That record is skewed by the early seasons of her tenure as the Gamecocks are 27-5 versus ranked foes since the start of the 2014-15 campaign. South Carolina is 11-3 against top-10 opponents during that time, and 14-20 against them in Staley’s tenure.

Blocking Scheme

South Carolina leads the SEC and ranks 13th in the nation with 6.4 blocked shots per game. The two driving forces of that defensive movement at also the program’s all-time career blocked shot leaders — A’ja Wilson (190) and Alaina Coates (189). Wilson broke the school record earlier this season (vs. Saint Peter’s, Nov. 22) but can hardly celebrate with Coates nipping at her heels. The duo may trade the record several times this season as Wilson leads the SEC with 2.4 blocks per game, and Coates is closing in at 2.0 per game for fourth in the league.

Helping Hands

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley likes to say that with good movement, the ball will find who is supposed to shoot it on any given possession. With four 1,000-point scorers on this season’s team, many observers wondered how the quartet would abide that philosophy. Early returns are good as the Gamecocks rank 27th in the nation in assists per game at 17.9. That number would be the program’s highest since the 2002-03 squad finished its season at 18.6. The quartet of 1,000-point scorers account for 10.0 assists per game of that average with Allisha Gray leading the way at 3.2 and Kaela Davis just behind at 3.1.

Great Gamecock Fans

With over 10,000 season-ticket holders for the second-straight season, South Carolina leads the nation in average attendance at 11,737 and is the only program drawing at last 10,000 fans per game. The Gamecocks have posted the highest average attendance at the end of the last two seasons and have enjoyed steady fan growth over the last five years — 3,952 in 2012-13; 6,371 in 2013-14; 12,293 in 2014-15; 14,364 in 2015-16.