Feb. 23, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina travels to Tuscaloosa on Tuesday to take on the Crimson Tide in the second meeting between the two schools this season. The Gamecocks posted a 68-66 win in Columbia early in the SEC campaign on Jan. 13. The Gamecocks aim for their second-straight SEC road win on Tuesday. Dave Baker (pxp) and Joe Dean Jr. (analyst) will handle the call for the SEC Network.

GAME INFORMATION
Game Date: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
Arena: Coleman Coliseum (15,383)
Broadcast: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Baker (pxp), Joe Dean Jr. (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Sirius: N/A; XM: N/A
Series: Alabama leads 24-15
Last Meeting: 68-66 Carolina win on Jan. 13, 2015, in Columbia, S.C.

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GAME STORYLINES
– South Carolina is in its 107th season of varsity basketball in 2014-15.
– The Gamecocks are led by third-year head coach Frank Martin. His associate head coach is Matt Figger, his assistant coaches are Perry Clark and Lamont Evans, and his director of operations is Andy Assaley.
– Texas A&M led wire-to-wire in a 62-52 win over the Gamecocks in Columbia on Saturday. South Carolina hit just 27.1 percent (16-59) from the field in the contest. Junior forward Michael Carrera posted his highest scoring output of the season with 17 points, while he also collected nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Duane Notice dished a team high five assists, also collecting three steals in a career high 40 minutes played.
– Tuesday’s game is Carolina’s first at Coleman Coliseum since Jan. 2013.
– The Gamecocks’ last road win in the series vs. Alabama came in a 75-73 buzzer beater on Feb. 14, 2009.
– South Carolina used stellar shooting and nine made 3s in the contest, to post a 64-58 road win at Georgia on Feb. 17. It was Carolina’s first SEC road win of the season. Notice and senior guard Tyrone Johnson led the Gamecocks with 17 points each, with Johnson posting four 3s and Notice three. South Carolina hit 58.3 percent in the opening half to hold a 41-23 lead at halftime.
– South Carolina’s nine made 3s at Georgia marked a season high in the category.
– South Carolina has victories this season over four teams in the top 50 of the RPI (Feb. 23) in Iowa State (9), Oklahoma State (29) and Georgia (37, twice).
– The Gamecocks are in their 24th season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2015. Carolina owns a 142-244 (.367) all-time record in SEC play.
– Frank Martin owns a 63-69 (.477) all-time record in conference games.
– The Gamecocks suffered a 77-43 loss at Rupp Arena to top-ranked Kentucky on Feb. 14. Sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell posted a game high 20 points, but the Gamecocks shot just 23.6% (13-55) from the field in the contest.
– South Carolina posted a 65-60 victory over visiting Missouri on Feb. 10 at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks scored 28 points in the paint and 16 points off of 15 Tiger turnovers in the win. Thornwell and senior guard Tyrone Johnson each dished six assists for Carolina. Thornwell posted a team high 14 points in the win.
– An 18-0 run in the second half allowed Vanderbilt to post a 65-50 home win at Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 7 over the visiting Gamecocks. Thornwell led Carolina with 12 points, and Notice added 10. The Commodores out-rebounded the Gamecocks 33-20, holding Carolina to a season low four offensive boards.

SCOUTING ALABAMA
Alabama owns a 16-11 overall record entering Tuesday’s matchup vs. South Carolina, including a 6-8 mark in league games after suffering a 66-65 overtime loss to Georgia on Saturday. The Crimson Tide is 12-4 in home games this season, including a 3-4 mark in SEC home games. Senior guard Levi Randolph leads the team in scoring in both overall (14.7) and SEC games (13.4). Junior guard Ricky Tarrant is second on the squad with 13.1 points per game, but he has missed the last seven games due to a right leg injury. Junior guard Rodney Cooper also provides 10.3 points per game. Alabama ranks fourth in the conference in free throw percent (71.5%), seventh in field goal percent (43.6), and fourth in 3-point field goal percent defense (31.5%). Head coach Anthony Grant is in his sixth season leading the Crimson Tide.

ALABAMA SERIES
Alabama owns a 24-15 upperhand in the all-time series vs. South Carolina, including a 12-2 advantage in games played in Tuscaloosa. The Gamecocks posted a 68-66 victory over the Crimson Tide in Columbia earlier this season on Jan. 13. South Carolina has won three of the last five meetings, and two-straight, between the two schools.

BY THE #’S
17 – Junior forward Michael Carrera scored a season high 17 points in Saturday’s matchup vs. Texas A&M. He also collected nine rebounds and one steal. It was Carrera’s highest scoring output since scoring 16 points at Texas A&M on March 2, 2013.
17 – Senior guard Ty Johnson posted 17 points in the Feb. 17 win at Georgia, the most he scored since posting 20 vs. Florida in the Jan. 7 SEC opener.
17 – Sophomore guard Duane Notice also scored 17 points in the victory at Georgia. It was Notice’s highest scoring output in league play this season. He followed with 13 points vs. Texas A&M on Saturday.
4 – Johnson’s four made 3s vs. Georgia marked a new career high. He had hit his previous career high of three twice, most recently at Auburn earlier this season.
3.6 – Among freshmen in the SEC, Marcus Stroman ranks fourth in overall games with 3.6 assists per outing. In strictly league games, he ranks third with 2.7 per outing.
10-7 – The Gamecocks are 10-7 this season when out-rebounding their opponent.
4th – South Carolina ranks fourth in the SEC in average home attendance, as an average of 11,445 fans attend Carolina home games this season.
4th – South Carolina ranks fourth in scoring defense in the SEC (overall games), as opponents average just 61.8 points per game.
74.0% – The Gamecocks rank second in the SEC (overall games) in free throw percent, hitting 74.0 percent at the charity stripe this season.
84.6% – Senior guard Tyrone Johnson ranks third in the SEC (overall games) in free throw percent, as he has hit 66-of-78 attempts this season for a mark of 84.6%
35 – According to ESPN’s BPI (Feb. 23), South Carolina’s strength of schedule ranks 35th in the nation this season.

UP NEXT
South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena on Saturday for two-straight SEC matchups. The Gamecocks host Mississippi State on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on the SEC Network, before No. 18/16 Arkansas visits Columbia on Thursday, March 5, for Senior Day. The meeting vs. the Bulldogs will be the first this season, and the matchup with the Razorbacks will be the second 2015 game between the two schools, as Arkansas posted a 75-55 win in Fayetteville on Feb. 3.

NOTABLES vs. ALABAMA
Below are notables from the first 2015 matchup vs. Alabama …
– The Carolina bench outscored its Alabama counterparts 27-16. The +11 margin was the largest in any game since a +23 performance in the win over Cornell.
– There was a combined 54 fouls called in the game. The 27 fouls on the Gamecocks were the second-most all season and the 27 from Alabama were the most committed against the Gamecocks all season.
– Laimonas Chatkevicius scored his 400th career point in the second half of the win. He is the fourth player to reach that milestone so far this season.
– Michael Carrera’s game-high eight rebounds matched a then-season high. He also set a then-season-high in points (12) and free throws made (7).