Oct. 24, 2014

South Carolina hosts Benedict College for an exhibition matchup on Sunday, marking the first time that the two schools have ever met on the hardwood. The contest marks Carolina’s lone exhibition game this season. Below is information for the matchup.

OPENING TIP
Date: Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014
Tipoff: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: No regular-season meetings
Last Meeting: No regular-season meetings
Broadcast: SEC Network +
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Radio: The game will not be broadcast on the radio
Tickets: Admission to the exhibition is free

Game Notes | | SEC Network+ | Buy Season Tickets | Reserve Appointment To “Select A Seat” And Purchase Season Tickets At Oct. 26 Exhibition vs. Benedict

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 107th season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by Frank Martin in his third year. Matt Figger is the associate head coach and Perry Clark and Lamont Evans are assistant coaches. Andy Assaley is in his second year as the director of operations for the Gamecocks.
– South Carolina’s roster features three freshmen, five sophomores, five juniors and one senior, and the Gamecocks return 11 letterwinners from last season’s squad, which includes four starters in sophomore forward Demetrius Henry, junior forwards Michael Carrera and Mindaugas Kacinas and freshman guard Sindarius Thornwell. Other returning letterwinners include, sophomore guards Justin McKie and Duane Notice, sophomore forward Reggie Theus Jr., junior forwards Laimonas Chatkevicius and Brian Steele, junior guard Austin Constable and senior guard Tyrone Johnson.
– Carolina returns 71.3 percent of its scoring, 88.5 percent of its rebounds and 75.5 percent of minutes played from last season.
– Johnson returns to the court after suffering a foot injury that sidelined him for the final 18 games of last season. Prior to injury, Johnson averaged 11.2 points and a team high 3.4 assists per game.
– Thornwell returns for Carolina after a record-setting freshman campaign when he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after leading the league’s freshmen in points (15.6) and assists (4.0) in conference contests.
– Several Gamecocks played their best basketball of the season in the final games of the 2013-14 campaign. Chatkevicius was stellar in the final six games of the season, averaging 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds during the stretch, while Notice posted a season high 23 points, hitting 7-of-16 from the field, including a 4-of-4 mark from 3-point range, in the SEC Tournament victory over Auburn.

Scouting Benedict
Benedict College, who was picked to win the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in the preseason coaches poll, returns six lettermen, all of whom started games, from last year’s squad which went 17-11 overall and 9-7 in the SIAC. Leading the way is preseason SIAC All-Conference guard Andrew Crawford. The senior from Mullins, S.C., averaged 12.1 points per game last season, second on the team. He made 79 3-pointers and connected on 43 percent from behind the arc. Guard Brennan Reynard was also named to the preseason SIAC All-Conference squad. The junior from Slidell, La., averaged 8.4 points and led the team in assists (115) and steals (64). Senior Deonte Johnson is the top returning rebounder, averaging 5.2 rebounds last season. Benedict coach Fred Watson begins his 13th season at his alma mater and has a 247-104 record. He has led the Tigers to four SIAC championships and six NCAA Division II tournament appearances.

2014-15 Schedule
South Carolina has put together a challenging schedule for the 2014-15 campaign, one that features home contests against Baylor, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee to name a few. The Gamecocks will also play in the Charleston Classic and face Iowa State in a neutral site contest in early January. In the non-conference portion of their schedule, the Gamecocks will face three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago in Oklahoma State, Baylor and Iowa State, with the possibility of playing five postseason teams, including Akron and Penn State, during the slate. Both Baylor and Iowa State advanced to the Sweet 16. While one game time and broadcast designation has not yet been released, South Carolina will see nearly all of its games available to a national audience this season with the inclusion of the newly launched SEC Network.

Several Events Planned Before Benedict Exhibition Game
The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a free T-shirt and students will receive double loyalty points for attending. There will be pre-game Halloween activities on the concourse for children, with booths including the Carolina Girls, the Gamecock Cheerleaders, Cocky and the My Carolina Student Network. There will be games for children and opportunities for photos and Gamecock face tattoos.

The Gamecock Ticket Sales Team will also be on hand from 12:30-2:30 p.m., for an exclusive opportunity for fans to select and purchase new men’s basketball season tickets. Available locations will be tagged so fans can try out their seats before purchasing. Appointments with the Sales Team are highly recommended (but not required). Fans should visit GamecocksOnline.com/SelectASeat or call 803-777-8850 to make an appointment.

The My Carolina Alumni Association and the Gamecock Club will also hold an event prior to tipoff in the McGuire Club (please bring and show your membership card for admission to this event), and basketball student-athletes will sign autographs on the official team poster for the 2014-15 season in the McGuire Club following the contest.

Season Tickets
Season ticket prices for the upcoming season remain unchanged from the 2013-14 campaign, with full season packages starting at $90. Like last season, fans can purchase lower level season tickets for $260 (Gamecock Club membership required for sections 104-106, 113-115) and University faculty and staff can buy tickets for $210. The Coke Family Sections are available for $600 (four tickets). Upper level tickets are available for $200 (no Gamecock Club membership required) and faculty and staff can purchase tickets in the upper bowl for $160. End zone seating in the upper level is priced at four seats for $360. To purchase season tickets, fans should visit GamecocksOnline.com/Tickets or call 1-800-4SC-FANS.