July 25, 2014

8K In 8 Days Central | Click HERE For Season Ticket Deposits | It’s Great To Be A Gamecock – 8K In 8 Days

COLUMBIA, S.C. – GamecocksOnline.com will break down each of the Gamecocks’ non-conference opponents this week, following the release of the non-conference schedule on July 22. We next look at UNC Asheville, who returns the reigning Big South Rookie of the Year, Marshall, who is led by first-year head coach Dan D’Antoni and Oklahoma State, who is Carolina’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge opponent for the second-straight season.

UNC Asheville
Head Coach: Nick McDevitt (17-15 (.531), one season at UNC Asheville/Overall Record the same)
2013-14 Record/Conference Finish: 17-15/10-6, 2nd South Division, Big South
2013-14 Postseason: Big South Tournament Semifinals, 80-79 loss to Winthrop
Final 2013-14 AP Ranking: N/A
2013-14 Season Notables: Freshman guard Andrew Rowsey was the Big South Rookie of the Year and the league’s leading scorer with a 20.3 average … Rowsey set a single-season record for three-pointers made in a year with 106 … Senior center D.J. Cunningham led the Big South Conference in rebounding (9.9) and blocked shots (3.4) as he earned second team All-Conference honors and was selected to the league’s All-Tournament team … Senior forward Jaron Lane was Asheville’s second leading scorer (16.5) and rebounder (5.5) and earned second team All-Conference honors … The Bulldogs recovered from a 1-7 start to go 16-8 the rest of the season.
Top Returners: Andrew Rowsey (So. – G – 5-10 – 175 – Lexington, Va. – Rockbridge County), 20.3 ppg, 2.9 apg … Will Weeks (So. – F – 6-6 – 220 – Charlotte, N.C. – Christ School), 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, redshirted after knee injury following second game of season … Sam Hughes (Jr. – F – 6-4 – 205 – Battleboro, N.C. – Greenfield School), 8.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg … David Robertson (So. – G – 6-3 – 185 – Cary, N.C. – Green Hope), 7.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg.

Marshall
Marshall Head Coach: Dan D’Antoni (first season overall)
2013-14 Record/Conference Finish: 11-22/4-12 C-USA, 14th
2013-14 Postseason: C-USA Tournament second round, 73-58 loss to Old Dominion
Final 2013-14 AP Ranking: N/A
2013-14 Season Notables: Freshman forward Ryan Taylor recorded seven double-doubles on the season and received two C-USA Freshman of the Week honors along with having been named to the C-USA All-Freshman team … Junior transfer Shawn Smith gave a boost off the bench with two double-doubles and 12 double-figure scoring outings, along with 15 starts to end the season … Freshman point guard Kareem Canty collected three C-USA Freshman of the Week honors and postseason honors in the form of All-C-USA third team recognition and C-USA All-Freshman team honors … Marshall collected a first round win in the C-USA Tournament over Florida Atlantic as a No. 14 seed.
Top Returners: Ryan Taylor (R-So. – F – 6-5 – 225 – Indianapolis, Ind. – Hargrave Military Academy (Va.)), 12.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg … Shawn Smith (Sr. – F – 6-6 – 228 – Sacramento, Calif. – McClatchy HS/College of San Francisco), 7.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg … TyQuane Goard (Jr. – F – 6-7 – 215 – Charleston, W.Va. – George Washington HS/Ohio), 6.3 ppg, 4.7rpg.

Oklahoma State
Head Coach: Travis Ford (125-76 (.622), six seasons at Oklahoma State/315-223 (.586), 17 seasons overall)
2013-14 Record/Conference Finish: 21-13/8-10 Big 12, 8th
2013-14 Postseason: 1-1 Big 12 Tournament (quarterfinals); 0-1 NCAA Tournament (lost to Gonzaga 77-85 in 2nd round)
Final 2013-14 AP Ranking: NR
2013-14 Season Notables: Marcus Smart, a two-time All-American as a sophomore last season, declared for the NBA draft … OSU loses it’s top-two scorers (Smart – 18 ppg and Markel Brown – 17.2 ppg) and four players who started at least 20 games last season … Le’Bryan Nash is the fifth-leading returning scorer in the Big 12 Conference for the upcoming season … He leads the conference in career 20-point games with 20 entering his senior campaign … Phil Forte ranked second in the league in free-throw percentage (86.9%), three-point percentage (44.1%) and three-point FGs made per game (2.9) … Michael Cobbins missed the entire conference portion of the schedule last season after rupturing his Achilles in the non-conference finale … He averaged 1.5 blocks per game and has 111 in his career, ranking seventh in school history.
Top Returners: Le’Bryan Nash (Sr. – W – 6-7 – 235 – Dallas, Texas – Lincoln HS), 13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.6 apg … Phil Forte (Jr. – G – 5-11 – 185 – Flower Mound, Texas – Flower Mound HS), 13.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.5 apg … Michael Cobbins (Sr. – P – 6-8 – 230 – Amarillo, Texas – Palo Duro HS), 4.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg.

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 Section is 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.

Gamecock fans who have already renewed their season tickets for the 2014-15 campaign and those fans who purchase new or renew their season tickets during the “8K In 8 Days” campaign, are eligible to win a prize each day of the initiative. Prizes include a game-worn jersey, an autographed basketball, a $100 gift card to Garnet and Black Traditions, and the grand prize, a VIP trip with the team for an away game to an exciting destination.

To place a deposit for season tickets, fans are encouraged to visit GamecocksOnline.com/Tickets, or all 1-800-4SC-FANS. Fans should stay tuned to GamecocksOnline.com for updates on the “8K In 8 Days” campaign.