Feb. 18, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina tavels to Arkansas in the only matchup between the two schools this season. The Gamecocks posted a 75-54 victory over the Razorbacks in Columbia in last season’s only contest between the two teams. Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on CSS.

OPENING TIP
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014
Tipoff: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Fayetteville, Ark.
Arena: Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Series: Alabama leads 24-13
Last Meeting: South Carolina win, 75-54, on Jan. 26, 2013 in Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena)
Broadcast: CSS | ESPN3
Talent: Matt Stewart (pxp), Barry Booker (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network/107.5 The Game in Columbia
Sirius: N/A; XM: N/A
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Game Notes | | @GamecockMBB on Twitter | Tickets

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 106th season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by Frank Martin in his second 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.
– The Gamecocks are in their 23rd season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2014. Carolina owns a 135-230 (.370) all-time record in SEC play.
– Frank Martin owns a 56-55 (.505) all-time record in conference play.
– For the first time since January of 2011, South Carolina won back-to-back conference games as the team topped Alabama 67-66. With the Crimson Tide battling back behind 25 second-half points from Trevor Releford to grab the lead, Gamecock guard Sindarius Thornwell led the charge, scoring or assisting on 15 of Carolina’s final 17 points, including hitting two free throws to ice the game with five seconds left. The freshman led the Gamecocks with 22 points.
– For his efforts on the week, Thornwell was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, five rebounds and five assists in two games. It was his second Freshman of the Week honor from the conference this season.
– Despite being located in an area which sees little to no snowfall annually, South Carolina is 3-0 this season when there is snow on the ground in Columbia. (Jan. 29, Texas A&M; Feb. 13, Vanderbilt; Feb. 15, Alabama)
– In its second game of the season which took place with campus closed due to winter weather, the Gamecocks moved to 2-0 in such games, topping Vanderbilt last Thursday night, 65-59, after the contest was postponed for 20 hours after the original scheduled time.Thornwell led South Carolina with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists.
– Against the Commodores, the Gamecocks grabbed a season-high 26 offensive rebounds en route to a 23-9 advantage in second-chance points. Five Carolina players recorded at least three offensive boards.
– Carolina’s game vs. Vanderbilt was the 2,500th game in program history.
– A 23-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome as South Carolina was defeated 72-53 by Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena. Thornwell scored the Gamecocks first seven points and finished the day with a team-high 15 points and four steals.
– After allowing Auburn to go on a 16-2 run early in the second half, the Gamecocks stormed back with an 18-2 run to level the game with under eight minutes to play, but the Gamecocks were unable to slow the Tigers down the stretch as they fell 79-74 at Colonial Life Arena. Senior guard Brenton Williams led all scorers with 29 points on a season high 10 field goals, going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Despite only scoring eight points, Thornwell posted season highs in assists (9) and steals (4). Sophomore forward Mindaugas Kacinas added a season high 14 points and freshman guard Duane Notice chipped in 12 points.
– South Carolina held a 15-point lead with just under 11 minutes to play at Ole Miss (Feb. 1), but a late run from the Rebels turned the game in the home team’s favor as South Carolina fell 75-71 on Saturday. Senior guard Brenton Williams led all scorers with 23 points as he hit 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Thornwell added 20 points and a career high six assists.
– The Gamecocks earned their first conference win of the season on Jan. 29 in an 80-52 win over Texas A&M, after holding a 20-point halftime lead. Freshman guards Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell paced the Gamecocks with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists apiece.
– Carolina’s defense held the Aggies to 35.6 percent shooting from the field, and did not a allow a double-digit scorer for the first time this season.
– It was announced on Jan. 16 that junior guard Tyrone Johnson suffered a right foot fracture in the Jan. 15 game at Texas A&M, which required surgery. Johnson is out indefinitely. The Plainfield, N.J., native has played in 16 contests this season for Carolina, averaging 11.2 points and a team best 3.4 assists per game. He tallied 11 double-figure scoring games and 11 games with at least three assists prior to his injury.
– In this season’s first meeting vs. Ole Miss, the Gamecocks held a 10-point lead at halftime, but the Rebels came back to out-score the Gamecocks 48-37 in the second half and claim a 75-74 win last Saturday at Colonial Life Arena. Freshman guard Sindarius Thornwell posted the first double-double of his career with teams highs of 24 points and 11 rebounds in the game. Senior guard Brenton Williams did not hit a basket in the contest, but was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line, including making three from the line with just six seconds to play to pull the Gamecocks within one of the Rebels at the time.
– Senior guard Brenton Williams posted the second 30-point game of his career last Saturday at Missouri, hitting a career high seven 3s, while adding a perfect 9-of-9 mark from the free throw line. Williams scored 22 of those points and hit five 3s in the second half.
– Despite 32 points from Williams and sophomore forward Michael Carrera’s first double-double of the year with 16 points and 11 rebounds, South Carolina fell to 0-6 in league play with an 82-74 loss at Missouri on Jan. 25. The Gamecocks dished 12 assists, and committed just 11 turnovers, but poor shooting in the contest – 23-of-59 (39.0%) from the field – saw the home team post the win.

Scouting Arkansas
The Razorbacks enter Wednesday’s matchup with a 16-9 overall record, which includes a 5-7 mark in SEC games … Arkansas holds a 13-2 record this season, losing only to Florida and Missouri on its home court … The Razorbacks are the top scoring team in the SEC at 81.2 points per game, and the only team averaging over 80 points per game … Three Razorbacks are averaging double figures, with Bobby Portis and Rashad Madden each scoring 13.2 points per game … Freshman Bobby Portis also leads the team in rebounds (6.7) and minutes (27.5) per game.

Arkansas Series
Wednesday’s meeting vs. Arkansas marks the 26th all-time meeting between the two schools … The Gamecocks won the last meeting, 75-54, on Jan. 26, 2013, at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. … Arkansas leads the all-time series 14-11 … The Gamecocks hold a 6-4 edge in the last 10 games in the series.

By The Numbers
1 – After a 67-66 win over Alabama, South Carolina is now 1-1 in games decided one point this season.
2 – With wins over Alabama and Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks have won back-to-back conference games for the first time since January of 2011.
3 – In SEC games, Sindarius Thornwell leads all freshmen in three categories: scoring (17.3), assists (4.08) and steals (1.33).
3 – After starting the conference season 0-6, South Carolina is 3-3 over its last six games.
5 – The Gamecocks have won five of 13 games when the scoring margin is 10 points or less.
6 – Sophomore guard Michael Carrera has led Carolina in rebounding in six of the last eight games.
10 – Thornwell has recorded double-figures in 10 of 12 SEC games, including five with 20-plus points, tying B.J. McKie for the most by a South Carolina freshman in SEC games.
15 – Senior guard Brenton Williams has recorded double-figures in 14 of his last 17 games.
36.5 – Since the injury to Tyrone Johnson on Jan. 15, Thornwell and Williams have stepped up their scoring numbers. The duo is averaging a combined 36.5 points over the last nine games, nine points above their combined season average.

Up Next
The Gamecocks are back at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday afternoon for their second meeting with the Georgia this season. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on SECTV.