March 5, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina hosts Mississippi State on Wednesday in the final regular season home contest of the 2012-13 campaign for the Gamecocks. The night will serve as Senior Night for senior forward Lakeem Jackson, senior guard Shane Phillips and managers Josh King and Bubba Wright. Senior Night festivities will begin at approximately 6:40 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Mike Gleason (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network via GamecocksOnline.com and on 107.5 The Game in Columbia with Andy Demetra (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (analyst).

OPENING TIP
Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Mississippi State leads 17-8 (MSU leads 7-4 in Columbia)
Last Meeting: Mississippi State win, 56-54 on Jan. 9, 2013, in Starkville, Miss.
Broadcast: ESPN3
Talent: Mike Gleason (pxp), Nate Ross (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock IMG Radio Network
Sirius: 93; XM: 199
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Tickets | @GamecockMBB | | ESPN3 | Game Notes

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 105th season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by first-year head coach Frank Martin. His associate head coach is Brad Underwood and his assistant coaches are Matt Figger and Lamont Evans. Andy Assaley is the director of basketball operations.
– The Gamecocks are in their 22nd season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2013. Carolina owns a 132-220 (.375) all-time record in SEC play.
– South Carolina looks to snap a three-game losing streak on Wednesday vs. Mississippi State. The Gamecocks most recently suffered a 74-56 loss on the road at Texas A&M despite the contest being tied at 32 at halftime. Carolina shot 47.8 percent (11-23) in the opening half, but just 29.2 percent (7-24) in the second half. Overall in the contest the Aggies hit 53.7 percent (29-54) from the floor.
– Freshman forward Michael Carrera once again led the Gamecocks in scoring (16) and in rebounding (9) at A&M. He has led the team in scoring in six and in rebounding in eight of the last 10 games, averaging 11.6 points and 7.0 rebounds during the stretch.
– Freshman walk-on guard Brian Steele had a stellar week in practice prior to the Texas A&M contest and was awarded with his first-career start. He scored three points, collected two rebounds and swiped one steal. His 3-point basket with just seconds remaining in the first half tied the contest at 32, which held through halftime.
– Senior forward Lakeem Jackson will play in the 118th game of his career on Wednesday, which puts him just outside of the top 10 all-time for games played in the Garnet and Black.
– South Carolina snapped a six-game losing streak on Feb. 20 with a thrilling 63-62 victory over visiting Ole Miss at Colonial Life Arena. Junior guard Eric Smith netted the game-winner, a 3-point basket with 27 seconds remaining. Senior forward Lakeem Jackson and Chatkevicius blocked shots with two seconds, and just nano seconds, respectively, on the clock to secure the Gamecock win.

Senior Night
South Carolina will honor four members of the team prior to Wednesday’s contest vs. Mississippi State, including senior forward Lakeem Jackson, senior guard Shane Phillips, head team manager Josh King, and fellow manager Bubba Wright. Below are a few notables on each honoree:

Lakeem Jackson
Senior forward from Charlotte, N.C., that has been a mainstay in the starting lineup during his career. He enters Wednesday’s game with 749 career points and 557 rebounds. Jackson has led, or shared the team lead in scoring six times in his career, in rebounding 25 times, in assists 30 times and in steals 26. He has posted four-career double-doubles, including three during the 2012-13 campaign. Jackson is a retail major.

Shane Phillips
A senior from Pittsburgh, Penn., Phillips has been a member of the Gamecocks squad for the past two seasons. He enters Wednesday’s contest after playing a career high 13 minutes at Texas A&M, where he hit the first basket of his career, and dished a career-best three assists. Phillips is a public relations major.

Josh King
A native of Durham, N.C., King has been on staff as a team manager since the 2009-10 campaign, serving as the head manager this season. He is a sport management major and is currently a student intern in the Gamecock Athletics compliance office.

Bubba Wright
A native of Gaffney, S.C., Wright is a physical education major who is currently a student teacher in the Columbia area. Wright has also been on staff as a team manager since the 2009 campaign.

Scouting Mississippi State
Mississippi State enters Wednesday’s contest with an 8-20 overall record, which includes a 3-13 mark in league games. The Bulldogs snapped a 13-game losing streak on Saturday with a 73-67 win over intrastate rival Ole Miss. Junior forward Colin Borchert led MSU with a career-high 21 points, while Gavin Ware added 12 in the win vs. the Rebels. Freshman guard Craig Sword also dished out a career-best 9 assists. Junior guard Jalen Steele and Sword pace the squad with 9.7 points per game in overall games, while Sword leads the team with 10.6 per SEC contest. Due to injuries, MSU has lost freshmen Andre Applewhite (ACL) and Jacoby Davis (ACL) and senior forward Wendell Lewis (fractured right patella) for the year. The squad is led by head coach Rick Ray in his first season.

Mississippi State Series
Mississippi State holds a 17-8 edge in the all-time series with South Carolina, including a 7-4 advantage in games played in Columbia. MSU has won seven-straight games in the series with Carolina’s last win a 66-63 victory on Jan. 27, 2007, in Starkville.

By The Numbers
11 – The number of double-figure rebounding games that Lakeem Jackson has had in his career in the Garnet and Black, including five this season. Jackson collected a career high 15 rebounds earlier this season vs. Missouri State on Nov. 24.
11 – Junior guard Brenton Williams has led the Gamecocks in scoring off the bench 11 times this season, including last Saturday with nine points off the bench at Texas A&M. Williams averages 12.5 points per game in those contests.
6 – Junior point guard Bruce Ellington dished a season high six assists at Texas A&M last Saturday, including four in the second half.

Up Next For The Gamecocks
South Carolina concludes the regular season at Vanderbilt on Saturday with a contest set to tip at 1:47 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. Vandy posted a 58-51 win in Columbia on Jan. 19 in the first 2013 meeting between the two schools.