Nov. 14, 2011

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (1-0) is set to travel to Elon (0-1) on Tuesday in a mid-week non-conference matchup. The contest is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET, and will be televised on SportSouth.

OPENING TIP
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Elon, N.C.
Arena: Alumni Gym
Series: South Carolina leads 2-0
Television: SportSouth (check local listings)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Derek Scott (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)

Game Notes

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 104th season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by fourth-year head coach Darrin Horn.
– South Carolina is set to play 19 contests at Colonial Life Arena this season.
– South Carolina earned an impressive 75-50 victory over Western Carolina in the season opener last Friday. Freshman forward Anthony Gill paced Carolina with 14 points, while sophomore guard Brenton Williams impressed, scoring 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, while collecting five steals.
– Carolina’s 12 3-point field goal attempts versus Western Carolina rank as the second-fewest in the Darrin Horn era. The Gamecocks have attempted just 12 on six occassions, with the most recent in a 74-61 win over Delaware State on Dec. 1, 2010. Under Horn, the fewest attempts by Carolina in a game is 10, which has happened three times.
– All 10 of South Carolina’s players who saw action in the season opener versus Western Carolina played at least 16 minutes. Play was very balanced with R-freshman Carlton Geathers playing 16 minutes on the low end and Gill and senior forward Malik Cooke playing 23 on the high end.
– Carolina’s 14 fouls vs. WCU marked the fewest in a contest since a loss at Alabama on Jan. 12. The Gameocks also committed just 14 fouls in that game.
– After last Friday’s win over Western Carolina, South Carolina owns a 75-29 (.721) all-time record in season openers, including a perfect 10-0 record in the last 10 seasons. The last season-opening loss for the Gamecocks came against the Ohio Valley’s Tennessee Tech during the 2000-01 season, as the Golden Eagles edged the Gamecocks, 73-67. The Gamecocks earned a 94-79 win over Elon in the 2010-11 season opener.
– In his career, Darrin Horn is now 8-1 in season openers, including a 4-0 mark at South Carolina.
– South Carolina’s contest at Elon on Tuesday marks its first game in the state of North Carolina since an 81-63 victory at Western Carolina on Nov. 12, 2005.
– South Carolina owns a 284-128 (.689) all-time record against current schools in the Southern Conference. Carolina’s last loss to a SoCon opponent came in a 91-75 decision at Furman on Dec. 22, 2010. The Gamecocks’ 75-50 win over Western Carolina (Nov. 11, 2011) marks their last win over an opponent from the league.
– Behind freshman forward Anthony Gill’s 14-point performance, the Gamecocks earned a 69-59 victory over D-II powerhouse Kentucky Wesleyan in the lone exhibition of the season on Nov. 3. Senior forward Malik Cooke chipped in 11 points and sophomore forward RJ Slawson added 10, while collecting a team-best nine rebounds.
– Following Tuesday’s contest at Elon, South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 20 to begin play in the Las Vegas Invitational versus Tennessee State. The Gamecocks will have a quick turnaround, however, as they will host Mississippi Valley State just two days later.

By The Numbers
18 – Of its 29 missed shots vs. Western Carolina, the Gamecocks won back 18 of those attempts with offensive rebounds. Senior forward Malik Cooke picked up right where he left off last season, collecting a team best five offensive boards. He paced the Gamecocks last season with 2.9 offensive rebounds per outing.
5 – Sophomore guard Brenton Williams collected a game high five steals vs. Western Carolina. It marked the most in a game since Devan Downey collected six versus Vanderbilt on Jan. 16, 2010.
50.8% – Carolina’s 50.8% from the floor vs. Western Carolina was its highest percentage in the last 18 games dating back to last season. The Gamecocks shot 53.2% in a 91-56 win over SC State on Jan. 4, 2011.
12 – The Gamecocks committed just 12 turnovers vs. WCU. A big change from 20 turnovers in the exhibition vs. Kentucky Weslyan. Notably Lakeem Jackson committed six turnovers vs. KWC and did not have any turnovers against the Catamounts.
36 – South Carolina first-year players (Gill, Leonard, Williams, Geathers) accounted for 36 points vs. Western Carolina last Friday. Gill paced the group with 14 points.
10 – South Carolina is 10-24 in road contests under Darrin Horn. The Gamecocks were 3-9 last season, with wins at Western Kentucky, Florida and LSU.

Scouting Elon
The Phoenix suffered an 85-67 loss on the road at UMass in its season opener last Friday … Sophomore forward Lucas Troutman paced Elon in that contest with 15 points, while senior guard Drew Spradlin added 14 and freshman guard Austin Hamilton chipped in 12 … Spradlin was selected as one of the 10 Preseason All-Southern Conference team members by the league’s coaches … The Phoenix was picked to finish fifth in the SoCon North Division … Elon cruised past Washington and Lee 96-48 in an exhibition contest this season.