Feb. 14, 2012

The South Carolina men’s basketball team returns to Colonial Life Arena to host Georgia in a midweek matchup on Wednesday. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised on CSS (check local listings) with Matt Stewart and Nate Ross on the call.

*** Please note, the contest will be shown on Channel 506 on Time Warner Cable at no additional cost to Digital TV customers.

OPENING TIP
Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Georgia leads 49-47
Television: CSS (check local listings)
Talent: Matt Stewart (pxp), Nate Ross (analyst)
Radio: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Gamecock Radio Network

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Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 104th season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are in their 21st season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2012. Carolina owns a 128-202 all-time record in SEC play.
– South Carolina begins a stretch of four out of the last six regular season games in Columbia beginning with Wednesday’s game vs. Georgia.
– South Carolina suffered a 76-65 loss at Arkansas last Saturday in the final game of a stretch where Carolina played four out of five games on the road. A near eight-minute scoring drought that spanned the end of the first half and beginning of the second saw the Gamecocks trail by as many as 23 in the contest. However, a late 16-0 run with under six minutes to play saw Carolina climb to within seven points of the Razorbacks lead, but Arkansas closed the contest with solid free throw shooting to claim the win. Sophomore forward Damontre Harris led Carolina with 12 points.
– South Carolina has only played two home games in the last 21 days (Jan. 25 vs. Alabama, Feb. 4 vs. No. 1 Kentucky).
– The Gamecocks had one of the toughest starts to SEC play this season, as the squad played Kentucky (currently 1st in the SEC) and Florida (second in the SEC) twice, and Vanderbilt (tied for third in the SEC) once, in the first eight games of the league season.
– In the SEC statistical standings South Carolina ranks second in rebounding defense (32.6), fifth in steals per game (6.8), tied for fifth in turnover margin (+1.0) and is third in the SEC in offensive rebounding (13.0).
– Senior forward Malik Cooke ranks is fourth in the SEC (all games) with 1.8 steals per game.
– Darrin Horn-led teams are 79-57 all-time in league play.
– South Carolina ranks fifth in the SEC and is among the nation’s top 30 with 5.0 blocks per game. Sophomore forward Damontre Harris ranks 33rd nationally with 2.3 blocks per game, which is fifth in the SEC.
– In games it has won in 2011-12, South Carolina holds a +11.9 scoring margin over its opponents. To compare, in games it has lost, Gamecock opponents score 11.3 more points per game.
– South Carolina is 429-437-1 all-time in the month of February.
– South Carolina has scored more points in the paint than its opponent 11 times, and has scored more points off turnovers 14 times this season. The Gamecocks average 26.1 points in the paint and average 15.1 points off turnovers per contest. South Carolina scored 18 points off 14 Tennessee turnovers on Feb. 8.
– When South Carolina played No. 1 Kentucky on Feb. 4, it marked the fourth top-two opponent the Gamecocks faced this season, as the squad had previously played then-No. 1 North Carolina, then-No. 2 Ohio State and the Wildcats when they were ranked No. 2 in early January. Those three teams have an average RPI of 5.3, with Ohio State the highest at 4 (as of Feb. 6 RPI report).

By The Numbers
4.0 – Over the course of the last five games, sophomore guard Bruce Ellington is averaging 4.0 assists per game. His high mark during the stretch was a season high six assists last week at Tennessee.
15.2 – Over the course of the last five games, South Carolina is averaging 15.2 free throw attempts per game, compared to 23.4 attempts by its opponents.
29 – Redshirt-senior forward Malik Cooke needs just 29 points to reach 1,000 for his career, which includes his two seasons at Nevada. Cooke leads the Gamecocks, averaging 12.1 points per game in overall games this season.
13.0 – Malik Cooke averaged 13.0 points per game last season vs. Georgia. He tallied 15 points and five rebounds in the contest in Columbia, before he tallied 11 points at Georgia later in the season.

Scouting Georgia
The Bulldogs have won two straight entering Wednesday’s contest, including most recently a 70-68 overtime win at then-No. 20 Mississippi State last Saturday … Georgia owns a 12-12 overall record, including a 3-7 mark in league games … Freshman guard Ken. Caldwell-Pope paces Georgia with 14.5 points per game, while senior guard Gerald Robinson adds 14.0 per outing … Robinson was named SEC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and three assists in wins over Arkansas and at Mississippi State last week … The Bulldogs rank among national leaders in fewest turnovers, while they have committed an SEC low 248 turnovers in overall games this season.

Up Next
South Carolina will host LSU on Saturday in a matchup set to be televised on the SEC Network. Tip off is scheduled for 1:47 p.m. ET.