Dec. 3, 2011

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (2-5) travels to face Clemson (4-2) on Sunday in non-conference action. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. with the contest to be televised on ESPNU. The meeting is the 162nd all-time between the two schools.

OPENING TIP
Date: Sunday, December 4, 2011
Tipoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Arena: Littlejohn Coliseum
Series: South Carolina leads 87-74
Television: ESPNU
Talent: Rob Stone (pxp), Jay Williams (analyst)
Radio: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)

Game Notes

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 104th season of basketball.
– R-senior forward Malik Cooke tallied a game-high 21 points vs. Providence on Thursday, just one point shy of matching his career high. Cooke has led the Gamecocks in scoring three times this season, while hitting double-digits in six of seven games thus far. He paces Carolina with 12.9 points per contest.
– Sophomore point guard Bruce Ellington made his return to the practice court with the Gamecock hoops team on Monday. Ellington is also a member of the Gamecock football team. To date, Ellington has scored two touchdowns this season, including a 49-yard reception for a score vs. Clemson last Saturday. He posted six points in his first game back with the men’s basketball team vs. Providence. Sunday’s game at Clemson marks the second time in eight days that Ellington will face the Tigers, the first last week in football.
– Freshman forward Anthony Gill ranks second in the SEC in field goal percentage (59.5%) and sophomore guard Eric Smith ranks tied for third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (50.0%).
– The Gamecocks have out-rebounded their opponent in six of seven contests this season, including a 40-34 margin against Providence.
– South Carolina is 278-266 (.511) all-time in the month of December. South Carolina earned a 4-2 mark last season during the month.
– Following Sunday’s contest the Gamecocks will take a 12-day break from game action due to final exams. Carolina returns to the court at Colonial Life Arena to host Presbyterian on Dec. 13. The game will mark the first of six-straight at home for the Gamecocks.

By The Numbers
8 – Sophomore forward RJ Slawson tallied eight points off the bench vs. Providence to pace Carolina in scoring 23 bench points in the game. Slawson has led Carolina in bench points in three of the last four games.
16 – Sophomore guard Eric Smith hit 6-of-13 attempts from the floor, including three 3s, in scoring 16 points against Providence on Thursday, his second double-digit effort of the season.
50.0% – Smith leads the Gamecocks with a stellar 50.0% shooting from 3-point range, hitting 14-of-28 attempts in seven games this season. The Mullins, S.C., native is just two points shy of matching his total points from last season. He is second on the team with 9.4 points per game thus far in 2011-12.
28.2 – South Carolina averages 28.2 points in the paint per game this season. The Gamecocks tallied 36 points in the paint vs. Providence, second only to their 46 points in the paint vs. Western Carolina in the season opener.
20 – South Carolina collected a season high 20 offensive rebounds vs. Providence. It is the most offensive boards in a game by Carolina since also collecting 20 vs. Tennessee on March 3. Sophomore forward RJ Slawson leads the Gamecocks with 2.3 offensive boards per game this season. As a team the Gamecocks rank fourth in the SEC with 14.3 offensive rebounds per contest.

Clemson Series
South Carolina holds an 87-74 upperhand in the all-time series with Clemson, however, the Tigers hold a 44-31 advantage in games played in Clemson. The Gamecocks earned a 64-60 victory over the Tigers in Columbia last season, breaking a six-game Clemson winning streak in the series.

Scouting The Tigers
Clemson enters Sunday’s contest with a 4-2 overall record, having most recently earned a 71-55 road win at Iowa in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday night … Clemson has shot at least 50.0% from the field in three contests this season, including most recently vs. the Hawkeyes with a 51.9% from the field … Senior guard Andre Young paces the team with 15.2 points per game, while senior G/F Tanner Smith collects a team best 7.7 boards per game … Smith also paces the team with 4.8 assists per game.