Nov. 30, 2010

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (4-1) is set to host Delaware State (2-2) in non-conference action at Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday night. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tipoff: 7:04 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: First Meeting
Television: FSCR (Fox Sports Carolinas)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Derek Scott (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: Tickets are available via the Gamecock Ticket Office (1-800-4SC-FANS)

Game Notes vs. Delaware State

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 103rd season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by third-year head coach Darrin Horn.
– Horn has led South Carolina to a 30-8 (.789) home record during his two-plus seasons in Columbia and an 8-16 (.333) mark in road contests.
– Horn led Carolina to an 87-85 double overtime win over his alma mater, Western Kentucky, last Saturday. The win was Carolina’s first on the road this season and its first double overtime contest – win or loss – since the 1993 season.
– Carolina’s +9.8 rebounding margin ranks second in the SEC. The Gamecocks finished last in the SEC in the category during the 2009-10 season.
– South Carolina collected 55 rebounds in its win over USC Upstate, the most rebounds for a Gamecock squad since collecting 57 boards in a 64-41 win over Wofford on Dec. 2, 1996. South Carolina has out-rebounded each of its first five opponents this season.
– Sophomore guard Ramon Galloway led the Gamecocks in scoring for the first time in his career with 12 points in the Gamecocks’ win over USC Upstate on Nov. 23. He followed that performance with a 22-point effort in leading the Gamecocks to a double overtime win over WKU on Nov. 27.
– In the SEC, South Carolina ranks second in scoring (79.2) and third in steals (8.8).
– Junior forward Malik Cooke ranks third in the SEC in rebounding (9.4), while he leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.4).
– Freshman guard Bruce Ellington ranks third in the SEC in assists (5.2) and steals (3.2).
– The Gamecocks out-rebounded No. 2/2 Michigan State on Nov. 16, 44-41. MSU led the nation in rebounding margin in each of the last two seasons.
– South Carolina is 274-263 (.510) all-time in the month of December. The Gamecocks went 3-3 during the month last season.
– The 2009-10 Gamecocks concluded their 19th season of competition in the SEC with a 6-10 record. South Carolina owns an overall record of 122-182 (.401) all-time in SEC play.
– South Carolina owns an 18-1 (.947) all-time record against current schools in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, with its most common opponent being SC State, whom the Gamecocks own a 16-0 all-time record against. The Gamecocks are undefeated in home contests vs. the conference. Carolina’s lone loss against a MEAC school came against Coppin State in the 1997 NCAA Tournament.

Scouting Delaware State
– Led by head coach Greg Jackson in his 11th season at DSU, the Hornets enter Wednesday’s game with a 2-2 record on the season, having most recently dropped a 65-61 decision to La Salle on Monday night.
– Freshman forward Casey Walker and freshman guard Desmond Washington pace the team with 13.8 points per game thus far in 2010-11. Junior guard Jay Threatt, who led the nation in steals per game last year with 2.8 per outing, adds 9.3 points per game.
– DSU owns a 47.3 field goal percentage entering Wednesday’s matchup and a 43.5 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

By The Numbers
– 12 – Malik Cooke’s 12 rebounds vs. WKU were the most for a Gamecock since Lakeem Jackson pulled down 14 boards in the 2010 SEC Tournament vs. Alabama. Cooke’s 12 rebounds matched his career high, which he first set in a contest against Idaho on Jan. 31, 2009.
– 23 – South Carolina’s 23 points off of turnovers vs. WKU matched a season high in the category. The Gamecocks also scored 23 off turnovers vs. Michigan State on Nov. 16.
– 3 – WKU’s three steals vs. the Gamecocks last Saturday were the fewest by a Carolina opponent since Baylor only earned two steals vs. the Gamecocks on Jan. 2, 2010 in Columbia.
– 22 – Bruce Ellington’s 22 shot attempts vs. WKU were a South Carolina high this season for an individual player. It marked the most shot attempts in a single game since Devan Downey attempted 25 at Kentucky on Feb. 25, 2010.

Galloway Finds His Mark
– Sophomore guard Ramon Galloway tallied a career-high 22 points off the bench, including seven in the second overtime, to help lead South Carolina past Western Kentucky in a double overtime win on the road on Saturday. After a sluggish start to begin the 2010-11 campaign, hitting just 6-of-20 attempts in the first three games of the season, Galloway has found his mark, hitting 13-of-25 in the last two outings, including a 5-of-8 effort from beyond the arc (3-5 vs. WKU). Galloway was also the leading scorer for the Gamecocks with 12 points off the bench in a victory over intrastate rival USC Upstate last Tuesday. He also collected three rebounds and dished two assists in 18 minutes on the floor vs. the Spartans.