Nov. 18, 2010

GAME INFORMATION
South Carolina vs. Radford

Date: Friday, November 19, 2010
Tipoff: 7:04 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: South Carolina leads 2-0
Television: FSCR (Fox Sports Carolinas)
Talent: Chip Caray (pxp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: Tickets are available via the Gamecock Ticket Office (1-800-4SC-FANS)

Game Notes vs. Radford

The 2010 Conference USA Tournament Champion South Carolina men’s soccer team will be honored at halftime of the men’s basketball contest vs. Radford.

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 103rd season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by third-year head coach Darrin Horn.
– South Carolina enters Friday’s contest with a 1-1 record after defeating Elon (94-79) in the season opener, and most recently suffering an 82-73 loss at No. 2/2 Michigan State on Tuesday.
– Horn has led South Carolina to a 28-8 (.778) home record during his two-plus seasons in Columbia.
– The Gamecocks out-rebounded Michigan State, 44-41, including 21 offensive rebounds. South Carolina scored 17 second chance points vs. the Spartans.
– Redshirt-junior Malik Cooke nearly collected his second-career double-double at Michigan State, collecting a team-best 11 rebounds, while adding nine points.
– Freshman guard Bruce Ellington recorded his first-career 20-point game at Michigan State, leading the Gamecocks with 22 points in the contest.
– Sophomore forward Lakeem Jackson collected his first-career double-double in South Carolina’s win over Elon on Nov. 12 with 13 points and a team-best 10 rebounds.
– Sophomore guard Ramon Galloway returned from injury vs. Elon, scoring 11 points in 16 minutes.
– Senior forward Sam Muldrow led South Carolina with 20 points vs. the Phoenix, the fourth time in his career in the Garnet and Black that he has led the team in scoring. He led the squad in points three times in 2009-10.
– South Carolina newcomers (including Malik Cooke) accounted for 41 points in the season opener vs. Elon. Cooke led all newcomers with 13 points, while Brian Richardson and RJ Slawson led all freshmen with 10 points each.
– South Carolina is 74-28 (.725) all-time in the month of November. Carolina went 5-1 last season during the month.
– 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.
– For the third-consecutive season, South Carolina defeated Kentucky Wesleyan in an exhibition contest. The Gamecocks defeated the Panthers 75-55 during the 2008-09 campaign, earned a 78-55 win last season and a 71-58 win over the Panthers on Nov. 4.
– The Gamecocks return SEC All-Defensive Team member Sam Muldrow. Muldrow was second in the league and 10th in the nation with 3.1 blocks per game in 2009-10.
– Muldrow is South Carolina’s top returning scorer with 10.4 points per game last season.
– Sophomore forward Lakeem Jackson averaged 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game over the last eight games of his rookie campaign.
– South Carolina owns a 32-7 (.820) all-time mark against schools in the Big South Conference, including a 28-4 (.875) mark in home contests. South Carolina’s last win over a Big South opponent was an 86-63 decision over Winthrop on Nov. 16, 2008. Carolina’s last loss to a Big South team came in a 58-61 loss to UNC-Asheville on Jan. 5, 2008.

Scouting Radford
– Radford enters Friday’s contest with a 2-0 mark after defeating Emory & Henry (57-54) and Methodist (83-74) to open the season.
– The Highlanders are led by head coach Brad Greenberg in his fourth season.
– Radford was picked to finish ninth in the Big South 2010-11 preseason poll (head coaches and media).
– The Highlanders return just one starter and five letterwinners from their 2009-10 squad.
– Redshirt-freshman Tommy Spagnolo paces the Highlanders through the first two games with 14.5 points per contest.

By The Numbers
– +3.0 – South Carolina collected 44 rebounds in the loss to Michigan State, three more than the Spartans.
– 70 – South Carolina’s 70 shot attempts vs. MSU were the most for the Gamecocks since attempting 83 vs. Baylor on Jan. 2, 2010. Fresman guard Bruce Ellington led Carolina with 18 shot attempts vs. MSU.
– 49.5 – South Carolina is averaging 49.5 points in the second half of contests thus far in 2010. To compare, the Gamecocks are averaging 34.0 in the first half.

Gamecocks Out-Rebound Spartans
– South Carolina out-rebounded No. 2/2 Michigan State, 44-41, on Tuesday. Michigan State has led the NATION in rebounding margin the last two seasons, posting a +9.3 mark in 2009 and a +8.6 figure in 2010. The Spartans have led the nation in the category in four of the last 11 seasons and have led the Big Ten in rebounding margin in 11 of the last 13 years. Under Tom Izzo, Michigan State has out-rebounded its opponent in 398 of 512 contests.

Balance The Minutes
– South Carolina currently has seven players who are averaging at least 17 minutes per game. Bruce Ellington (30.5 mpg), Malik Cooke (29.5), Lakeem Jackson (27.5), Brian Richardson (23.0), Sam Muldrow (21.0), Stephen Spinella (20.5) and Ramon Galloway (17.5) have all played significant minutes for the Gamecocks through their first two games of the 2010 campaign.

Spinella Enjoys Breakout Game vs. The Spartans
– Sophomore guard Stephen Spinella has his best performance on the offensive end of the court to date for the Gamecocks vs. MSU. Spinella posted his first-career double-figure scoring mark with 10 points, on 3-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Spinella’s previous highwater mark was seven points in a South Carolina win over Auburn last season.