Dec. 2, 2005

Playing the first of three straight games against in-state foes, South Carolina will play at Clemson on Sat., Dec. 3 in a 4 pm televised contest with the Tigers. The game, one of 22 regular season contests on television this year for the Gamecocks, will be shown on Fox Sports South with Mike Goldberg and Mike Gminski making the call. The game will also be carried on the Gamecock Radio Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (color analyst) making the call.

The Gamecocks enter the game at 5-1, shooting 50% from the field, including 41% from the three-point arc. Carolina is averaging 6.0 bpg with the opponents averaging 1.8 bpg. Individually Carolina is led by senior Tarence Kinsey, who is averaging 19.0 ppg and 3.8 rpg. The junior trio continues to represent as well: Renaldo Balkman (13.7 ppg, team-leading 7.8 rpg, 3.0 apg), Tre’ Kelley (12.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.0 spg) and Brandon Wallace (7.3, 5.8 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2.0 bpg).

Carolina leads the series 86-69 and has won the last four of five between the two rivals. Clemson, 5-0, is coming off a 96-88 victory at Penn State on Tuesday night. The Tigers, led by third-year coach Oliver Purnell, got the best of USC in overtime last year winning 63-62 in overtime on Dec. 4, 2004. They feature three players in double figures: Shawan Robinson (12.4), Akin Akingbala (11.6) and Vernon Hamilton (10.2).

And now showing for the 25th time …

With the Lake Hartwell Inn closed for remodeling, USC will stay elsewhere this year despite Coach Odom’s penchant for success when staying there. Odom is 3-1 against Clemson since talking over the Gamecock reigns, including 2-0 at Clemson. He will be making his 25th visit to Littlejohn Coliseum as both an assistant and head coach.

As a head coach, Odom is 22-9 overall against Clemson and is 9-5 against Clemson in Tigertown. The 22 wins by Odom as a head coach against the Tigers are the most he has against any one team. He has won nine of the last 10 he coached against CU. The last time he lost to the Tigers? Clemson defeated Odom’s Wake Forest team 71-46 on Feb. 7, 1998.

Add to the 22-9 record stints as an assistant coach at Wake Forest (2-4 from 1976-77 – 1978-79) and Virginia (9-5 from 1982-83 – 1988-89) and Odom’s record moves to 33-18 all-time vs. the Tigers – including 13-11 all-time at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Wofford was the last

With three straight games to be played in South Carolina borders in the next couple weeks, things could be looking up for the Gamecocks. Coach Odom is 55-9 overall against all teams in the state of South Carolina — with its only losses coming to in-state rival Clemson. That total includes one game against the Gamecocks as well. The most wins come against Clemson as Odom is 22-9 against the Tigers and is 32-0 against the rest of South Carolina. His first test this season will be at Clemson on Dec. 3 followed by games against Winthrop (Dec. 14), Wofford (Dec. 17) and South Carolina State (Jan. 3).

Our sorted past

Prior to defeating UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night (77-55), Carolina finished as the runner-up to Marquette at the Great Alaska Shootout, posting a 2-1 record with wins over Alaska Anchorage (65-60) and Monmouth (62-56) and the overtime loss to Marquette (89-92). The Marquette game marked the first time a Dave Odom-Gamecock coached team scored more than 80 points in a game and didn’t come away with the victory (20-1).

Already one …

Carolina’s 15 blocked shots against UAA broke the school record set six years ago (14 vs. SC State, 12/30/99). It was the most for a Gamecock team under Odom since USC blocked 12 vs. Campbell (11/29/03).

The Gamecocks are picking right up from where they got off last season in blocking shots. Carolina blocked 4.3 bpg last season. This season, Carolina is averaging 6.0 bpg. Carolina has out blocked their opponents this season 36-11.

Kinsey

Tarence Kinsey has hit 20+ points four times this season. Carolina fans should cheer extra when Kinsey has the ball – when Kinsey leads the team in scoring during his career, USC is a perfect 13-0.

In his first three seasons at USC, Kinsey played in 85 games and in those 85 games he hit the 20+ mark only twice. (23 vs. South Carolina State, 12-22-04 and 21 vs. Idaho, 11-18-03) He has 114 points in the first five games for an average of 19.0 points per game. All told Kinsey has 716 career points and needs 284 points to hit the 1,000 mark and become the 38th Gamecock to go over the one thousand mark.

Block Out

Brandon Wallace blocked a career-best seven shots against Alaska Anchorage. Including Wallace’s seven, the Gamecock team combined for a school record 15 vs. UAA on Nov. 24.

Wallace is No. 7 in career blocks with 102 total. He needs 21 blocks to reach No. 6 — Tony Kitchings (123, 1999-2003) and then one more to hit the top five (Ryan Stack, 124, 1995-96). The career leader might be a bit tougher. It’s 235 blocked shots by Danny Traylor (1971-73).

Wallace blocked 55 shots last season. The 55 tied Ryan Stack who also blocked 55 in the 1997-98 season. In 2004-05 he blocked at least one shot in 25 of 33 games – including blocking three or more shots in eight games.

Face (book) time

This week CSS added the Winthrop game to its college basketball television schedule. Carolina will appear on television at least 22 times this season during the regular season, including at least seven games on national television (6 ESPN/ESPN2, 1 CBS) and one tape delay (SUN Sports). The 22 appearances will be the most regular-season television appearances ever for the Gamecocks.

USC is already 3-1 on TV this season.

DATE GAME NETWORK TIME (ET)/SCORE

Nov. 20 Toledo (FSNS) 85-73

Nov. 24 at Alaska Anchorage (ESPN2) ^ 10 pm

Nov. 25 vs. Monmouth (ESPN2) 62-56

Nov. 26 vs. Marquette (ESPN2) 89-92 (OT)

Dec. 3 at Clemson (FSNS) 4 pm

Dec. 14 Winthrop (CSS) 7 pm

Dec. 22 at Temple (CSS) 8 pm

Dec. 28 Pittsburgh (CSS) 7 pm

Jan. 3 S.C. State (CSS) 7 pm

Jan. 8 Tennessee (JP) * 1:30/4 pm

Jan. 14 Georgia (JP) * 3 pm

Jan. 21 at Kentucky (JP) * 1 pm

Jan. 25 Florida (JP) * 8 pm

Jan. 28 at Tennessee (FSNS) * 5 pm

Feb. 4 at Arkansas (JP) * 3 pm

Feb. 8 at Florida (SUN) * 7 pm

Feb. 11 Mississippi St. (FSNS) * 6 pm

Feb. 14 Alabama (ESPN) * 7 pm

Feb. 18 Kentucky (CBS) * 1:30 pm

Feb. 23 at Georgia (ESPN) * 7 pm

Feb. 25 Vanderbilt (JP) * 1 pm

Feb. 28 LSU (ESPN) * 9 pm

Mar. 9-12 at SEC Tournament (Nashville) JP/CBS TBA

^ – Great Alaska Shootout; * – SEC

Here’s a Streak

South Carolina has a current streak of 140 consecutive games with a three-point basket. Not bad, but the streak had reached 216 straight games with USC?having a trey in every game since Jan. 7, 1995 vs. Kentucky. ?The streak ended as Carolina went 0-19 from long range in the regular season finale vs. Mississippi State in 2001.