Jan. 16, 2009

South Carolina vs. Tennessee | 6 p.m.

| Live Audio | Game Notes

GAME INFORMATION
South Carolina at Tennessee

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2009
Tipoff: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Knoxville, Tenn.
Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678)
Series: Tennessee leads, 29-23
Series Trend: Tennessee – Win 3
Television: Fox Sports South
Barry Booker (Analyst), Dave Neal (Play-By-Play)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Casey Manning (analyst)

Game Preview
South Carolina (12-3, 1-1 SEC) travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to face No. 24 Tennessee (10-5, 1-1 SEC) in a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division matchup on Saturday. The Gamecocks look to rebound after a disappointing loss at LSU on Wednesday. The meeting against the Volunteers marks the third for head coach Darrin Horn, as his Western Kentucky team faced UT twice during his time at the helm of the Hiltopper program.

Series Information
Tennesse holds a 29-23 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools, including a 19-7 record in games played in Knoxville. The Volunteers have won three straight in the series entering Saturday’s matchup, as the last Gamecock win over UT came in an 84-61 decision in Columbia on Feb. 17, 2007. Tennessee has won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series.

Television Information The contest will be televised on Fox Sports South with Dave Neal calling play-by-play and Barry Booker handling color analyst duties. The contest at Tennessee marks the 13th of 22 televised regular-season contests for the Gamecocks.

Radio Broadcast Information
The game will be broadcast on the ISP Gamecock Radio Network with Mike Morgan on the call with play-by-play and Casey Manning handling color analyst duties. The Gamecock Radio Network reaches throughout the state of South Carolina.

Series Breakdown
Tennessee leads the all-time series between the two schools, 29-23. The Volunteers won all three contests against the Gamecocks last season, collecting an 80-56 win in Columbia during the regular season, a 89-56 win in Knoxville and narrowly winning an 89-87 decision in the second round of the SEC Tournament against Carolina. Devan Downey tallied 24 points in the Columbia matchup, but the Volunteers were able to hold South Carolina’s top scoring threat to just two points in the Knoxville contest. Downey rebounded in the SEC Tournament, leading the Gamecocks with 26 points, while Zam Fredrick added 24 in the postseason bout.

Scouting Tennessee
The Tennessee Volunteers own a 10-5 overall record, including a 1-1 mark in SEC play entering Saturday’s contest against the Gamecocks. Tennessee most recently suffered a 90-72 setback on its home court against archrival Kentucky on Wednesday. The loss marked UT’s first SEC home-court loss since also dropping a decision to Kentucky on March 1, 2006, a span of 16 games.

Tennessee played a solid non-conference schedule with contests against Georgetown, Gonzaga (twice) and Marquette. The Vols posted a 9-4 record in non-league play, dropping two games against Gonzaga, one in Orlando, Fla., (74-83) at the Old Spice Classic and the other in Knoxville in overtime (79-89) at Thompson-Boling Arena. UT also dropped a 72-88 contest at Temple and an 85-92 decision at Kansas earlier this season.

Junior forward Tyler Smith paces the Vols with 17.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Smith has led UT in points 10 times this season, including a 19-point effort in the loss to Kentucky.

Junior forward Wayne Chism provides 12.8 points and a team-best 9.1 rebounds per outing. Chism has recorded five double-doubles this season, in which UT owns a 4-1 record. Chism led the Vols with 23 points in the last meeting against South Carolina, propelling UT into the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament.

Freshman guard Cameron Tatum and junior guard Bobby Maze round out four Volunteers who average double figures entering Saturday’s matchup with South Carolina. Tatum provides 10.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, while Maze adds 10.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per outing.

Freshman guard Scotty Hopson had started 11 games this season for the Vols, in which he adds 8.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game.

Scouting South Carolina
South Carolina brings its 12-3 overall record and 1-1 mark in league play into Saturday’s contest against Tennessee. The Gamecocks look to rebound after a disappointing 68-85 loss at LSU on Wednesday.

Junior point guard Devan Downey rebounded from a tough SEC opener against Auburn where he managed just nine points – his first contest of the season without scoring at least 10 points – to match Zam Fredrick’s 18 points to lead the Gamecocks against LSU. Downey matched a season-high eight turnovers in that contest. Downey paces four Gamecocks in double figures at 19.6 points per game – third in the SEC. He also contributes 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals per game.

Senior guard Zam Fredrick has been on a tear of late, posting at least 18 points in four of his last five games, including a season-best performance of 27 in the SEC opener victory against Auburn on Jan. 10. Fredrick contributes 16.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

Junior forward Dominique Archie had a solid game against LSU, despite the Carolina loss. Archie contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double for the season and fifth of his career. Archie provides 11.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.

Sophomore forward Mike Holmes made his way back into Darrin Horn’s starting lineup against LSU where he provided just four points and four rebounds. He fouled out of the contest for the first time this season and just the third time in his career. Holmes contributes 11.5 points and a team-best 8.1 rebounds entering Saturday’s matchup with UT.

Junior guard Brandis Raley-Ross adds 7.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Raley-Ross never found an offensive rhythm in the loss to LSU. He provided just two points on 1-of-3 shooting from the floor. Junior forward Evka Baniulis provided six points in the loss at LSU, but set a career high with four steals. Baniulis provides 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest for the Gamecocks.