Jan. 23, 2009

South Carolina vs. Mississippi | 8 p.m.

| Live Audio | Game Notes

GAME INFORMATION
South Carolina vs. Mississippi

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2009
Tipoff: 8:06 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Series tied, 12-12
Series Trend: South Carolina – Win two
Television: Fox Sports South
Eddie Fogler (Analyst), Dave Neal (Play-By-Play)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Casey Manning (analyst)
Internet: ESPN 360.com
Tickets: Tickets remain at the Gamecock ticket office. Call 803-777-4274 or online at www.GamecocksOnline.com.

Game Preview
South Carolina (13-4, 2-2 SEC) hosts Ole Miss (10-8, 1-3 SEC) in its second contest of a three-game SEC homestand on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Gamecocks are fresh off a thrilling upset win over No. 24 Florida on Wednesday, their second over a ranked opponent this season. Carolina’s 2-2 record in league play marks the first time since the 2004-05 season that the Gamecocks have managed at least two wins in the first four games of the conference campaign. Ole Miss looks to snap a two-game conference losing streak on Saturday, having lost to LSU (Jan. 17, 51-83) and most recently Alabama (Jan. 21, 73-76).

Series Information
The all-time series between South Carolina and Mississippi is tied at 12-12 entering Saturday’s matchup. South Carolina has won two straight in the series.

Television Information The contest will be televised on Fox Sports South with Dave Neal calling play-by-play and former South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler handling color analyst duties. The contest versus Ole Miss marks the 15th 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.

Scouting Mississippi
Ole Miss enters Saturday’s game with a 10-8 overall record, including a 1-3 mark in SEC play. The Rebels’ lone win in conference play occurred in a 74-65 win over Arkansas on Jan. 14. The Rebels have struggled with injury this season, the most notable was the loss of sophomore point guard Chris Warren who suffered a torn ACL in the final minutes of Ole Miss’s loss to then-No. 9 Louisville on Dec. 18. The Rebels have managed a 3-4 record in Warren’s absence. Sophomore Trevor Gaskins and junior Eniel Polynice were also lost to injury early in the season.

Junior guard David Huertas leads all active Rebels with 19.1 points per game. He is the only Rebel currently available on the roster to average double digits, as Warren averaged 19.6 points per game during 11 games prior to his injury. Huertas currently ranks third in the SEC in scoring behind Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks (26.0/ppg) and South Carolina’s Devan Downey (19.6). Huertas poured in 26 points in Mississippi’s most recent loss to Alabama on Wednesday, just three shy of matching his career high. Huertas leads the team in SEC games in scoring with 15.5 per contest.

Freshman guard Will Bogan (2.3 ppg), freshman guard Terrico White (9.4 ppg) and sophomore guard Zack Graham (7.0 ppg) fill in the Rebel backcourt. Bogan has made six starts at the one position for the rebels, while White was recently named the SEC Freshman of the Week after knocking down a career high 22 points against LSU. White ranks second on the squad in scoring in strictly SEC games (15.3), while he ranks 12th in the league.

Sophomore forward Malcom White and freshman forward Murphy Holloway, an Irmo, S.C., native, lead the Rebel front court. White provides 6.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in SEC play, while Holloway adds 10.8 points 5.0 rebounds and a team-best 1.8 steals per outing against league opponents.

Freshman forward Terrance Henry (4.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg/overall per game) and junior forward DeAundre Cranston (3.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg/overall per game) will also see significant time in the Rebel lineup.

Scouting South Carolina
Fresh off its thrilling upset win over No. 24 Florida on Wednesday, South Carolina enters Saturday’s contest with a 13-4 overall record, including a 2-2 mark in SEC play. The Gamecocks are 11-1 in the friendly confines of Colonial Life Arena this season, including a 2-0 record in league contests.

Junior point guard Devan Downey leads a pack of four Gamecocks who average double figures (overall) entering Saturday’s matchup against the Rebels. Downey’s 19.6 points per game rank second in the league, while his 16.5 points per game in league play ranks second on the squad to senior guard Zam Fredrick’s 19.5 per contest against league opponents. Downey led Carolina with 20 points against Florida – marking the 14th time this season Downey has led, or tied for a team-best in scoring. The Chester, S.C., native nears 1,000 points in the Garnet and Black, as he has 921 career points as a Gamecock.

Fredrick has taken his senior leadership to another level during SEC play. After missing a free throw that would have tied the contest at 69-69 with just five seconds remaining on the clock versus Florida, Fredrick kept his composure and clinched the Gamecock win with a lay-up with just tenths of a second remaining on the clock. Fredrick provides 16.2 points per game overall this season and a team-best 19.5 per game in league play.

Junior forward Dominique Archie and sophomore big man Mike Holmes have played solid for Carolina in recent outings. Archie averages 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds overall this season, while he adds 12.3 points and a team-best 8.8 rebounds in SEC action. Archie recently collected a career-high 12 rebounds in the loss to Tennessee.

Holmes forever etched his name in Carolina history after his stellar on-point pass to Fredrick that clinched the Carolina win over No. 24 Florida on Wednesday. Holmes provides 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds overall this season. He adds 6.8 points and 6.0 boards per game in SEC play.

Sophomore forward Sam Muldrow made his first start of the season against Florida after missing much of the year due to academics and a nagging elbow injury. Muldrow made his mark against the Gators – adding eight points, collecting six rebounds and blocking three shots. Keep an eye for Muldrow in the starting lineup against Ole Miss.

Junior forward Evka Baniulis shot lights-out from beyond the arc in the win over Florida. Baniulis hit 4-of-7 attempts from 3-point range – matching his top effort from 3-point range this season. Baniulis provides a solid 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in SEC play.

Buzzer-Beating Zam
Senior guard Zam Fredrick has been the key to both of South Carolina’s buzzer-beater victories this season, BOTH over ranked opponents. Fredrick kicked off the new year with a lay-up with five seconds remaining on the clock to upset then-No. 19 Baylor on Jan. 2, while he clinched South Carolina’s most recent win over a ranked opponent, hitting the winning lay-up with nano seconds left on the clock in Carolina’s upset over No. 24 Florida on Wednesday.

Wins Over Ranked Compeition
South Carolina has defeated two ranked opponents this season – at then-No. 19 Baylor on Jan. 2, and most recently defeating No. 24 Florida on a last-second lay-up by senior guard Zam Fredrick. The two wins over a ranked opponent mark the first time South Carolina has defeated two ranked opponents in a season since defeating No. 5 Florida (68-62), and later that season No. 6 Florida (71-67) and finally defeating No. 18 Tennessee (79-71) in the SEC Tournament during the 2005-06 campaign.

Sportscenter Moment(s)
Zam Fredrick’s buzzer-beater to clinch the Gamecock victory over No. 24 Florida on Wednesday was marked as ESPN Sportscenter’s No. 2 play in its “Top 10 Plays of the Day” segment. The show also featured Fredrick’s winning lay-up in the opening of that evening’s show. Earlier this season, Fredrick’s go-ahead lay-up with five seconds remaining on the clock to propel South Carolina past then-No. 19 Baylor on Jan. 2 was also featured as one of the show’s “Top 10 Plays of the Day” as the No. 9 play.