Jan. 27, 2009

South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt | 7 p.m.

| Live Audio | Game Notes

GAME INFORMATION
South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: The series is tied at 21-21
Series Trend: Vanderbilt has won five straight
Television: None
Sat. Coordinates: Galaxy 28; Transponder 12; 3940 Horizontal
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Casey Manning (analyst)
Tickets: Tickets remain at the Gamecock ticket office. Call 803-777-4274 or online at www.GamecocksOnline.com.

Game Preview
South Carolina (14-4, 3-2 SEC) hosts Vanderbilt (12-7, 1-4 SEC) in a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division contest on Wednesday at Colonial Life Arena, concluding a three-game SEC homestand for the Gamecocks. South Carolina looks for its first three-game win streak in league play since the 2006 campaign. The meeting marks the first for South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn against the Commodores, while Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings owns an 8-10 career record against the Gamecocks. Star watch falls on South Carolina guard Devan Downey as he nears 1,000 points as a Gamecock. Downey needs just 57 more points to reach the career benchmark.

Series Information
The series is tied at 21-21, but Vanderbilt has won the last five meetings between the two schools.

Television Information
The contest will not be televised.

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 Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt enters Wednesday’s game with a 12-7 overall record, including a 1-4 mark in SEC play. The lone win in league play for the Commodores came in a 50-40 victory over Georgia on Jan. 14. Since that victory, Vandy has lost three straight in conference play – at Mississippi State (Jan. 17, 73-66), versus Tennessee (Jan. 20, 76-63) and versus Florida (Jan. 25, 94-69).

Sophomore center A.J. Ogilvy – tabbed along with South Carolina’s Devan Downey as a preseason All-SEC pick by the media – leads four Commodores who average double figures entering Wednesday’s game. Ogilvy averages 15.1 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per outing. Ogilvy missed two games earlier this season (St. Francis, Kentucky) due to a bruised heel. He has led the team in scoring 10 times this season, however, he was held to a season-low four points against Florida on Sunday. Ogilvy ranks 11th in the SEC in scoring and fifth in blocks per game (1.5)

Freshman guard Jeffrey Taylor also provides a double-digit scoring threat for the Commodores, as he adds 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game – second to only Ogilvy on boards per game. Taylor has led the squad in rebounding nine times this season, including pulling down nine in the loss to Florida on Sunday.

Junior guard Jermaine Beal contributes 11.9 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per game. Beal also swipes a team-high 1.4 steals per outing. He has reached double figures in 14 games this season, including 13 in the most recent outing versus Florida.

Freshman guard Brad Tinsley provides 10.1 points and 1.8 assists per game thus far in his rookie campaign. Tinsley ranks fifth among freshmen in the SEC in scoring.

South Carolina holds an edge in the majority of statistical categories over the Commodores, including scoring offense (79.6-68.6), field goal percentage (.465-438) and steals (9.9-6.1).

Scouting South Carolina
South Carolina enter’s Wednesday contest with a 14-4 overall record, including a 3-2 mark in SEC play. The Gamecocks ride a two-game league winning streak – their first such streak since Jan. 2007 – into Wednesday’s contest against Vanderbilt.

Junior guard Devan Downey leads four Gamecocks averaging double figures at 19.7 points per game, while he adds a team-best 4.3 assists and 3.0 steals per outing. Downey has led the Gamecocks in scoring 15 times this season, including 22 points in Carolina’s most recent win over Ole Miss. Downey ranks second in the SEC in scoring while he leads the league in steals per game, ranking fifth in the NCAA in that category.

Senior guard Zam Fredrick struggled in his most recent outing against Ole Miss, dropping just nine points on a meager 4-of-14 from the floor, however, just a week has passed since his buzzer-beater lay-up propelled South Carolina to victory over Florida on Jan. 21. Fredrick adds 15.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per outing in overall games, while he also ranks second on the team in scoring in strictly SEC games with 17.4 points per outing.

Junior forward Dominique Archie and sophomore forward Mike Holmes have been solid in league play for the Gamecocks. Archie provides 11.2 points per game in overall games this season, while he adds 12.2 per SEC contest. Archie tallied his 12th double-digit game of the year with 12 against Ole Miss. Holmes has led the Gamecocks in rebounding all season and has been a constant offensive threat to opposing teams. Holmes averages 11.1 points per game overall this season, while he leads the squad with 8.2 boards per outing. He’s tallied six double-digit rebounding games this season, including 10 in the most recent Gamecock win over Ole Miss.

Junior forward Evka Baniulis and sophomore big man Sam Muldrow are a significant part of the Carolina game plan. Muldrow tallied nine points, while collecting three rebounds against Ole Miss, his second-consecutive start, while he averages 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. After a string of games without scoring a point, Baniulis has provided solid minutes and solid numbers for Carolina in recent outings. He tallied 12 points in the stellar win over then-No. 24 Florida, shooting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and responded with eight points against Ole Miss.

Keep and eye on the Gamecock bench, as sophomore forward Austin Steed comes off a six-point, five-rebound effort against Ole Miss and junior guard Brandis Raley-Ross added seven points, four rebounds, two assists and one block against the Rebels.

SEC Streaks
South Carolina is currently on a two-game SEC winning streak with the opportunity to move to a three-game streak with a victory over Vanderbilt on Wednesday. The two-game streak is the first back-to-back SEC victories since Carolina defeated Arkansas at home on Jan. 24, 2007 (66-60) and followed with a road win at Mississippi State on Jan. 27, 2007 (66-63). It also marks the first two-game SEC home winning streak since defeating Mississippi State on Feb. 11, 2006 (83-61) and following with a victory over Alabama on Feb. 14, 2006 (67-56). South Carolina eyes its first three-game SEC winning streak since that same 2006 stretch, which began with a 71-67 win at Florida.

SEC Streaks – Homestyle
South Carolina’s last three-game HOME SEC winning streak came during the 2006 campaign, defeating Florida (68-62) on Jan. 25, Mississippi State (83-61) on Feb. 11 and Alabama (67-56) on Feb. 14. A 79-66 loss to Kentucky broke the home league winning streak.

Consecutive 3-Pointers Made
South Carolina has made at least one 3-pointer in 221 straight games dating back to a 0-19 performance from beyond the arc in a 64-57 loss to Mississippi State on March 2, 2002.