Nov. 18, 2009

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (2-0) travels to the low country to participate in the Second Annual Charleston Classic this weekend, beginning with a Thursday night matchup against La Salle (1-0). The contest will be televised on ESPNU with tip time set for 9:30 p.m. Fans can access the game on the radio via the Gamecock Radio Network affiliate in respective areas across the state.

GAME INFORMATION

South Carolina Game Notes

Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tipoff: 9:30 p.m.
Location: Charleston, S.C.
Arena: Carolina First Arena (5,000)
Series: Series is tied 1-1
Television: ESPNU
Talent: Justin Kutcher (play-by-play), Jay Williams (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Talent: Andy Demetra (play-by-play), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 102nd season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are out-scoring their opponents by 31 points per game, third-highest in the SEC. South Carolina’s 10.5 blocked shots per game lead the league.
– Seniors Devan Downey (18.5 ppg, t-7th) and Dominique Archie (16.5 ppg, 14th) rank among the top 15 scorers in the SEC.
– Carolina attempted 44 free throws against Georgia Southern, the most since attempting a 2008-09 season high 49 vs. Vanderbilt on Jan. 28.
– South Carolina is 70-26 (.729) all-time in the month of November. Carolina went 4-1 last season during the month.
– Senior forward Dominique Archie led Carolina with 18 points and 10 rebounds vs. Georgia Southern on Monday – his seventh career double-double. Archie needs just 26 points to reach 1,000 for his Gamecock career.
– Freshman guard Ramon Galloway collected his first double-figure scoring game with 10 points against Georgia Southern. He was one of five Gamecocks in double figures vs. the Eagles.
– South Carolina is 52-33 all-time versus current schools in the Atlantic 10. South Carolina’s last win over an A-10 opponent came in a 60-57 victory over Saint Joseph’s to claim the 2005 Postseason NIT title. Carolina’s last loss to a member of the league came in a 63-50 decision to Temple on Dec. 22, 2005.

Trend Watch
Gamecock trends under Darrin Horn
– South Carolina is 12-4 when scoring at least 80 points.
– South Carolina is 2-0 this season when scoring at least 80 points. Carolina’s 90 points scored against Georgia Southern was its most since a 97-93 loss at Florida on Feb. 3, 2009.
– The Gamecocks are 7-0 when dishing at least 14 assists.
– Carolina collected 18 assists in its victory over Georgia Southern on Nov. 16 – the most since posting 20 in a 90-43 victory over NC Central on Dec. 16, 2008.
– The Gamecocks are 17-1 under Horn when collecting at least nine steals in a contest.
– South Carolina finished last season ranked ninth in the nation with 9.2 steals per game. Thus far in 2009-10, Carolina averages 8.0 steals per contest, led by Dominique Archie and Devan Downey with 2.0 steals per game each.

Series Information
– The all-time series between South Carolina and La Salle is tied at 1-1.
– Carolina won the first match-up between the two schools, a 62-59 win on Dec. 30, 1968, competing at the Quaker City Classic in Philadelphia.
– The teams have not met since the 1988 campaign, when La Salle collected an 85-67 victory at the Cotton States Classic in Atlanta on Dec. 29.

Georgia Southern Contest Notables
– The Gamecocks collected a 90-66 win over Georgia Southern on Monday night at Colonial Life Arena. Five scored double-figures for South Carolina, led by Dominique Archie’s 18. Mike Holmes (12), Devan Downey (14), Brandis Raley-Ross (13) and Ramon Galloway (10) also posted double-figures.
– South Carolina’s 12 blocks in the contest were the most since the Gamecocks’ record-setting 16 vs. Kentucky on Feb. 25, 2009. Sam Muldrow led Carolina with four blocks against Georgia Southern.
– All 12 South Carolina players who are eligible to play this season saw game action versus Georgia Southern.

Scouting La Salle
– La Salle collected an 83-80 victory over Hampton in its 2009-10 season opener on Saturday. Senior guard Rodney Green led all scorers with 23 points, while collecting seven rebounds and adding five assists.
– Freshman Aaric Murray was named the Atlantic 10 co-Rookie of the Week on Sunday. Murray had 16 points and collected 11 rebounds in his college debut against Hampton.
– La Salle finished the 2008-09 campaign with an 18-13 record, including a 9-7 slate in Atlantic 10 Conference action. Four Explorers finished the season averaging double-digits in scoring, led by Green with 17.8 points per contest. The Explorers are led by Dr. John Giannini, who is in his sixth season at the helm of the La Salle program.

Up Next For Carolina
– Following Thursday’s contest against La Salle, South Carolina will play either Davidson or South Florida on Friday at Carolina First Arena.
– South Carolina owns a 39-28 upperhand in the all-time series against Davidson. The Wildcats won the last contest between the two schools, a 70-63 victory last March in the NIT. Devan Downey led Carolina with 18 points in the loss.
– The Gamecocks own a 2-1 upperhand in the all-time series against South Florida. The teams have not met since a 72-70 Carolina win on Dec. 14, 2004. Renaldo Balkman led all Gamecock scorers with a then-career high 17 points in the contest.