Feb. 9, 2010

The Gamecock men’s basketball team (13-9, 4-4 SEC) will host the visiting Florida Gators (17-6, 6-3 SEC) on Wednesday at Colonial Life Arena. The contest will tip off at 8 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network (Channel 806 – Time Warner Cable, Columbia) with Dave Neal and Mark Gottfried on the call. Fans can also listen to Andy Demetra and Casey Manning on the Gamecock Radio Network across the state.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Florida leads 36-20
Television: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal (pxp), Mark Gottfried (analyst),
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Multimedia: ESPN360.com
Tickets: Tickets are available via the Gamecock Ticket Office (1-800-4SC-FANS)

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 102nd season of basketball.
– Senior guard Devan Downey has scored 30 or more points in three of the last four games, and has tallied 30 or more in five of eight SEC contests this season.
– South Carolina is 10-2 in games played at Colonial Life Arena this season, scoring 80.0 points per game in those contests. Downey paces Carolina with 23.8 points per game in homes games.
– The Gamecocks are 3-1 in conference home games this season with wins over LSU, then-No. 1 Kentucky and Georgia.
– Junior forward Sam Muldrow collected a career-high 16 rebounds at Tennessee on Saturday. It marked the highest rebound total for a South Carolina player since Mike Holmes collected 16 vs. NC State on Nov. 23, 2007.
– Carolina is 10-4 this season in games in which it scores at least 70 points.
– In the 70th game of his college career, junior forward Sam Muldrow collected his first career double-double with a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds in South Carolina’s 78-77 win over Georgia (1/30).
– Downey has tallied 1,708 points as a Gamecock, which ranks fifth all-time in South Carolina history.
– South Carolina holds a +14.9 scoring margin in games it’s won this season.
– Devan Downey’s 3.0 steals per game lead the league and rank second in the nation (as of Feb. 8 NCAA stats).
– Darrin Horn-led teams are 89-16 (.848) all-time in home games. South Carolina is 26-5 (.838) at Colonial Life Arena under Horn’s direction.
– South Carolina owns a 79-69 (.534) record all-time in SEC homes games.
– In league play, Downey accounts for 46% (247/538) of South Carolina’s scoring.
– Downey (23.0 ppg) leads the team and the SEC in scoring in overall games this season. He has led or shared the team lead in scoring 18 times, including the last 14 games. He ranks fifth in the nation in points per game.
– Carolina’s 7.0 blocked shots per game rank third in the Southeastern Conference, behind Mississippi State’s 8.2 and Kentucky’s 7.1, and seventh in the nation. Junior forward Sam Muldrow paces the Gamecocks with 3.5 blocks per game, second in the SEC and seventh in the nation.
– Following South Carolina’s thrilling upset victory of then-No. 1 Kentucky on Jan. 26, Carolina is 1-7 all-time against schools ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The Gamecocks are 1-1 against Kentucky when the Wildcats are ranked No. 1. South Carolina is 1-1 in home games against No. 1s.
– The Gamecocks are in their 19th season of competition in the Southeastern Conference. Carolina owns a 120-176 (.405) all-time record in SEC play.
– Darrin Horn-led teams are 71-31 (.696) all-time in league play. Horn led Carolina to a 10-6 record in SEC action during his first year in Columbia.
– South Carolina is 426-422-1 (.502) all-time in the month of February. In that, the Gamecocks are 48-83 (.366) all-time in SEC games during the month.

By The Numbers
– 2 – South Carolina collected a season-low two steals in its loss at Tennessee on Saturday.
– 26.2 – In his two-plus seasons at South Carolina, Devan Downey averages 26.2 points per game in five career games vs. Florida. He has two 30-point games vs. the Gators
– 33 last year in Gainesville and 36 two short weeks ago at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Downey only averages more points per game among league opponents in two career games vs. Arkansas at 26.5 per outing.
– 3 – Junior forward Sam Muldrow has collected double-figure rebounds in three straight games (11 vs. UK and UGA, 16 vs. Tennessee). It is the first time that Muldrow has collected consecutive games with double-digit rebounds, while it marks the first time South Carolina has had a player post three straight games with 10+ boards since Brandon Wallace did so during the 2007 SEC campaign. Wallace collected 13 vs. Arkansas (1/24/06), followed by 16 vs. Mississippi State (1/27) and 11 vs. No. 19 Alabama (2/3).

Florida Series Information
– Florida holds a 36-20 advantage in the all-time series with South Carolina, including a 17-12 upperhand in games played in Columbia.
– Chandler Parsons’ late-game heroics gave Florida a 58-56 win in the first meeting between the two schools just two weeks ago. Downey scored two of his 36 points with just five seconds remaining on the clock, but Irving Walker found Parsons who hit a 3 as time expired for the Gator win.
– The teams split the season series last year, with each squad winning on its home court. Zam Fredrick’s heroics clinched a one-point victory for Carolina in Columbia, while Nick Calathes’ 22 points led the Gators to victory in Gainesville.
– Florida has won seven of the last 10 matchups between the two SEC East rivals.