Feb. 19, 2010

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (14-11, 5-6 SEC) will host No. 20/18 Tennessee (19-6, 7-4 SEC) on Saturday at Colonial Life Arena. The contest will tip off at 1:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network with Carter Blackburn and Jamal Mashburn on the call. Fans can also listen to Andy Demetra and Casey Manning on the Gamecock Radio Network across the state.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Tipoff: 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Tennessee leads 32-23
Television: SEC Network
Talent: Carter Blackburn (pxp), Jamal Mashburn (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

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 102nd season of basketball.
– In Darrin Horn’s one-plus seasons at South Carolina, the Gamecocks are 12-7 in games following a loss.
– South Carolina ranks ninth in the nation in turnover margin (4.5).
– Junior forward Sam Muldrow set career highs with 23 points and four 3s vs. Arkansas on Wednesday. Muldrow is one of three active Gamecocks who average double-figures with 10.1 points per game (11.0 ppg in SEC play).
– Senior guard Devan Downey has scored 20 or more points in 12 of the last 14 games, and has tallied 30 or more in five of 11 SEC contests this season. He was just two points shy of his sixth 30-point effort of league play with 28 points at Arkansas on Wednesday.
– Freshman guard Ramon Galloway drew his fifth start of the season and his first since the Vanderbilt contest (1/16) at Arkansas. Galloway contributed six points, one assist and one steal vs. the Razorbacks.
– Senior guard Brandis Raley-Ross matched his career-high with 20 points vs. Florida on Feb. 10. Over the course of his last three games, Raley-Ross is averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 34.3 minutes per outing.
– Carolina is 11-5 this season in games in which it scores at least 70 points.
– Downey has tallied 1,778 points as a Gamecock, which ranks fourth all-time in South Carolina history. He is 132 points behind legendary Gamecock John Roche’s mark of 1,910 points, third all-time.
– South Carolina is 6-8 this season when trailing at the half, including a 4-4 mark when trailing at the half in SEC play.
– Devan Downey (28) and Sam Muldrow (23) each collected 20-point games vs. Arkansas on Feb. 17, marking the second time in Carolina’s last three games (vs. Florida, Downey, 24; Raley-Ross, 20) that two Gamecocks have registered 20 points in the same game.
– South Carolina holds a +14.3 scoring margin in games it has won this season.
– Devan Downey’s 2.9 steals per game lead the league and rank second in the nation (as of Feb. 18 NCAA stats).
– South Carolina is 11-2 in games played at Colonial Life Arena this season, scoring 79.8 points per game in those contests. Downey paces Carolina with 23.8 points in home games.
– The Gamecocks are 4-1 in conference home games this season with wins over LSU, then-No. 1 Kentucky, Georgia and Florida.
– South Carolina owns an 80-69 (.537) record all-time in SEC homes games.
– Darrin Horn-led teams are 90-16 (.849) all-time in home games. South Carolina is 27-5 (.844) at Colonial Life Arena under Horn’s direction.
– In league play, Downey accounts for 42% (317/755) 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 21 times, including the last 17 games. He ranks fourth in the nation in points per game.
– Carolina’s 6.6 blocked shots per game rank third in the Southeastern Conference, behind Mississippi State’s 7.9 and Kentucky’s 7.2, and ninth in the nation. Junior forward Sam Muldrow paces the Gamecocks with 3.2 blocks per game, second in the SEC and 11th in the nation.
– The Gamecocks are in their 19th season of competition in the Southeastern Conference. Carolina owns a 121-178 (.405) all-time record in SEC play.
– Darrin Horn-led teams are 72-33 (.686) 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 427-424-1 (.502) all-time in the month of February. In that, the Gamecocks are 49-85 (.365) all-time in SEC games during the month.
– The 2009-10 Gamecocks are 14 blocks shy of having the third-highest block total for a single season. The 2003-04 squad is currently third with 177 total blocks.
– Sam Muldrow’s 81 blocks are the fourth-most in a single-season in Carolina history and the most since Brandon Wallace had 86 blocks during the 2006-07 campaign.

By The Numbers
– 8 – Devan Downey needs just eight steals to surpass Chuck Eidson (272) for the Gamecock record for career steals. Eidson played at South Carolina from 1999-03. He ranks 35th in Carolina history with 1,067 career points.
– 18 vs. 59 – In its last two contests South Carolina has taken a combined 18 free throws (Downey with 8) against 59 combined by its opponents – Georgia with 23, Arkansas with 36. Carolina averages 11.8 free throws per game in SEC play, while its opponents average 14.7.
– 44.9 – South Carolina’s 44.9 percent from the field vs. Arkansas marked its highest mark since hitting 51.8 percent of its attempts vs. Georgia on Jan. 30.
– 23 – Junior forward Sam Muldrow recorded his first-career 20-point game with his personal best of 23 points vs. Arkansas on Wednesday. Muldrow and Brandis Raley-Ross have each recorded one 20-point game this season – Devan Downey has tallied 15 games with at least 20 points.

Arkansas Game Notables
– Junior forward Sam Muldrow recorded several career highs, including points (23), field goals made (9), 3-point field goals made (4), 3-point field goals attempted (6) and minutes played (38).
– South Carolina matched its season high with 11 made 3s in the contest. Carolina also connected on 11 attempts vs. Miami, at Auburn and vs. LSU.
– Carolina’s 28 points scored off of turnovers vs. the Razorbacks marked its highest total in that category in a loss this season. It was the highest total in the category in SEC play and the second-highest overall this season (29 vs. Alabama A&M, Furman).
– South Carolina committed 30 fouls in the contest, a season high. It marked the most committed by the Gamecocks since being called for 30 fouls at Florida last season (2/3/09).

Tennessee Series Information
– Tennessee holds a 32-23 advantage in the all-time series against South Carolina. The Gamecocks own a 14-10 upperhand in games played in Columbia.
– The Vols have won eight of the last 10 meetings between the two schools and two straight in Columbia, including an 86-70 win last season at Colonial Life Arena.
– Carolina’s last win over UT came in an 81-64 decision on Feb. 17, 2007. Tre’ Kelley led the Gamecocks with 25 points in that victory, which marked Carolina’s 100th in SEC play since joining the league.