Jan. 3, 2011

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (8-4) will host South Carolina State (4-8) in a mid-week matchup on Tuesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena, with the contest televised on Fox Sports Carolinas with Andy Demetra and Eddie Fogler on the call.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: South Carolina leads 16-0
Television: FSCR
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Derek Scott (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: Tickets are available via the Gamecock Ticket Office (1-800-4SC-FANS)

Game Notes vs. SC State

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 103rd season of basketball.
– Tuesday’s contest vs. SC State is the last regular season non-conference matchup for the Gamecocks before the start of SEC play on Saturday vs. Vanderbilt.
– South Carolina suffered its first loss at Colonial Life Arena this season, falling to Boston College, 85-70, on New Year’s Day.
– Third-year head coach Darrin Horn owns an all-time record of 97-20 (.829) in home contests and has led South Carolina to a 34-9 (.790) home record during his two-plus seasons in Columbia.
– Freshman guard Bruce Ellington led four Gamecocks in double figures with 21 points
– his fourth 20-point effort of the season – vs. BC. Malik Cooke added 13 points, Lakeem Jackson 12 and Ramon Galloway 15.
– Galloway has scored double figures in three-straight games, averaging 13.7 points per contest in the stretch.
– Galloway set a career high with three steals vs. Boston College and Jackson matched a career best with five assists, a team best.
– Senior forward Sam Muldrow collected his second double-double of the season and the third of his career with 11 points and 11 rebounds vs. Jacksonville State, while also blocking three shots, a team-best.
– Carolina’s 5.6 blocked shots per game rank seventh in the SEC, with Muldrow fourth (2.3).
– South Carolina’s 14.1 offensive rebounds per game rank second in the SEC, trailing only Tennessee (14.3). The Gamecocks collected 16 offensive boards vs. Jacksonville State, the most since earning 17 in a double-overtime win over WKU.
– Freshman guard Bruce Ellington ranks sixth in the SEC in assists (3.9), and is second among freshmen in the category.
– Ellington scored 31 points vs. Furman on Dec. 22. It marked the first Gamecock to hit the 30-point plateau since Devan Downey posted 33 in a 78-77 victory over Georgia on Jan. 30, 2010.
– The Gamecocks own a 397-338 (.540) all-time record in the month of January.
– South Carolina owns a 19-1 (.950) all-time record against current schools in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, with its most common opponent being SC State, whom the Gamecocks own a 16-0 all-time record against. The Gamecocks are undefeated in home contests vs. the conference. Carolina’s lone loss against a MEAC school came against Coppin State in the 1997 NCAA Tournament.

Scouting SC State
– SC State enters Tuesday’s matchup with a 4-8 overall record. The Bulldogs have not played since a Dec. 23 loss to Longwood in Las Vegas.
– Only senior guard Darnell Porter averages double figures for SCSU, posting 13.3 points per contest. Junior forward Omar Sanders paces the team in rebounds (6.6 pg) and blocks (1.3 pg).
– SC State is winless in four road contests this season. The last Bulldog win, home or away, came in a Dec. 8 meeting with Vorhees. SCSU collected a 96-50 win in that contest, with the 96 points being its highest scoring output of the season.

By The Numbers
– 11 – South Carolina collected 11 steals vs. Boston College, the most since also earning 11 vs. Western Kentucky. The 11 steals match a season-high for Carolina.
– 3 – Ramon Galloway collected three steals vs. BC, setting a career high. He had previously collected two steals on four occassions.
– 7 – In his second-straight contest off the bench, Malik Cooke collected a team-best seven rebounds vs. BC. It was the most for the Charlotte, N.C., native since collecting 12 vs. WKU on Nov. 27.
– 4 – South Carolina only tallied four second chance points vs. Boston College, a season low.
– 200 – Senior forward Sam Muldrow blocked his 200th career shot vs. Boston College.

Up Next For South Carolina
– South Carolina begins Southeastern Conference play on Saturday, hosting Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. The contest will be televised on ESPN2. The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 23-23. Carolina earned an upset win at No. 13/19 Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale for both schools last March.