Jan. 11, 2011

The University of South Carolina men’s basketball team (10-4, 1-0 SEC) travels to face Alabama (9-6, 1-0 SEC) in the first Southeastern Conference road contest of the season on Wednesday. Game time is set for 9 p.m. ET with the contest televised on CSS.

*** Please note, the contest will be shown on Channel 506 on Time Warner Cable at no additional cost to Digital TV customers.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tipoff: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Arena: Coleman Coliseum (15,383)
Series: Alabama leads 21-12
Television: CSS
Time Warner Cable (Digital) – Channel 506
Talent: Dave Baker (pxp), Bill Koss (analyst);
Jimmy Lee Starling (producer)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com

Game Notes vs. Alabama

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 103rd season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are in their 20th season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2011. Carolina owns a 123-182 (.403) all-time record in SEC play.
– Darrin Horn-led teams are 74-37 (.667) all-time in league play, including a 17-16 (.515) mark in SEC action.
– Senior forward Sam Muldrow recorded just the second triple-double in school history in the SEC opener win over No. 22/24 Vanderbilt, scoring 16 points, collecting a team-high 14 rebounds and blocking a career high 10 shots. It marked just the 21st triple-double in SEC history and the 11th all-time involving blocked shots.
– Muldrow’s 10 blocks were the most by a single player this season in the SEC, eclipsing the previous high of eight blocks collected by Arkansas’ Delvon Johnson vs. Seton Hall.
– Junior forward Malik Cooke pulled down a career best 13 rebounds vs. Vandy, including five offensive boards.
– Third-year head coach Darrin Horn owns an all-time record of 99-20 (.831) in home contests and has led South Carolina to a 36-9 (.800) home record during his two-plus seasons in Columbia.
– Darrin Horn led teams are 44-47 (.483) all-time in road contests. Horn has led Carolina to an 8-18 (.307) mark on the road in his two-plus seasons in Columbia.
– South Carolina is 1-3 in road contests this season, first dropping an 82-73 decision at then-No. 2/2 Michigan State on Nov. 16, followed by a double-overtime victory over Western Kentucky – Horn’s alma mater – on Nov. 27. The Gamecocks suffered a 79-57 loss at No. 2/2 Ohio State on Dec .18 and a 91-75 loss at Furman on Dec. 22.
– South Carolina scores nearly the same amount of points at home (73.6) as on the road (73.0), however Carolina owns a +5.6 scoring margin in home contests, compared to a -11.2 deficit on the road.
– In home games, South Carolina has held its opponent to under 41% shooting in every contest thus far in 2010-11 except the Boston College matchup. The Eagles shot a stellar 51.6 % (33-64) to earn the road win on New Year’s Day.
– South Carolina has dished double-digit assists in 13 contests this season (through 14 games), compared to 18 times all of last season.
– Carolina (40.6) leads the SEC and is one of three teams in the league to average at least 40 rebounds per game. Kentucky (40.3) and Vanderbilt (40.1) are the other two.
– South Carolina ranks third in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage (.364).
– Carolina’s 6.6 blocked shots per game rank third in the SEC and sixth in the nation (Jan. 10 NCAA stats), with Muldrow (2.6) tied for second in the league and 11th in the nation.
– South Carolina’s 14.4 offensive rebounds per game rank second in the SEC, trailing only Tennessee (14.5).
– Freshman guard Bruce Ellington ranks sixth in the SEC in assists per game (3.9), and is first 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 399-338 (.541) all-time record in the month of January.

Gamecocks Sweep SEC Player Of The Week Awards
– South Carolina senior forward Sam Muldrow was named the SEC Player of the Week, and Bruce Ellington was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday for their stellar play vs. SC State and Vanderbilt. It was the first-career weekly honor for both players.
– It marked the first time South Carolina has swept the weekly awards.
– The Player of the Week honor was the first since Devan Downey earned the award on Feb. 1, 2010.
– The Freshman of the Week honor was the first since Mike Holmes collected the award on March 10, 2008.

Scouting Alabama
– Alabama rides a four-game winning streak into Wednesday’s contest after earning a 75-57 win at Mississippi State on Saturday. The Crimson Tide is 8-0 in home contests this season.
– Alabama leads the SEC in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score just 56.5 points per game this season. The Crimson Tide led the SEC in the category last season as well, allowing 64.8 points per game.
– Junior forward JaMychal Green (14.9) paces three players who score double figures, as sophomore forward Tony Mitchell (14.3) and senior guard Charvez Davis (10.2) also contribute double digits.
– Green, a preseason first team All-SEC pick by the league’s coaches, paced the Crimson Tide in Saturday’s SEC opener win at Mississippi State, collecting his 16th career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Alabama Series Information
– Alabama holds a 21-12 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, including a 10-2 advantage in games played in Tuscaloosa.
– The team’s met twice last season, with Alabama winning both of those contests by an average of 7.0 points per contest.
– South Carolina collected a 75-73 victory on a last-second shot in its last trip to Alabama on Feb. 14, 2009. Then-sophomore Mike Holmes tallied the game winner as time expired.

By The Numbers
– 10 – Senior forward Sam Muldrow blocked a career high 10 shots vs. Vanderbilt giving him the second triple-double in school history. The 10 blocks were the most in a single-game in South Carolina history, eclipsing the previous high of nine blocks, which occurred three times.
– 75 – South Carolina’s 75 shot attempts vs. Vanderbilt were the second-most in a contest this season, while the 33 made attempts tied for the second most in a contest.
– 14/13 – Senior forward Sam Muldrow collected 14 rebounds and junior forward Malik Cooke grabbed a career high 13, marking the first time this season, and the first time since Nov. 16, 2008 vs. Winthrop (Archie 10, Holmes, 13), that two Gamecocks collected double-figure rebounds in the same game.
– 10.7 – Over the course of the last three games, South Carolina has committed an average of just 10.7 turnovers per contest, compared to 13.7 assists per game during the stretch.
– 87.0 – South Carolina is averaging 87.0 points per game over the course of the last two games, which include a 91-point effort vs. SC State and an 83-point performance vs. Vanderbilt. Carolina ranks tied for fifth in the SEC with 73.6 points per game.

Star Watch
– Senior forward Sam Muldrow averaged 15.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 8.0 blocks per game over the course of his last two games, which includes a double-double vs. SC State and a triple-double vs. Vanderbilt.
– Sophomore forward Lakeem Jackson averaged 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-best 4.3 assists over the course of the last three games. He has shot 58 percent (18-31) during the stretch.
– Freshman point guard Bruce Ellington averaged 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game over the course of the last three games. He has recorded two 20-point efforts in the stretch, hitting 43.7 (21-48) percent of his overall shot attempts, including a 47.8 (11-23) effort from 3-point range.