Jan. 28, 2011

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (12-6, 3-2 SEC) is set to host Auburn (7-13, 0-6 SEC) on Saturday at Colonial Life Arena with tip-off set for 1:30 p.m. The contest will be televised on the SEC Network (check local listings) with Clay Matvick and Joe Dean on the call.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, January 29, 2011
Tipoff: 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Auburn leads 17-14
Television: SEC Network (check local listings)
Talent: Clay Matvick (pxp), Joe Dean (analyst);
Tom Scofield (producer)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Multimedia: ESPN3.com
Tickets: Tickets are available via the Gamecock Ticket Office (1-800-4SC-FANS)

Game Notes vs. Auburn | SEC Network Affiliates

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 125-184 (.404) all-time record in SEC play.
– Darrin Horn-led teams are 76-39 (.660) all-time in league play, including a 19-18 (.513) mark in SEC action.
– Senior forward Sam Muldrow collected his fifth double-double of the season and the sixth of his career with 23 points and 13 rebounds vs. Kentucky.
– Muldrow is nearly averaging a double-double in league play with 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest, which rank second in the league. He averages an SEC-best 5.6 blocks per game against conference opponents.
– Following Saturday’s contest vs. Auburn, South Carolina will play four of its next six games on the road. The Gamecocks are 2-4 in road contests this season, including an SEC win over Florida on Jan. 15.
– South Carolina has not played since last Saturday’s contest vs. Kentucky, having the mid-week day off this week.
– After defeating Arkansas 81-74 on Jan. 19, the Gamecocks are 4-0 in games in which they score 80 points this season.
– Junior forward Malik Cooke collected his second career double-double, and his first as a Gamecock vs. Arkansas, scoring 11 points and collecting a team-best 11 rebounds, including five offensive boards.
– Sophomore guard Ramon Galloway had a stellar shooting night vs. Arkansas, hitting 8-of-16 attempts, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Galloway’s 21 points, 13 of those in the first half, were a team best.
– Third-year head coach Darrin Horn owns an all-time record of 100-21 (.823) in home contests and has led South Carolina to a 37-10 (.787) home record during his two-plus seasons in Columbia.
– Darrin Horn led teams are 45-48 (.483) all-time in road contests. Horn has led Carolina to an 9-19 (.321) mark on the road in his two-plus seasons in Columbia.
– In home games, South Carolina has held its opponent to under 41% shooting in nine of 12 contests.
– Carolina averages 73.1 points per game in home contets and hits 43.6 percent of shot attempts at Colonial Life Arena this season.
– South Carolina has dished double-digit assists in 14 contests this season (through 18 games), compared to 18 times all of last season.
– Carolina (40.1) is one of only two teams in the SEC to collect 40 rebounds per game. Kentucky (40.1) is the other.
– South Carolina ranks fourth in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage (.348). – Carolina’s 6.7 blocked shots per game rank second in the SEC and fourth in the nation (Jan. 24 NCAA stats), with Muldrow (3.4) second in the league and sixth in the nation.
– South Carolina’s 14.7 offensive rebounds per game rank first in the SEC.
– The Gamecocks own a 401-340 (.541) all-time record in the month of January.

Coaches VS. Cancer
– During Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers awareness weekend, Jan. 28-30, basketball coaches nationwide will wear sneakers with their suits to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Basketball fans are encouraged to also wear sneakers to games that weekend to show their support. Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaborative initiative of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers coaches, their teams and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

Scouting Auburn
– Led by first-year head coach Tony Barbee, the Tigers are still in search of their first SEC win, as they own an 0-6 record in league play this season. Auburn holds an overall record of 7-13, including an 0-4 mark in road contests.
– Auburn most recently suffered a 73-64 loss at Arkansas on Tuesday. Sophomore guard Ernest Ross led the Tigers with 15 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
– The Tigers have not scored more than 66 points in any SEC contest this season.
– Ross paces Auburn with 12.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season. He provides 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in league play.

Auburn Series Information
– Auburn holds a 17-14 upperhand in the all-time series between the two schools, including an 8-5 advantage in games played in Columbia.
– South Carolina has won three straight, and five of the last seven matchups in the series between the two schools.
– The Gamecocks and Tigers played in the SEC opener in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons, with the Gamecocks collecting a 68-56 win over Auburn in 2009 – Darrin Horn’s first SEC win as head coach at Carolina, – while the Gamecocks tallied an 80-71 road win last season at Beard-Eves Memorial Coliseum.

By The Numbers
– 3 – South Carolina hit a season low three 3-pointers vs. Kentucky last Saturday. It marked the fewest made attempts from beyond the arc for the Gamecocks since Carolina only hit three vs. Alabama in the first round of the 2010 SEC Tournament on March 11.
– 13 – Senior forward Sam Muldrow collected double-digit rebounds for the fifth time this season vs. Kentucky, posting a game-best 13. Entering his senior campaign, he had only collected double-figure rebounds five times in his entire career.
– 16.4 – South Carolina collects 16.4 offensive rebounds per game in SEC play, most recently collecting 16 vs. Kentucky, double what the Wildcats (8) collected. The Gamecocks have out-rebounded four (Vandy, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky) of five opponents in league games this season, with the exception being Alabama.
– 10.5 – Plagued by early foul trouble vs. Arkansas and Kentucky, freshman point guard Bruce Ellington has scored just 10.5 points per game and played an average of just 27.0 minutes, including just 8.5 minutes in the first half, combined in those two contests.
– 5 – Carolina’s five blocks vs. Kentucky were an SEC season low.
– 28.2 – Over the course of the last four games (Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky) South Carolina opponents have hit just 28.2 percent (11-39) of their 3-point attempts.