Nov. 18, 2011

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (1-1) will host Tennessee State (1-2) on Sunday in the second half of a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecock women’s basketball team will host Penn State at 3 p.m.

OPENING TIP
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tipoff: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena
Series: South Carolina leads 1-0
Television: SportSouth (check local listings)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Derek Scott (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)

Game Notes

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 104th season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by fourth-year head coach Darrin Horn.
– South Carolina is set to play 19 contests at Colonial Life Arena this season.
– Sunday’s contest begins Las Vegas Invitational play for the Gamecocks, as Carolina will host Tennessee State on Sunday, Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday and then travel to Las Vegas for Friday’s matchup against No. 1 North Carolina. The Gamecocks will conclude Invitational play against either Southern California or UNLV. All games will be played at the Orleans Arena.
– Looking ahead, should North Carolina still be ranked as the No. 1 team in the AP poll when the two teams meet next week, it would mark the ninth time the Gamecocks would play the AP No. 1. The last time South Carolina faced the top-ranked team the Gamecocks earned a thrilling 68-62 victory over Kentucky at Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 26, 2010, for their first win over a No. 1. The Gamecocks have played UNC when the Tar Heels have been ranked as the AP No. 1 three previous times, all during the 1957 calendar year.
– Sunday’s game begins a stretch of four games in just seven days, two at home and two on the neutral court at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
– The Gamecocks suffered a 58-53 non-conference road loss at Elon on Tuesday. The story of the game for Carolina was poor shooting, as the squad shot just 31.3% in the contest, including an 11.1% mark from beyond the arc.
– Freshman forward Anthony Gill has led the Gamecocks in scoring in all three outings this season. Gill tallied 14 points in both the exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan and in the opener versus Western Carolina, while he and senior forward Malik Cooke both netted nine points at Elon to pace the Gamecocks.
– South Carolina owns a 5-1 all-time record against current schools in the Ohio Valley Conference. South Carolina’s last victory over a school from the league came in a 56-49 win over Jacksonville State last season, while its last loss to an OVC team came in a 73-67 loss to Tennessee Tech on Nov. 17, 2000.
– South Carolina is 78-29 (.728) all-time in the month of November. Carolina went 4-1 last season during the month.
– South Carolina earned an impressive 75-50 victory over Western Carolina in the season opener last Friday. Freshman forward Anthony Gill paced Carolina with 14 points, while sophomore guard Brenton Williams impressed, scoring 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, while collecting five steals.
– Carolina’s 12 3-point field goal attempts versus Western Carolina rank as the second-fewest in the Darrin Horn era. The Gamecocks have attempted just 12 on six occassions, with the most recent in a 74-61 win over Delaware State on Dec. 1, 2010. Under Horn, the fewest attempts by Carolina in a game is 10, which has happened three times.
– Following Sunday’s contest the Gamecocks will host Mississippi Valley State, continuing Las Vegas Invitational play on Tuesday. The game marks the first meeting between the two schools.

By The Numbers
8 – South Carolina held Elon to just eight offensive rebounds on Tuesday. It was the fewest offensive rebounds by a Gamecock opponent since Tennessee also collected just eight on March 3, 2011.
10 – Sophomore forward Damontre Harris matched his career high with 10 rebounds versus Elon on Tuesday. Harris also collected 10 boards last season vs. Radford.
9.5 – South Carolina is averaging just 9.5 turnovers per contest thus far in 2011-12. The Gamecocks lead the SEC by nearly three turnovers per contest in the category.
83.3% – South Carolina freshman forward Anthony Gill currently leads the SEC with an 83.3 shooting percentage thus far in 2011-12. Gill has hit a stellar 10-of-12 attempts, including an impressive 6-of-7 mark in last week’s season opener against Western Carolina.

Scouting Tennessee State
Tennessee State enters Sunday’s contest with a 1-2 overall record after most recently earning an 81-57 win over Fisk on Wednesday … The Tigers have lost at Saint Louis (71-37) and at Western Kentucky (52-49) this season … TSU returns its entire starting lineup from last season, including preseason all-conference selections junior Robert Covington and senior Kenny Moore … Covington collected his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds in the loss at WKU last Monday … Covington followed up that performance with 24 points in the win over Fisk … The Tigers are led by former South Carolina assistant coach John Cooper … Cooper is assisted by another former Gamecock assistant in Rick Duckett, while Carolina former player Sheldon Everett is also on staff at Tennessee State.

Tennessee State Series
South Carolina and Tennessee State have met just one previous time on Nov. 30, 1985. Carolina won that contest 78-62 while competing at the Mid-South Classic in Memphis, Tenn. Terry Dozier, who led all freshmen in the Metro Conference that season with 13.5 points per game, paced the Gamecocks against TSU with 18 points. Linewood Moye led Carolina with 10 rebounds and Keith James dished five assists.