Nov. 30, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena after three games away from Columbia when it hosts Clemson on Sunday. The Gamecocks have won two-straight games in the series between the two intrastate rivals, and look for a third-consecutive victory in the series for the first time since the 2003 campaign. The contest will be televised on ESPNU and available on the radio on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network, including 107.5 The Game in Columbia, as well as on GamecocksOnline.com. The contest marks the first for South Carolina head coach Frank Martin vs. the Tigers.

OPENING TIP
Date: Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012
Tipoff: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: South Carolina leads 88-74
Last Meeting: South Carolina win, 58-55, in Clemson, S.C.; Dec. 4, 2011
Television: ESPNU
Talent: Dari Nowkhah (pxp), Dino Gaudio (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock IMG Radio Network
Sirius: 91; XM: 91
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Tickets | @GamecockMBB | | WatchESPN.com | GameNotes

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 105th season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by first-year head coach Frank Martin. His associate head coach is Brad Underwood and his assistant coaches are Matt Figger and Lamont Evans. Andy Assaley is the director of basketball operations.
– South Carolina suffered an 89-65 loss at St. John’s on Thursday in its first true road contest of the season competing in the 2012 SEC/BIG EAST Challenge. Freshman forward Michael Carrera posted his second double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He paces Carolina with 8.3 rebounds per contest.
– Junior guard Brenton Williams suffered a neck injury midway through the second half vs. St. John’s. He was transported to a local hospital and further evaluated. He was released and traveled home with the team. There is no further update on his injury at this time.
– Junior guard Bruce Ellington saw action in his first contest of the season at St. John’s. Ellington, the leading receiver for the Gamecock football team, returned to practice on Nov. 27, and will practice and compete with the basketball team until bowl practices begin for the football squad. Ellington scored seven points in his debut vs. the Red Storm, playing a team high 29 minutes.
– Eight different players posted at least seven shot attempts vs. St. John’s. Carolina hit just 36.9 percent (33-58) from the field in the contest.
– South Carolina posted a 74-62 victory over Arkansas Little-Rock on Nov. 25 to claim the 2012 Hoops For Hope Classic tournament title in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Senior guard Lakeem Jackson was named to the All-Tournament Team and senior guard LaShay Page was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
– Jackson collected his second double-double of the season vs. UALR, scoring 10 points and collecting a career-high 15 rebounds. It was the most rebounds in a contest for Jackson since he collected 14 vs. Alabama on March 11, 2010.
– Page led the Gamecocks with 19.0 points per game in two contests in Puerto Vallarta, including a team high 22 vs. Missouri State. Page paces Carolina with 13.6 points per game entering Sunday’s contest vs. Clemson.
– Junior guard Brian Richardson scored 14 points vs. Missouri State, including four 3s, just one shy of matching his career high. Richardson played a career-high 38 minutes in the contest.
– Junior guard Eric Smith dished a season-best six assists vs. Missouri State and added five vs. UALR. He leads the Gamecocks with 3.0 assists per game.
– Carrera, the Nov. 12 SEC Freshman of the Week, did not play vs. Morgan State, Rider or Elon due to a concussion suffered in practice on Wednesday, Nov. 14. He returned to score 18 points vs. Missouri State, including the game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the contest into overtime.
– South Carolina’s 74.7 percent from the free throw line leads the SEC and ranks 16th in the nation (Nov. 26 NCAA stats). The Gamecocks hit 22-of-28 attempts vs. Missouri State, including 10-of-12 in overtime.
– In two overtime games this season, Carolina has hit an impressive 22-of-24 (91.7%) attempts from the free throw line during OT. – The Gamecocks are a stellar 41-of-53 (77.4%) from the free throw line this season with under five minutes remaining in games (including overtime).
– Freshman forward Michael Carrera posted the first double-double by a Gamecock freshman since the 2008 campaign vs. Milwaukee with 17 points and a game-best 15 rebounds.
– South Carolina holds an all-time record of 282-404 against current schools in the ACC, with its most common opponent being Clemson.

Scouting Clemson
The Tigers enter Sunday’s contest with a 4-2 overall record after most recently suffering a 73-61 loss to Purdue on Wednesday in the ACC/BIG Ten Challenge. Senior forward Devin Booker paces the squad with 11.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He scored a game high 18 points in the effort against the Boilermakers. Clemson’s other loss this season came against Gonzaga at the Old Spice Classic on Nov. 22. Clemson leads the ACC in turnover margin (+3.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3). The Tigers have committed the fewest turnovers per game as well at just 8.7 per contest. Rod Hall leads the ACC early in the season with a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, while classmate K.J. McDaniels is third with 1.8 blocked shots per game. The Tigers are led by Brad Brownell in his third season.

By The Numbers
0 – South Carolina did not have an attempt from the free throw line in the first half vs. St. John’s on Thursday. To compare, the Red Storm had 14 attempts from the line in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Gamecocks ended up at the line 21 times, hitting just 12 for a season low percent of 57.1.
24 – The Gamecocks collected a season high 24 offensive rebounds vs. St. John’s, which resulted in a season high 23 second-chance points for Carolina.
10 – 10 different Gamecocks played at least 11 minutes in Thursday’s contest vs. St. John’s, led by Bruce Ellington’s team high 29 minutes played.
+12.9 – The Gamecock bench has out-scored the opposing bench in each game this season by an average of 12.9 points per game. Carolina out-scored St. John’s, 37-29, in points off the bench on Thursday.
+11.3 – South Carolina leads the SEC in rebounding margin with a mark of +11.3. The Gamecocks have out-rebounded each of their opponents this season, including a 43-31 advantage vs. St. John’s.