March 1, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Just 46 hours after hosting Missouri on Thursday, the Gamecocks travel to Texas A&M for a Saturday contest in College Station. The meeting marks the first all-time between the two schools. The contest, set for a 7 p.m. ET tip time, will be televised on ESPNU with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Matt Doherty (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network via GamecocksOnline.com and on 107.5 The Game in Columbia with Andy Demetra (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (analyst).

OPENING TIP
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: College Station, Texas
Arena: Reed Arena (12,989)
Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: None
Television: ESPNU
Talent: Tom Hart (pxp), Matt Doherty (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock IMG Radio Network
Sirius: None; XM: None
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Tickets | @GamecockMBB | | @ESPN3 | Game Notes

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.
– The Gamecocks are in their 22nd season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2013. Carolina owns a 132-219 (.525) all-time record in SEC play.
– Carolina looks to rebound after a 90-68 loss to visiting Missouri on Thursday. The Tigers shot 69.6% (32-46) from the floor in the contest, including a 6-of-9 (66.7%) mark from 3-point range. The Tigers hit 16-of-22 attempts (72.7%) in the second half.
– South Carolina scored 49 bench points in the contest vs. Missouri, paced by sophomore guard Damien Leonard’s career high 20 points. Leonard hit 7-of-14 from the field, including a career high 6-of-10 from 3-point range. He played 24 minutes in the contest. Junior guard Brenton Williams and Brian Richardson each contributed 10 points in the loss.
– Gamecocks head coach Frank Martin is 5-2 all-time in his career against Texas A&M, including a 1-1 mark in games played in College Station.
– Saturday’s contest marks the 200th career game for Frank Martin as a head coach.
– South Carolina suffered a 62-54 overtime loss on the road at Georgia last Saturday. Down early, the Gamecocks battled back in the second half to force the OT session, but UGA out-scored Carolina 9-1 in extra time to close the win. The Bulldogs took 46 free throws in the contest, compared to 24 for the Gamecocks. Junior guard Bruce Ellington led Carolina with 11 points, while freshman forward Laimonas Chatkevicius pulled down a season high 10 rebounds.
– South Carolina snapped a six-game losing streak on Feb. 20 with a thrilling 63-62 victory over visiting Ole Miss at Colonial Life Arena. Junior guard Eric Smith netted the game-winner, a 3-point basket with 27 seconds remaining. Senior forward Lakeem Jackson and Chatkevicius blocked shots with two seconds, and just nano seconds, respectively, on the clock to secure the Gamecock win.
– The Gamecocks held SEC scoring leader, UM’s Marshall Henderson to just 11 points on Feb. 20, eight of which came in the opening half. Henderson entered the game averaging 19.7 points per game, including a mark of 21.3 per league game.
– Freshman forward Michael Carrera put together his fifth double-double of the season with team highs of 13 points and 13 rebounds vs. Ole Miss. Carrera has 11 double-figure scoring contests and five double-figure rebounding games this season.
– South Carolina held an eight-point halftime lead on the road at No. 22 Missouri on Jan. 22, but the Gamecocks were unable to hold the lead down the stretch and the Tigers responded with 44 points in the second half to claim a 71-65 win. Mizzou struggled mightly from the field in the opening half, hitting just 6-of-30 attempts, but 28 points from the free throw line in the contest kept the Tigers within striking distance throughout.
– Carrera has led Carolina in scoring in five of the last nine games and in rebounding in seven of the last nine. Over the stretch, he is averaging 11.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
– South Carolina shot 50 percent (13-26) from the floor in the second half of the Feb. 16 contest at Alabama, but the Gamecocks were unable to overcome an early 23-point Alabama advantage, and suffered a 68-58 loss on the road in Tuscaloosa. Junior guard Brenton Williams led the Gamecocks with 14 points off the bench, while senior forward Lakeem Jackson pulled down a team high nine rebounds. It marked the seventh time this season that Williams has led, or shared the team lead, in scoring and the ninth time for Jackson in the rebounding column.

Scouting Texas A&M
Texas A&M holds a 16-12 overall record, which includes a 6-9 mark in league games. The Aggies are currently 11th in league standings entering Saturday’s contest. Senior guard Elston Turner paces the team with 17.6 points per game, which ranks third in the SEC. In strictly league games, he provides 19.4 points per game, which ranks second in the league. Turner has eight 20-point scoring games this season, including posting 40 at Kentucky and 38 on Feb. 23 at Tennessee (4OT loss). Sophomore forward Kourtney Roberson leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game and senior forward Ray Turner collects 6.2 per contest. Roberson leads the way in conference games with 7.9 rebounds per game, which ranks sixth in the league. The Aggies have lost three of their last five games entering Saturday’s contest. The squad is led by Bill Kennedy in his second season.

By The Numbers
20 – Due to solid shooting percentages by both the Gamecocks and Tigers, South Carolina collected a season low 20 rebounds vs. Missouri on Thursday. The Tigers only collected 28.
6 – Damien Leonard’s six made 3-point field goals vs. Missouri marked the most by any Gamecock in a single game this season. The previous high was Leonard with five vs. Auburn, Brian Richardson with five at Mississippi State and Brenton Williams, also with five, vs. Rider.
14 – South Carolina collected 14 assists on 24 made baskets vs. Missouri, led by Bruce Ellington and Eric Smith with four dimes each. The Gamecocks average 12.0 assists per game in overall games this season and 10.4 per league game.
7.1 – Freshman forward Michael Carrera’s 7.1 rebounds per league games rank seventh in the SEC. He is the top rebounding active freshman in the category.

Up Next For The Gamecocks
South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena for the final regular season home contest on Wednesday, hosting Mississippi State in a 7 p.m. ET contest. The night will serve as Senior Night for Lakeem Jackson, Shane Phillips and managers, Josh King and Bubba Wright.