Nov. 22, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena on Sunday in its lone home contest in a four-game stretch. The Gamecocks will host FIU, head coach Frank Martin’s alma mater, marking only the second meeting all-time between the two schools, and the first for Martin vs. his alma mater. The Gamecocks look to snap a two-game losing streak on Sunday, while the Panthers, who have won six-straight games entering Sunday’s matchup, will already be playing their ninth game of the season. Fans can watch the contest on Fox Sports Carolinas/SportSouth.

OPENING TIP
Date: Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013
Tipoff: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: South Carolina leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: South Carolina win, 110-72, on Feb. 16, 1985, in Columbia, S.C.
Broadcast: Fox Sports Carolinas/SportSouth
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network/107.5 The Game in Columbia
Sirius: 110; XM: 199
Talent: Derek Scott (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Game Notes | | @GamecockMBB on Twitter | Tickets

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 106th season of basketball.
– The Gamecocks are led by Frank Martin in his second year. Matt Figger is the associate head coach, and Perry Clark and Lamont Evans are assistant coaches. Andy Assaley is in his second year as the director of operations for the Gamecocks.
– South Carolina suffered its second-consecutive road loss at Clemson last Sunday, 71-57. The Gamecocks were unable to find an offensive rhythm in the contest, hitting just 35.4% (23-65) from the floor, and just 1-of-10 from 3-point.
– Sophomore forward Mindaguas Kacinas posted his first double-double of the season and the second of his career with team highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds vs. the Tigers.
– Kacinas currently leads the Gamecocks and ranks sixth in the SEC with 9.3 rebounds per contest. His 4.3 offensive rebounds per contest are a team best and also rank tied for sixth in the league.
– Nine Gamecocks played at least 10 minutes in the contest at Clemson, with five of those nine playing at least 20 minutes. Freshman guard Sindarius Thornwell and junior guard Tyrone Johnson currently lead the Gamecocks, playing 29.7 minutes per game each.
– Following Sunday’s contest vs. FIU, the Gamecocks will have a 12-day break before their next game, the Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup at No. 7/9 Oklahoma State on Dec. 6, in Stillwater Okla.
– The Gamecocks lead the SEC in opponent field goal percentage, as Carolina opponents have hit just 34.2 percent of shot attempts this season. Carolina ranks second in the SEC in scoring defense, as Gamecock opponents are averaging just 60.3 points per game.
– Among freshmen in the SEC, rookie guard Sindarius Thornwell ranks second in scoring with 14.7 points per contest (as of Nov. 22). Kentucky freshman Julius Randall ranks third overall in the league, scoring 20.8 points per game.
– South Carolina suffered a two-point road loss at No. 23/25 Baylor on Nov. 12 in non-conference action, falling 66-64 to the Bears. Sophomore forward Michael Carrera was fouled on a shot attempt at the buzzer, but the officials determined the infraction occurred after time expired. Thornwell posted the first 20-point game of his young career in the Garnet and Black, and classmate, forward Demetrius Henry posted nine points, six rebounds and two blocks in the contest. Baylor now holds a 3-2 upperhand in the all-time series between the two schools.
– The Gamecocks used an 18-point effort from junior guard Ty Johnson to defeat visiting Longwood by 38 points, 82-44, on Nov. 9 in the season opener at Colonial Life Arena. Thornwell and senior guard Brenton Williams both added 14 points, sophomore forward Michael Carrera added 12 and sophomore forward Mindaguas Kacinas pulled down a career high 14 rebounds in the win. It marked the 13th-straight season-opening victory for the Gamecocks.
– South Carolina shot 62.5% (15-24) during the second half of the Nov. 9 contest vs. Longwood, the best one-half percentage for the Gamecocks since hitting 71.9% (23-32) during the first half vs. Jacksonville on Dec. 7, 2012.
– South Carolina returns seven letterwinners to its squad this season, including senior guard Brenton Williams, the team’s top returning scorer from a year ago when he averaged 11.0 points per game. Also returning to the bench this season for the Garnet and Black are senior guard Bruce Ellington, who will join the team at the conclusion of the football season, sophomore forwards Michael Carrera, a 2013 SEC All-Freshman Team selection, Laimonas Chatkevicius and Mindaugas Kacinas. Sophomore guard Austin Constables and forward Brian Steele also return for Carolina.
– The Gamecocks will hold a young roster this season, welcoming seven freshmen to Columbia in forwards Demetrius Henry, Desmond Ringer, Reggie Theus Jr., and guards Duane Notice, Justin McKie, Jaylen Shaw and Sindarius Thornwell. Transfer guard Ty Johnson joined the program last January via Villanova.
– Johnson received word prior to the Nov. 9 season opener that he had been granted a waiver from the NCAA allowing him to compete effective immediately. Johnson has been eligible to practice since he transferred to South Carolina from Villanova in January 2013.

Scouting FIU
FIU enters Sunday’s game having already played eight games in this young season … The squad played its first eight games over a 14-day span to begin the year … FIU is led by Anthony Evans in his first season in Miami … Evans spent the previous six seasons as the head coach at Norfolk State … FIU is led by redshirt-senior forward Rakeem Buckles; the Miami, native paces the team with 15.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game/4.0 offensive rebounds per game … He posted a career high eight blocked shots in FIU’s victory over Stetson on Nov. 18 … Buckles has recorded three 20-point games this season, including a career high 26 poins vs. Warren Wilson on Nov. 12 … Senior forward Tymell Murphy contributes 14.8 points per game and collects 9.1 rebounds per contest … Buckels has three double-doubles this season, and Murphy has five, including a 24-point, 11-rebound effort vs. Bethune-Cookman on Thursday … FIU averages 75.5 points per game, has hit 46.4% (217-468) of its attempts from the field and holds a +7.8 rebound margin over its opponents.

Series vs. FIU
Sunday’s meeting marks just the second all-time between the Gamecocks and Panthers. South Carolina won the first meeting between the two schools 110-72 on Feb. 16, 1985 in Columbia. The Gamecocks’ 110 points in that contest ties for the 11th-most points in a single-game all-time for Carolina. Tony Shaw led the Gamecocks in that game with 19 points, and seven Gamecocks recorded double-digits in the win.

By The Numbers
40 – South Carolina recorded a season high 40 points in the paint in last Sunday’s contest vs. Clemson. Kacinas was the high scorer inside for Carolina with 13 points, while freshman forward Demetrius Henry added nine points and sophomore forward Michael Carrera posted nine.
14.7 – Freshman guard Sindarius Thornwell led South Carolina with the first 20-point game of his career in a narrow loss at No. 23 Baylor on Nov. 12. Thornwell hit 6-of-13 attempts from the field and was 7-of-10 from the free throw line. He added a 10-point performance at archrival Clemson last Sunday, hitting 3-of-5 from the floor. Thornwell has emerged as the team leader in steals early this season as well, averaging 2.0 per game, which ranks tied for fifth in the league.
8 – Junior guard Tyrone Johnson dished a career high eight assists at No. 23/25 Baylor on Nov. 12, which ties for the most assists in a game this season in the SEC. Texas A&M’s Alex Caruso dished eight assists vs. Buffalo on Nov. 13.
21 – South Carolina’s 21 offensive rebounds vs. Clemson marked the most for the Gamecocks in the category this season and the second-most by Carolina during the Frank Martin era. South Carolina collected 24 offensive rebounds last season vs. St. John’s.

Trend Setting
Gamecock trends under Frank Martin …
– South Carolina is 10-9 when posting at least six made 3s in a game.
– The Gamecocks have hit six 3s just once this season, the victory vs. Longwood on Nov. 9
– South Carolina is 10-6 when scoring more points in the paint than its opponent.
– The Gamecocks average 32.7 points in the paint per game, compared to 21.3 from opponents. Carolina posted a season high 40 points in the paint vs. Clemson on Nov. 17.
– South Carolina is 11-9 when holding its opponents to under 45 percent from the field. – The Gamecocks have held each opponent under 45% shooting this season. Longwood managed to hit just 22.8% of its attempts.
– South Carolina is 11-9 when out-rebounding its opponent.
– The Gamecocks have out-rebounded two opponents this season, holding a +23 margin vs. Longwood and a +8 mark vs. Clemson.

Up Next
South Carolina will have a 12-day break from games before traveling to No. 7/9 Oklahoma State for the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Dec. 6. The contest will be televised on ESPNU and will tip at 9:30 p.m. ET.

SEC Tournament
Fresh off hosting the 2013 Final Four, the Georgia Dome will be the site for the 2014 SEC Tournament, March 12-16 in Atlanta. The Georgia Dome first hosted the tourney in 1995 and the 2014 event will mark the 11th time the venue has hosted the league’s postseason tournament. The winner of the 13-game tournament receives the SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament seeds are determined by the 18-game conference schedule during the regular season. Teams are seeded 1-14 based on their regular-season conference finish.

Gamecocks Sign Stroman and Blanton During Fall Signing Period
University of South Carolina head men’s basketball coach Frank Martin announced on Nov. 19 the signing of Marcus Stroman (G – 6-2 – 170 – Columbia, S.C./Keenan High School) and TeMarcus Blanton (G – 6-4 – 185 – Locust Grove, Georgia/Luella High School) to National Letters of Intent. The duo will join the Gamecocks for the 2014-15 campaign and both will have four years of eligibility beginning next fall. Below are brief comments from Coach Martin on each signee.

Martin on Blanton
“I’m extremely excited about TeMarcus Blanton. He is a 6-5 wing that is ultra-competitive on both ends of the floor. He fits exactly the kind of guard that we want to build our program around. He’s a slasher, a defender and an athletic finisher that loves every opportunity that he gets to compete.”

Martin on Stroman
“Marcus is a consummate point guard. He understands the position at his age as well as, if not better, than most. Every time I watch him play, I leave games thinking that the four guys with him are better than they actually are, because he is so good at making others look good. He is an ultra-competitive, hometown kid, who grew up a Gamecock fan, and we are extremely excited to have him become part of our program.”

Gamecocks To Compete In 2014 Charleston Classic
The Charleston Classic presented by Gildan announced six of the eight-team field for the 2014 tournament to be held Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Nov. 20, 21 and 23, at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C. South Carolina will compete in the event for the second time, and for the first time since the 2009 campaign. The other participating teams announced are Akron, Cornell, Miami (Fla.), Penn State and Southern California. The final two teams will be announced at a later date. During the 2009 event, the Gamecocks defeated La Salle in the tournament’s opening round, earned a win over USF to advance to the finals, and lost to Miami in the championship game. The 2014 Charleston Classic will feature a bracket format with 12 games over three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship game on the final day of competition.