Dec. 18, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina hosts intrastate rival USC Upstate on Thursday in a quick turnaround after the Manhattan contest on Tuesday evening. Thursday’s contest will tip at 4 p.m. ET, as the Gamecocks begin travels for the Diamond Head Classic following the game vs. the Spartans. Fox Sports Carolinas/SportSouth will televise Thursday’s matchup. The Gamecocks are in the midst of a stretch of eight games in 18 days beginning with Tuesday’s contest versus Manhattan.

OPENING TIP
Date: Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013
Tipoff: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: South Carolina leads 3-0
Last Meeting: South Carolina win, 72-66, Dec. 31, 2011 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: 108; 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.
– Senior guard Bruce Ellington and junior forward Carlton Geathers both participated in winter graduation ceremonies on Monday. Both earned their degree in sociology.
– Free throw shooting was the difference in Tuesday’s game vs. Manhattan, as the Jaspers escaped Colonial Life Arena with an 86-68 win over the Gamecocks. The victory was Manhattan’s seventh-straight on the road. The Jaspers hit a stellar 34-of-39 from the free throw line, a mark of 87.2 percent. The Gamecocks attempted just one less from the line, but hit just 22-of-38 for the game, including 9-of-19 in the opening half. Freshman guard Sindarius Thornwell led the Gamecocks with 17 points in the game, including 10 from the charity stripe.
– Looking ahead, South Carolina travels for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Friday with an early morning flight. The Gamecocks’ first game in Hawaii is versus Saint Mary’s on Dec. 22 at 11 p.m. ET (ESPNU). Carolina will then face either host Hawaii or Boise State in the event’s second round.
– South Carolina recently suffered a 79-52 road loss at No. 9/11 Oklahoma State on Dec. 6, competing in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Rookie guard Jaylen Shaw once again shined for Carolina off the bench, hitting 4-of-5 attempts from the floor, which included three 3s for 13 points.
– Senior guard Bruce Ellington began practice with the Gamecock men’s basketball team on Dec. 3, and saw 17 minutes of action, scoring two points from the free throw line in the contest vs. Oklahoma State. Ellington led the Gamecock football team in receiving yards this season, collecting 635 yards on 43 catches and scoring six touchdowns. On the basketball court, Ellington owns career averages of 11.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 30.5 minutes per game (79 games played).

Scouting USC Upstate
USC Upstate enters Thursday’s contest with a 5-5 record after most recently suffering a 73-63 loss to UNC Asheville last Sunday … The team is led by Eddie Payne in his 12th season in the Upstate … Payne was an assistant at South Carolina from 1987-89 and was the associate head coach from 1990-91 …The Spartans began their season with a 64-63 road win at Virginia Tech, and have compiled a 1-4 record in road games this season … The squad is paced by senior guard Craig Torrey, who averages 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest, which leads the Atlantic Sun Conference in both categories … Torrey has led the league in scoring in each of the past two seasons … Junior guard Ty Greene (14.9) and senior forward Ricardo Glenn (11.6) are both averaging double-figure points entering Thursday’s contest.

Series vs. USC Upstate
South Carolina leads the all-time series vs. USC Upstate 3-0, with all three of those contests coming in Columbia. In the most recent meeting, a 72-66 Gamecock win on Dec. 31, 2011, Carolina led late in the contest, but the Spartans cut the lead to just two with 44 seconds remaining. A tip-in and two made Gamecock free throws sealed the win for Carolina.

By The Numbers
16.0 – Junior guard Tyrone Johnson is averaging 16.0 points per game in home games this season (3) and he has hit 51.9 percent of his shot attempts.
81.6% – Carolina’s last two opponents have combined to hit 58-of-71 from the free throw line, with then-No. 9 Oklahoma State connecting on 24-of-32, and Manhattan hitting a stellar 34-of-39 from the line in Tuesday’s win.
13 – Freshman guard Sindarius Thornwell attempted 13 free throws vs. Manhattan on Tuesday, marking the most attempts in a game for a Carolina player since Devan Downey attempted 14 at Tennessee on Feb. 6, 2010. It marked the most attempts in a game by a Carolina freshman since then-rookie Michael Carrera attempted 10 last season in a road win at LSU on Jan. 16, 2013.
10 – 10 different Gamecocks average at least 10.8 minutes per contest, with Ty Johnson’s 30.3 minutes per game leading the squad.

Up Next
South Carolina embarks on a near 5,000 mile journey to Honolulu, Hawaii, to participate in the 2013 Hawiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, Dec. 22-25. The Gamecocks will play Saint Mary’s in the event’s opening round on Dec. 22 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPNU.