Men's Basketball Hosts Texas A&M On Wednesday

Jan. 28, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina hosts Texas A&M on Wednesday for the second matchup between the two schools this season. The Aggies posted a 75-67 victory over the Gamecocks just two weeks ago in College Station. Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

OPENING TIP
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Texas A&M leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Texas A&M win, 75-67, on Jan. 15, 2014, in College Station, Texas
Broadcast: ESPN3
Talent: Roy Philpott (pxp), Stan Lewter (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network/107.5 The Game in Columbia
Sirius: 108; XM: 199
Talent: Andy Demetra (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.
– The Gamecocks are in their 23rd season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2014. Carolina owns a 133-227 (.369) all-time record in SEC play.
– Frank Martin owns a 54-52 (.509) all-time record in conference play.
– Senior guard Brenton Williams posted the second 30-point game of his career on Saturday at Missouri, hitting a career high seven 3s, while adding a perfect 9-of-9 mark from the free throw line. Williams scored 22 of those points and hit five 3s in the second half.
– Despite 32 points from Williams and sophomore forward Michael Carrera’s first double-double of the year with 16 points and 11 rebounds, South Carolina fell to 0-6 in league play with an 82-74 loss at Missouri on Jan. 25. The Gamecocks dished 12 assists, and committed just 11 turnovers, but poor shooting in the contest – 23-of-59 (39.0%) from the field – saw the home team post the win.
– It was announced on Jan. 16 that junior guard Tyrone Johnson suffered a right foot fracture in the Jan. 15 game at Texas A&M, which required surgery. Johnson is out indefinitely. The Plainfield, N.J., native has played in 16 contests this season for Carolina, averaging 11.2 points and a team best 3.4 assists per game. He tallied 11 double-figure scoring games and 11 games with at least three assists prior to his injury.
– After hitting 11-of-11 from the free throw line last week combined at Georgia and Missouri, senior guard Brenton Williams continues to lead the nation in free throw percentage at 98.3 percent (59-of-60/Jan. 27). He has missed just one free throw dating back to the Feb. 28, 2013 game vs. Missouri.
– In this season’s first meeting vs. Texas A&M, the Gamecocks led by as many as 11 in the opening half, but the Aggies out-scored Carolina 37-28 in the second half en route to the victory. Foul trouble once again plagued Carolina, with several players’ minutes limited due to fouls, especially early in the second half. Williams led the team with 14 points, his eighth-straight double-digit scoring game, while freshman guard Duane Notice added 12 points and five assists.

Scouting Texas A&M
The Aggies enter Wednesday’s matchup with a 12-7 overall record, which includes a 3-3 mark in SEC games … A&M, however, has lost three-straight league contests – at Mississippi State in overtime, at Kentucky and most recently vs. Vanderbilt on Saturday … The squad is led by head coach Billy Kennedy in his third season … Sophomore guard Alex Caruso paces the squad with 4.8 assists per game, which leads the SEC … Junior forward Kourtney Roberson posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday … His 7.2 rebounds per contest in overall games this season rank 10th in the league … A&M’s 67.6 points per game ranks 14th in the league, but their 62.1 points per game by opponents ranks second … TAMU ranks third in 3-point field goal percentage defense with opponents hitting just 29.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Among Freshmen In The SEC …
Sindarius Thornwell ranks fifth in scoring (12.8) and tied for fifth in steals (1.0) … Demetrius Henry ranks eighth in rebounding (4.2) … Duane Notice ranks fifth in assists (2.8) and 14th in scoring (6.7).

Texas A&M Series
Wednesday’s meeting vs. Texas A&M marks just the third all-time between the two schools. The Aggies won last season’s meeting, 74-56, on March 2, 2013, and posted a 75-67 win on Jan. 15, in the first 2014 meeting between the two schools. Wednesday’s game marks the first between the Gamecocks and Aggies in Columbia.

By The Numbers
7 – South Carolina senior guard Brenton Williams posted a career high 32 points in Saturday’s contest at Missouri. Williams set a career high with seven made 3s in the contest. It marked the most 3s in a game for a Carolina player since Devan Downey also hit seven, en route to a 33-point effort at Florida on Feb. 3, 2009, a span of 153 games.
32 – Williams’ 32 points at Missouri marks the second-most by an individual in SEC play this season, and the most by any individual player in a road contest in league games in 2014.
7 – Williams’ seven made 3s at Missouri is tied for the second-most by an individual in all games this season in the SEC.
4 – The Gamecocks have played four of the top six teams in the SEC this season already in conference play in Florida, Ole Miss, Georgia and LSU.
11 – Sophomore forward Michael Carrera posted his first double-figure rebounding effort of the season with a game high 11 boards at Missouri last Saturday. He is now tied for a team-best with 4.7 rebounds per game.

Up Next
The Gamecocks travel to Ole Miss for the second meeting between the two schools this season on Saturday. Game time in Oxford is set for 1:47 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on SEC TV. Ole Miss won the first meeting between the two schools 75-74 in Columbia on Jan. 18.

Irmo Night
This Wednesday’s contest vs. Texas A&M will be Irmo Night at Colonial Life Arena! The University of South Carolina Athletics Department, along with The Gamecock Club and My Carolina Alumni Association, have partnered in creating several City Chapter Days throughout the 2013-14 basketball season for both the Gamecock men’s and women’s teams. The City Chapter Days will give Gamecock Club and Alumni Chapters a game at Colonial Life Arena that is dedicated specifically to their respective members and local business. During each game different chapter leaders and business owners will be recognized for their contributions and support of Gamecock Athletics.