Feb. 21, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina hosts Georgia Saturday afternoon in the team’s second matchup this season, with Georgia winning 97-76 in Athens, Ga., on Jan. 22, 2014. Saturday’s contest will broadcast on SECTV.

Snowstorm With Whiteout Conditions
The South Carolina men’s basketball team is undefeated at 3-0 with snow on the ground in Columbia, so the athletics department has planned a “Snowstorm with Whiteout Conditions” for the Saturday contest against the Georgia. All fans are encouraged to wear white to the game.

OPENING TIP
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014
Tipoff: 1:47 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: Georgia leads 53-48
Last Meeting: Georgia win, 97-76, on Jan. 22, 2014 in Athen, Ga. (Stegeman Coliseum)
Broadcast: SECTV | ESPN3
Talent: Joe Davis (pxp), Joe Dean Jr. (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network/107.5 The Game in Columbia
Sirius: 136; XM: 200
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 135-231 (.369) all-time record in SEC play.
– Frank Martin owns a 56-56 (.500) all-time record in conference play.
– Despite overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit late in the second half, South Carolina was unable to claim a lead in the final 20 minutes as they fell 71-64 at Arkansas Wednesday night. The Gamecocks countered the the frenetic play with the hot-shooting of senior guard Brenton Williams who hit a career-high 11 field goals as he scored 29 points, going 6-of-13 from 3.
– For the first time since January of 2011, South Carolina won back-to-back conference games as the team topped Alabama 67-66. With the Crimson Tide battling back behind 25 second-half points from Trevor Releford to grab the lead, Gamecock guard Sindarius Thornwell led the charge, scoring or assisting on 15 of Carolina’s final 17 points, including hitting two free throws to ice the game with five seconds left. The freshman led the Gamecocks with 22 points.
– For his efforts on the week, Thornwell was named Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Week and SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, five rebounds and five assists in two games. It was his second Freshman of the Week honor from the conference this season, and first national honor.
– Despite being located in an area which sees little to no snowfall annually, South Carolina is 3-0 this season when there is snow on the ground in Columbia. (Jan. 29, Texas A&M; Feb. 13, Vanderbilt; Feb. 15, Alabama)
n In its second game of the season which took place with campus closed due to winter weather, the Gamecocks moved to 2-0 in such games, topping Vanderbilt last Thursday night, 65-59, after the contest was postponed for 20 hours after the original scheduled time. Thornwell led South Carolina with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists.
– Against the Commodores, the Gamecocks grabbed a season-high 26 offensive rebounds en route to a 23-9 advantage in second-chance points. Five Carolina players recorded at least three offensive boards.
– Carolina’s game vs. Vanderbilt was the 2,500th game in program history.
– A 23-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome as South Carolina was defeated 72-53 by Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena. Thornwell scored the Gamecocks first seven points and finished the day with a team-high 15 points and four steals.
– After allowing Auburn to go on a 16-2 run early in the second half, the Gamecocks stormed back with an 18-2 run to level the game with under eight minutes to play, but the Gamecocks were unable to slow the Tigers down the stretch as they fell 79-74 at Colonial Life Arena. Williams led all scorers with 29 points on a season high 10 field goals, going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Despite only scoring eight points, Thornwell posted season highs in assists (9) and steals (4). Sophomore forward Mindaugas Kacinas added a season high 14 points and freshman guard Duane Notice chipped in 12 points.
– South Carolina held a 15-point lead with just under 11 minutes to play at Ole Miss (Feb. 1), but a late run from the Rebels turned the game in the home team’s favor as South Carolina fell 75-71 on Saturday. Senior guard Brenton Williams led all scorers with 23 points as he hit 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Thornwell added 20 points and a career high six assists.
– The Gamecocks earned their first conference win of the season on Jan. 29 in an 80-52 win over Texas A&M, after holding a 20-point halftime lead. Freshman guards Duane Notice and Sindarius Thornwell paced the Gamecocks with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists apiece.
– Carolina’s defense held the Aggies to 35.6 percent shooting from the field, and did not a allow a double-digit scorer for the first time this season.
– 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.

Scouting Georgia
The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s matchup with a 14-11 overall record, which includes a 8-5 mark in SEC games … Georgia is 2-6 away from Stegeman Coliseum this season, and 2-4 on the road in conference play, earning wins at Mississippi State and Missouri … The Bulldog’s offense is led by Charles Mann (13.5) and Kenny Gaines (12.1) who both average double figures … Georgia holds a 5.1 edge in rebounds per game over its opponents.

Georgia Series
Saturday’s meeting vs. Georgia marks the 102nd all-time meeting between the two schools … The Bulldogs won the last meeting, 97-76, on Jan. 22, 2014, at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga. … Georgia leads the all-time series 53-48 … The Bulldogs have claimed the last four games and hold a 7-3 edge in the last 10 meetings.

By The Numbers
3 – In SEC games, Sindarius Thornwell leads all freshmen in three categories: scoring (16.5), assists (4.15) and steals (1.31).
3 – Since starting the conference season 0-6, South Carolina has won 3 games in the last seven.
5 – The Gamecocks have won five of 14 games when the scoring margin is 10 points or less.
6 – Sophomore guard Michael Carrera has led Carolina in rebounding in six of the last nine games.
6 – Senior guard Brenton Williams has hit at least six 3s in four games this season.
10 – Thornwell has recorded double-figures in 10 of 13 SEC games, including five with 20-plus points, tying B.J. McKie for the most by a South Carolina freshman in SEC games.
11 – Williams hit a career-high 11 field goals at Arkansas.
16 – Williams has recorded double-figures in 16 of his last 18 games.

Up Next
The Gamecocks are back on the road on Wednesday night for their second meeting with the Auburn this season. Game time is set for 9 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on FSN.