Feb. 2, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina travels to Arkansas on Tuesday in the first of two road matchups this week. The Gamecocks and Razorbacks met twice last season, with Arkansas posting a 71-64 victory on its homecourt in mid-February, and Carolina earning a 71-69 win over the Razorbacks in the second round of the 2014 SEC Tournament. Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on the SEC Network with Dave Neal (pxp) and Will Perdue (analyst) on the call.

GAME INFORMATION
Game Date: Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015
Game Time: 9 p.m. ET
Arena: Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Broadcast: SEC Network/WatchESPN
Talent: Dave Neal (pxp), Will Perdue (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Sirius: N/A; XM: N/A
Series: Arkansas leads 15-12
Last Meeting: 71-69 Carolina win on March 13, 2014, in Atlanta, Ga. (SEC Tournament)

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GAME STORYLINES
– South Carolina is in its 107th season of varsity basketball in 2014-15.
– The Gamecocks are led by third-year head coach Frank Martin. His associate head coach is Matt Figger, his assistant coaches are Perry Clark and Lamont Evans, and his director of operations is Andy Assaley.
– South Carolina snapped a five-game losing streak on Saturday with a 67-50 victory over visiting Georgia at Colonial Life Arena. Four Gamecocks scored in double-figures in that contest, led by 12 from junior forward Laimonas Chatkevicius. Sophomore guards Sindarius Thornwell (10) and Duane Notice (11), and senior guard Tyrone Johnson (10) also scored in double figures. Junior forward Michael Carrera led the Gamecocks for the fourth straight game on the glass, pulling down a game high nine rebounds.
– The Gamecocks held Georgia to just 22.0 percent (11-50) from the field, including just a 4-of-25 (16.0%) mark in the second half. Both figures set new Gamecock records for lowest opponent field goal percentage in a single half and for a game in the SEC regular season. It is also the lowest field goal percentage by a Gamecock opponent since the addition of the 3-point basket in college basketball.
– The win vs. Georgia snapped a five-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. It was Carolina’s first win over UGA since Feb. 2012.
– Sophomore forward Demetrius Henry and sophomore guard Justin McKie did not play at LSU or vs. Georgia due to concussions.
– The Gamecocks are 3-9 all time in games played in Fayetteville. They have lost three-straight road meetings in the series, with the last win at Bud Walton Arena in a 70-66 victory on Jan. 16, 2008.
– In last season’s victory vs. Arkansas in the SEC Tournament, then-freshman guard Sindarius Thornwell paced the Gamecocks with 17 points, and then-sophomore forward Laimonas Chatkevicius set a then-career high with 17 points off the bench. Chatkevicius was 8-of-10 from the free throw line in that contest.
– The Gamecocks are in their 24th season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2015. Carolina owns a 140-240 (.368) all-time record in SEC play.
– Frank Martin owns a 61-65 (.484) all-time record in conference games.
– South Carolina has victories this season over three teams in the top 40 of the RPI (Feb. 1) in Iowa State (16), Georgia (24) and Oklahoma State (33).
– South Carolina was in a back-and-forth battle on the road at LSU on Jan. 28, but the home team was able to secure a 64-58 victory in Baton Rouge, using key free throws from Jordan Mickey and Tim Quarterman in the final 19 seconds to seal the win. The Gamecocks struggled offensively, hitting just 34.4 percent (21-61) from the field, however, Carolina hit seven 3s in the contest. Mickey and Jarell Martin blocked six shots each for the Tigers.
– Junior forward Michael Carrera led the Gamecocks with 10 rebounds at LSU, marking his first double-figure rebounding game of the season.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Arkansas enters Tuesday’s contest with a 16-5 overall record, which includes a 5-3 record in SEC play after suffering a 57-56 loss at Florida last weekend. The Razorbacks are 13-1 at Bud Walton Arena, with their only home loss of the season coming against Ole Miss on Jan. 17. Two Arkansas players average double figures for the season, sophomore forward Bobby Portis leads the team and ranks atop the league with 17.7 points per game, and junior guard Michael Qualls provides 15.9 per outing. Portis’ 8.5 rebounds per game are fourth in the SEC for overall games, and he also paces the league in scoring in strictly conference games with 19.1 per outing. The Razorbacks rank 11th nationally scoring 80.4 points per game, and rank in the top 10 nationally in sixth place in assists per outing at 17.1 per game. The Razorbacks are led by head coach Mike Anderson in his fourth season.

ARKANSAS SERIES
Arkansas owns a 15-12 upperhand in the all-time series with the Gamecocks, and the team’s have traded victories back-and-forth in the series since two-straight Gamecocks wins in 2008 and 2009. Arkansas holds a 9-3 advantage in games played in Fayetteville, including a 71-64 victory at Bud Walton Arena last season on Feb. 19, 2014.

BY THE #’S
8 – South Carolina’s eight turnovers vs. Georgia marked a season low for the Gamecocks in the category. The previous season low was nine versus North Florida in the season opener.
4 – The four Georgia points off of those eight Carolina turnovers also marked a season low for opponents.
13.0 – Over the course of the last four games, sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell averages a team best 13.0 points per game. He also has pulled down 7.0 rebounds per game, dished 2.5 assists per game (including team high four vs. Georgia), and collected 1.3 steals per game (including team high three vs. Georgia).
24-12 – South Carolina posted 24 points in the paint compared to just 12 from Georgia on Saturday. The Gamecocks average 31.7 points in the paint compared to just 20.7 from their opponents this season. Carolina is 11-6 this season when scoring more points in the paint than its opponent.
42.2% – The Gamecocks are averaging 42.2 percent from the field in road games this season.
4th – South Carolina ranks fourth in the SEC in average home attendance, as an average of 11,583 fans attend Carolina home games this season.
3rd – South Carolina ranks third in scoring defense in the SEC (overall games), as opponents average just 60.5 points per game.
3rd – The Gamecocks rank third in the SEC (overall games) in free throw percent, hitting 73.0 percent at the charity stripe this season.
84.8% – Senior guard Tyrone Johnson ranks fourth in the SEC (overall games) in free throw percent, as he has hit 56-of-66 attempts this season for a mark of 84.8%.
3.4 – Among freshmen in the SEC, rookie point guard Marcus Stroman ranks fourth with 3.4 assists per game (overall games).

UP NEXT
South Carolina travels to Vanderbilt on Saturday for a 4 p.m. ET matchup vs. the Commodores. The Gamecocks look for their first win in Nashville since March 2010. The teams met just once last season, with Carolina posting a 65-59 home victory in that contest.