Gamecocks Host Texas A&M On Legends Weekend

Feb. 20, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina hosts Texas A&M on Saturday in the lone regular-season matchup between the two schools this season. The meeting is just the fourth all-time between the Gamecocks and Aggies, and the second-straight between the two schools in Columbia. Roy Philpott (pxp) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) will handle the call for the SEC Network.

GAME INFORMATION
Game Date: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015
Game Time: 12 p.m. ET
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Broadcast: SEC Network/WatchESPN
Talent: Roy Philpott (pxp), Jon Sundvold (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Sirius: 113; XM: 190
Series: Texas A&M leads 2-1
Last Meeting: 80-52 Carolina win on Jan. 29, 2014, in Columbia, S.C.

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 used stellar shooting and nine made 3s in the contest, to post a 64-58 road win at Georgia on Tuesday. It was Carolina’s first SEC road win of the season. Sophomore guard Duane Notice and senior guard Tyrone Johnson led the Gamecocks with 17 points each, with Johnson posting four 3s and Notice three. South Carolina hit 58.3 percent in the opening half to hold a 41-23 lead at halftime.
– South Carolina’s nine made 3s at Georgia marked a season high in the category.
– South Carolina held Georgia to just 37.7% (20-53) from the field, marking the 13th time this season the Gamecocks have held their opponent to under 40 percent from the field.
– South Carolina has victories this season over four teams in the top 50 of the RPI (Feb. 19) in Iowa State (10), Oklahoma State (28) and Georgia (43, twice).
– The Gamecocks suffered a 77-43 loss at Rupp Arena to top-ranked Kentucky on Feb. 14. Sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell posted a game high 20 points, but the Gamecocks shot just 23.6% (13-55) from the field in the contest.
– The Gamecocks are in their 24th season of competition in the Southeastern Conference in 2015. Carolina owns a 142-243 (.368) all-time record in SEC play.
– Frank Martin owns a 63-68 (.480) all-time record in conference games.
– Sophomore guard Justin McKie returned to the lineup for Carolina at Kentucky after missing the previous five games due to a concussion.
– Rookie point guard Marcus Stroman missed his third-straight contest vs. Georgia on Tuesday due to a throat infection.
– South Carolina posted a 65-60 victory over visiting Missouri on Feb. 10 at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks scored 28 points in the paint and 16 points off of 15 Tiger turnovers in the win. Thornwell and senior guard Tyrone Johnson each dished six assists for Carolina. Thornwell posted a team high 14 points in the win.

LEGENDS WEEKEND
South Carolina head coach Frank Martin and his staff will host Legends Weekend this weekend, Feb. 20-21. The annual event begins on Friday, Feb. 20, with an evening reception and continues on Saturday morning, with a pre-game chalk talk at Colonial Life Arena before the Gamecocks host Texas A&M in a Noon ET contest. The legends will be honored at halftime, and the weekend will conclude with a post-game reception in the Frank McGuire Club at Colonial Life Arena. For more information on the 2015 Legends Weekend, please contact Blair Cauthen in the South Carolina Athletics Department at 803-777-9126, or by email at BlairC@sc.edu.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
The Aggies bring an 18-7 overall record, which includes a 9-4 mark in SEC games, to Columbia for Saturday’s matchup. Texas A&M is currently projected as an NCAA Tournament team and according to ESPN’s BPI, the Aggies’ strength of schedule is rated the 21st toughest in the nation. A&M has notable wins this season vs. Arizona State, College of Charleson and New Mexico in the non-conference portion of its schedule, and a pair of wins over LSU, and road wins at Tennesee and Florida in league play. Junior guard Danuel House leads the Aggies with 14.4 points per game and 15.9 per game in league play. Junior point guard Alex Caruso leads the SEC (overall games) with 5.8 assists per game, which ranks 17th nationally. The Aggies rank third in the SEC in field goal percent (45.8), but rank last in free throw percent (64.2), while they are second in field goal percent defense (39.8) and second in 3-point field goal percent defense (30.0). Head coach Billy Kennedy is in his fourth season with the Aggies.

TEXAS A&M SERIES
The Gamecocks and Aggies have only met three times, with all of those contests occurring since Texas A&M joined the SEC prior to the 2013 campaign. The Aggies hold a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, but the Gamecocks won the only meeting in Columbia, 80-52, on Jan. 29, 2014.

BY THE #’S
17 – Senior guard Ty Johnson posted 17 points in Tuesday’s win at Georgia, the most he has scored since posting 20 vs. Florida in the Jan. 7 SEC opener.
17 – Sophomore guard Duane Notice also scored 17 points in Tuesday’s victory vs. the Bulldogs. It was Notice’s highest scoring output in league play this season.
4 – Johnson’s four made 3s vs. Georgia marked a new career high. He had hit his previous career high of three twice, most recently at Auburn earlier this season.
3.6 – Among freshmen in the SEC, Marcus Stroman ranks fourth in overall games with 3.6 assists per outing. In strictly league games, he ranks third with 2.7 per outing.
10-7 – The Gamecocks are 10-7 this season when out-rebounding their opponent.
4th – South Carolina ranks fourth in the SEC in average home attendance, as an average of 11,372 fans attend Carolina home games this season.
3rd – South Carolina ranks tied for third in scoring defense in the SEC (overall games), as opponents average just 61.8 points per game.
74.1% – The Gamecocks rank second in the SEC (overall games) in free throw percent, hitting 74.1 percent at the charity stripe this season.
84.6% – Senior guard Tyrone Johnson ranks third in the SEC (overall games) in free throw percent, as he has hit 66-of-78 attempts this season for a mark of 84.6%
38 – According to ESPN’s BPI (Feb. 19), South Carolina’s strength of schedule ranks 38th in the nation this season.

UP NEXT
South Carolina travels to Alabama for the second 2015 meeting between the two schools on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. ET matchup on the SEC Network. Led by 13 points from Ty Johnson, South Carolina posted a 68-66 win over the Crimson Tide in Columbia on Jan. 13. Following Tuesday’s contest, the Gamecocks return home to host Mississippi State on Saturday, Feb. 28.