Feb. 26, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina will play two of its final three regular-season games on the road, beginning Saturday at Mississippi State. The meeting is the second between the two schools this SEC season, as the Gamecocks posted an 84-74 win over the Bulldogs in Columbia on Jan. 26. The Gamecocks ride a two-game win streak into the matchup, while MSU fell in a tight contest at Texas A&M on Wednesday, breaking their own two-game win streak.

GAMECOCK STORYLINES

– South Carolina is in its 108th season of varsity basketball in 2015-16.
– Carolina is led by fourth-year head coach Frank Martin. Alongside him are associate head coach Matt Figger, assistant coaches Perry Clark and Lamont Evans and director of men’s hoops operations, Andy Assaley.
– South Carolina is receiving votes in both the Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll and in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25 Poll this week. The Gamecocks have been receiving votes or have been ranked for the past 13 weeks in the Coaches Poll, rising to as high as 15th, and also for 13 straight weeks in the AP poll, rising to as high as 19th.
– South Carolina’s offense hit on all cylinders in an 84-58 win over visiting Tennessee on Wednesday. The win for Carolina evened the season series between the two schools, and was just the second SC win over UT in the last 10 meetings. Junior guard Duane Notice led four Gamecocks in double figures with 17, while senior forward Michael Carrera collected his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
– The Gamecocks dished 20 assists on 32 made baskets vs. Tennessee, collecting an assist on 62.5 percent of made baskets.
– Over the course of the last give games, senior foward Michael Carrera is averaging 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
– Junior guard Duane Notice needs just 15 points to reach 1,000 for his career in the Garnet and Black. Notice would be the third Gamecock this season to reach the career milestone, as junior guard Sindarius Thornwell posted his 1,000th vs. Vandy on Jan. 9, and senior forward Michael Carrera reached the mark vs. Texas A&M on Feb. 6.
– The Gamecocks are 4-1 this season in games decided by five points or less.
– Through 15 league games, Sindarius Thornwell and Michael Carrera have led the Gamecocks in scoring in all but two SEC games, Carrera leading the Gamecocks in scoring seven times, and Thornwell six.
– South Carolina is 31st in the most recent NCAA RPI (Feb. 25), and the Gamecocks are 8-3 against teams in the top 100 of the RPI.

GAMECOCKS IN THE POLLS

South Carolina is receiving votes in both the Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll and in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25 Poll this week. The Gamecocks have been receiving votes or have been ranked for the past 13 weeks in the Coaches Poll, rising to as high as 15th, and also for 13 straight weeks in the AP poll, rising to as high as 19th.

KEY STAT

South Carolina ranks third nationally in total free throw attempts, having 800 attempts from the charity stripe this season. The school record for free throw attempts in a season is 860, set by the 1956-57 squad that went 17-12 on the year. Grady Wallace led that team with 31.3 points per game, also a school record.

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE

– Mississippi State owns a 12-15 overall record, which includes a 5-10 mark in SEC games entering Saturday’s matchup vs. the Gamecocks.
– The Bulldogs most recently suffered a 68-66 loss at Texas A&M on Wednesday evening.
– Prior to the loss to the Aggies, MSU had won two straight, including a home win over Vanderbilt and a road win at Alabama.
– Four average double-figure points for the Bulldogs, led by senior foward Gavin Ware’s 15.6 per game. Senior guard Craig Sword is next with 12.9 points per outing, and Malik Newman (12.1) and Quindarry Weatherspoon (11.9) also provide double digit points per game.
– Sword tallied a season high 24 points in the loss at A&M, while Witherspoon added 14.
– Mississippi State leads the SEC in free throw percentage at 72.7 percent, while individually I.J. Ready is eighth in assists (4.4) and Malik Newman is eighth in three-point field goal percentage (38.6%).
– MSU is 8-5 in home games this season, including 3-4 in SEC home games.
– The Bulldogs are led by head coach Ben Howland in his first season.

UP NEXT

South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena next Thursday for its final home game of the 2015-16 regular season when Georgia travels to Columbia. Senior night festivities will take place at approximately 6:50 p.m. for Carolina’s senior quartet of forwards, Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chatkevicius, Mindaguas Kacinas and Brian Steele, as well as managers Robert Holmes, Pat Leyden and Dylan Stiles. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. ET with the contest broadcast on ESPN.

BY THE NUMBERS

19 – Junior guard Duane Notice hit four 3s in the home win vs. Tennessee. It marked the 19th time in his career that he has hit at least three from beyond the arc in a game.
9 – After committing just 10 turnovers vs. Florida last Saturday, South Carolina followed by committing just nine in the win vs. Tennessee.
8 – Junior guard Duane Notice matched a career high with eight assists in the win vs. Florida.
68.2 – South Carolina averages 68.2 points per game in away games this season.
42.3% – In overall games this season, Duane Notice ranks fourth in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage at 42.3 percent.
44 – Junior guard Sindarius Thornwell played a team high 44 minutes in the win vs. Florida, a new career high.
18,000 – The contest vs. Florida marked the third sellout this season, and also marked the first time that the Colonial Life Arena has been sold out three times in one season for men’s basketball.
15 – Junior guard Duane Notice is just 15 points away from reaching 1,000 for his career. When he reaches the mark, he’ll be the third Gamecock this season to reach the career milestone – junior guard Sindarius Thornwell tallied his 1,000th career point vs. Vandy on Jan. 9, and senior forward Michael Carrera reached the mark vs. Texas A&M on Feb. 6.
7 – Senior forward Michael Carrera is one of just seven Gamecocks all-time to reach 1,000 points and at least 700 rebounds.