Gamecock Gameday: #19/20 Men's Hoops Travels To LSU On Wednesday

Jan. 31, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. –Nationally-ranked South Carolina looks for its fifth road win of the season and fourth in SEC play when it travels to face LSU on Wednesday. The game marks the second straight on the road for the Gamecocks, who posted a 10-point win at Missouri last Saturday. The Gamecocks aim for their first win in Baton Rouge since the 2013 SEC campaign.

GAME STORYLINES

– South Carolina is in its 109th season of varsity basketball in 2016-17.
– On the sidelines, Frank Martin is joined by associate head coach Matt Figger, assistant coaches Perry Clark and Bruce Shingler, and director of operations Andy Assaley.
– South Carolina remains in the national rankings this week, checking in at No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll. The Gamecocks jumped in to the national rankings on Nov. 28 for the first time this season after posting wins over two ranked opponents the previous week in No. 25/24 Michigan and No. 18/16 Syracuse. The Gamecocks checked in at No. 20 in the Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the Coaches Poll. The Gamecocks have risen to as high as 15th in the AP poll this season, which was the highest rank for Carolina since the Gamecocks were ranked 14th in the final poll of the 1997-98 campaign. The Gamecocks high mark in the Coaches poll this season was at No. 15.
– South Carolina posted a 63-53 road win at Missouri last Saturday behind the ninth double-double of senior guard Sindarius Thornwell’s career, as he led the squad with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The win put the Gamecocks atop the SEC standings with Kentucky. The win marked Carolina’s first at Mizzou Arena. South Carolina made nine 3s, while Mizzou was held to just 1-of-17 from 3-point range, 5.9%.
– Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell is currently tied in first place all-time with Gamecock greats BJ McKie and Melvin Watson for career starts with 116.
– Over the course of the last five games, Carolina has held its opponents to just 18.5% (17-92) from 3-point range. Ole Miss was 5-of-17 from 3, Florida did not hit a 3 (0-17), Kentucky connected on 8-of-20 (40.0%), Auburn hit just 3-of-21 (14.3%) attempts, and Missouri was 1-of-17 from beyond the arc.
– In league play, Carolina opponents are averaging 18.9 turnovers per contest.
– South Carolina currently leads the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 25.4 percent from beyond the arc this season.
– South Carolina leads the SEC in several defensive categories entering Wednesday’s game at LSU. In overall games, Carolina is tops in scoring defense (60.8), FG% defense (37.2%) and 3-point FG% defense (25.4%), and is first in steals (8.1 per game). In stricly league games, Carolina is first in scoring defense (63.1), in FG% defense (39.3%), in 3-point FG% defense (24.4%) and first in steals (8.4 per game).
– South Carolina is 12-1 at home this season, averaging 75.2 points per game and hitting 43.6% from the field.
– The Gamecocks are 4-2 in away games this season (3-1 in SEC games), and average 66.7 points per game and have hit 39.3% from the field.
– South Carolina head coach Frank Martin is 83-79 (.512) all-time in conference games.
– South Carolina ranks fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense (games through Jan. 29), allowing opponents to hit just 37.2% from the floor this season. That mark leads the SEC as well.
– Over the course of the last five games, sophomore forward Chris Silva is 23-of-26 from the foul line. He was a perfect 8-of-8 in the win over Auburn from the line.

SCOUTING LSU

– The Tigers are led by head coach Johnny Jones in his fifth season in Baton Rouge.
– LSU is 9-11 on the year, which includes a 1-7 mark in SEC games.
– The Tigers’ SEC win came at Missouri on Jan. 4. LSU enters Wednesday’s game vs. South Carolina having lost seven in a row, most recently a 77-64 decision at Texas Tech in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
– Three average double-figure points for the Tigers, led by sophomore guard Antionio Blankeney’s 16.4 per game. He also paces the squad in league play with 15.5 points per outing.
– Duop Reath (13.8) and Brandon Sampson (10.3) also provide double-digit scoring.
– Blankeney led LSU in the matchup at Texas Tech, scoring 23 points, while also pulling down five rebounds in 36 minutes.
– The Tigers own an 8-4 record in non-conference games this season.
– LSU is 7-4 in home games this year.

LSU SERIES

South Carolina leads the all-time series vs. LSU, 16-15, but the Tigers own an 8-4 upperhand in games played in Baton Rouge. The last Gamecock road win in the series came in Frank Martin’s first-career SEC win, an 82-73 overtime victory at the Maravich Center on Jan. 16, 2013. South Carolina won last season’s meeting in Columbia, 94-83, but LSU had won the previous three matchups.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FIVE GAMES

– The Gamecocks are 4-1 over the course of the last five games, with the lone loss in the stretch coming against Kentucky on Jan. 21.
– As a team, Carolina is averaging 38.7 percent from the field (109-282), and holding opponents to 38.6 percent (105-272).
– Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell is averaging a team best 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game during the stretch.
– Thornwell and rookie forward Maik Kotsar are both averaging 2.4 offensive rebounds per game during the stretch.
– Sophomore forward Chris Silva is averaging 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game during the stretch.
– Silva has hit 23-of-26 from the charity stripe during the stretch, a stellar 88.5%.
– The Gamecocks have collected an assist on 57.8 percent of its made baskets.
– Carolina is averaging 7.6 made 3s per game, compared to just 3.4 per game by its opponents.
– The Gamecocks are out-scoring their opponents by 7.6 points per game.

LEGENDS WEEKEND SET FOR FEB. 3-4

The 2017 Legends Weekend will be held Feb. 3-4 in Columbia. Weekend events will celebrate all Gamecock Legends, and highlight the 20th anniversary of the 1997 SEC championship team. The championship squad will be honored at halftime of the South Carolina versus Georgia contest, set for 2 p.m. ET, on Saturday, Feb. 4. The annual event begins on Friday evening with a reception in downtown Columbia, and continues on Saturday morning when the Legends attend shoot around before a Tip-Off Club Brunch honoring the group. An autograph session will be held pre-game with members of the 1997 SEC championship team on the concourse at Colonial Life Arena, before Carolina hosts Georgia at 2 p.m. The 1997 championship team will be highlighted in a halftime celebration on the court.

BY THE NUMBERS

34 – Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell scored a career high 34 points in the contest at Kentucky on Jan. 21. It marked the first 30-point game of his career.
42 – South Carolina has out-scored its opponent in points in the paint in 42 of the last 55 games dating back to last season. The Gamecocks are 37-5 in those games, including a 13-2 mark this season when scoring more points in the paint than its opponent.
54.5% – South Carolina collects an assist on 54.5 percent of its made baskets this season (285/522).
60.8 – South Carolina ranks sixth in the country and leads the SEC in scoring defense, as opponents are averaging just 60.8 points per game this season.
62 – The senior trio of Sindarius Thornwell (22), Duane Notice (27) and Justin McKie (13) accounted for 62 points in the Carolina win over Auburn on Jan. 24.
98 – South Carolina’s 98 points scored vs. Auburn marked the third-most every scored in an SEC game and the most ever scored during the Frank Martin era.
173 – South Carolina is 173-80 all-time at Colonial Life Arena, including an 12-1 mark this season.
300 – Senior guard Duane Notice collected the 300th assist of his career at Memphis on Dec. 30.
571 – Sindarius Thornwell ranks fourth among active players in the SEC with 571 career rebounds.

UP NEXT

South Carolina hosts Georgia on Saturday for Legends Weekend at Colonial Life Arena. Tip time vs. the Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Fans are encouraged to wear white to help “White Out” the arena for the matchup. The Gamecocks posted a 67-61 win over UGA in the SEC opener on Jan. 4 in Athens. Beth Mowins (pxp) and Dalen Cuff (analyst) will have the call.