Feb. 1, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 4/6 South Carolina is back on the road for its next two games, beginning at SEC-rival Kentucky Thursday night on SEC Network. The Gamecocks (18-2, 8-1 SEC) and No. 25/ Wildcats are both ranked for the 11th-straight meeting in the annual home-and-home series.

South Carolina Notables

• In the Gamecocks’ and Wildcats’ annual home-and-home series that is among the best rivalries in the SEC, both teams have been ranked in each of the last 11 meetings, including tonight’s contest. South Carolina’s longest win streak in the series is four games (2002-03), and the Gamecocks are looking for their fourth-straight win tonight after sweeping the Wildcats in the regular season and SEC Tournament last season.
• South Carolina and Kentucky have captured four of the last five SEC regular-season championships ââ’¬” Kentucky 2012, South Carolina 2014-16. The teams have also produced a SEC Player of the Year in each of the last seven seasons ââ’¬” Wildcats 2010-13, Gamecocks 2014-16. Both teams have advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in three of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2012, 2014, 2016) with the Gamecocks claiming the deepest run in the tournament in the last seven seasons, reaching the 2015 Final Four.
• Since the start of the 2013-14 season, South Carolina is 32-10 against nationally ranked opponents, including an 11-4 mark on the road. Those records include a 5-0 start to this season against ranked foes, including two road wins.
• All-America candidate Alaina Coates is the only player in the SEC averaging a double-double in league play ââ’¬” 11.8 points, 11.2 rebounds. She averages a double-double overall (13.4 ppg/11.0 rpg) and in five games against ranked opponents (12.4 ppg/12.0 rpg). In the last five games, she has expanded her impact, tying for the team lead in steals (9) and for second on the team in assists (9).
• Junior guard Allisha Gray has come on strong for the Gamecocks in the last few weeks, currently in a streak of seven double-digit scoring games. Her performances in the last five outings have stood out the most, though, as she averaged 16.2 points on 60.4 percent shooting. She has done a bulk of that damage in the second half of games, during which she leads the team with 9.4 points per game on 72.0 percent shooting.
• National Player of the Year candidate A’ja Wilson has returned from her two-game injury absence to flourish, averaging 19.7 points and 8.0 rebounds on 61.1 percent shooting in the last three games.
• Junior Bianca Cuevas-Moore is the Gamecocks’ third-leading scorer in SEC play at 11.8 points per game (tied with Coates), largely behind a surge in her outside shooting as she is hitting 51.7 percent from behind the arc in league action.

By the Numbers

3.8 Assists per game by freshman point guard Tyasha Harris over the last five games
4 Points needed by junior guard Kaela Davis to reach 1,500 career points (includes 1,246 at Georgia Tech)
12.0 Rebounds per game by senior Alaina Coates over the last five games
26.2 Minutes per game played by A’ja Wilson, the fewest of any of the SEC’s top 10 scorers
40.6 Percent 3-point field goal shooting by the Gamecocks in the second half of the last five games

Kentucky Series Notes

Kentucky leads the series 33-25, but the Gamecocks have won four of the last six and six of the last eight contests, including two of the last three games at Memorial Coliseum. South Carolina is 9-9 against Kentucky in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09 season) with a 2-6 mark in Lexington.

In the annual home-and-home series that is among the best rivalries in the SEC, both teams have been ranked in each of the last 11 meetings, including tonight’s contest. South Carolina’s longest win streak in the series is four games (2002-03), and the Gamecocks are looking for their fourth-straight win tonight after sweeping the Wildcats in the regular season and SEC Tournament last season.

Last season saw the Gamecocks win all three meetings, including the second-most lopsided game in the series history ââ’¬” a 93-63 win in the SEC Tournament semifinals. Alaina Coates dominated the glass in the three games, averaging 11.3 rebounds to go with her 16.3 points per game, which included an SEC-career best 27-point outing in Colonial Life Arena. A’ja Wilson paced the offense with 20.7 points per game on 68.6 percent shooting and blocked 14 shots over the three games, including a career-high eight in Lexington.

Ranked Readings

Under head coach Dawn Staley, South Carolina is 43-44 against nationally ranked opponents, including a 17-17 mark at Colonial Life Arena. That overall record is skewed by the early seasons of her tenure as the Gamecocks are 28-5 versus ranked foes since the start of the 2014-15 campaign. South Carolina is 13-3 against top-10 opponents during that time.

Staley’s Gamecocks are 15-14 against ranked opponents on their home courts after winning the last six road games against ranked foes and 11 of the last 15 such contests dating back to the start of the 2013-14 season.

This season, the Gamecocks’ 5-0 record against ranked foes, includes just two home games and a neutral-site win over then-No. 4/4 Louisville (83-89, Nov. 27).

Location, Location, Location

The Gamecocks average 38.5 points in the paint this season, making up 49.5 percent of their offense. Only two opponents have out-scored South Carolina in the paint this season ââ’¬” Duke (42-32, 12/3/16) and Tennessee (38-26, 1/20/17). The Gamecocks are out-pacing their opponents in that space by 14.5 points per game. Their interior advantage has been at least 20 points seven times, including a season-high 44 against Maine (Nov. 21). In five games against ranked opponents, South Carolina has out-scored its opponent 190-150 in the paint.

SEC Active

Senior Alaina Coates and junior A’ja Wilson feature prominently in the SEC’s active leader boards this season.

Coates is running away with the double-double chart at 54 and the rebounding mark at 1,149 ââ’¬” over 350 more than the second-place player. Coates’ 203 career blocks are just behind league leader Wilson’s 206, more than 50 ahead of third place. Coates is fourth in scoring at 1,508 and in field goals made (558).

In addition to leading the blocks list, Wilson is tied for second in double-doubles with 25 and sixth in scoring with 1,317 career points. She is fifth in rebounding (664) and is seventh in field goals made (496).