Men's Basketball . February 20, 2018

Gamecocks Host Georgia Wednesday Night

Feb. 20, 2018

South Carolina vs. Georgia

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina begins its final stretch of the regular season on Wednesday, hosting Georgia at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is the second between the two former SEC East rivals, as the Gamecocks posted a 64-57 win in the first matchup in Athens on Jan. 13.

STARTING FIVE

> South Carolina is set to host Georgia on Wednesday in the second meeting between the two schools this season. Carolina posted a 64-57 win in Athens on Jan. 13 behind 17 points from graduate student guard Frank Booker.
> The Gamecocks snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday with an 84-75 upset win over No. 10 Auburn in Columbia. Booker led all scorers with 19 points, while Silva tallied his sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The win was Carolina’s first over a top 10 opponent at home since defeating top-ranked Kentucky on Jan. 26, 2010.
> Over the course of the last three games, Booker is averaging 18.3 points per game. He is also 18-of-22 from the free throw line during the stretch, including a career high 10-of-11 performance at the line in last week’s road contest at No. 18 Tennessee.
> Graduate student guard Wes Myers poured in 13 points off the bench in the win over Auburn. He connected on three shot attempts, and also was 6-of-8 from the free throw line. It was his first double-digit performance since posting a season high 22 in the win at Florida on Jan. 24.
> Rookie forward Jason Cudd tallied a season high six points in just five minutes of action vs. Auburn. He hit a pair of short-range baseline jumpers, and connected on both of his free throw attempts in the game. Over the course of the last three games, he is averaging 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.3 minutes of action.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS

> Carolina is 14-13 on the season and 5-9 in SEC contests entering Wednesday’s matchup vs. Georgia.
> The Gamecocks are 78 in the Feb. 20 NCAA RPI.
> Carolina is 8-5 in home games this season, averaging 71.5 points per game in those contests.
> Junior forward Chris Silva (14.2) and graduate student guard Frank Booker (11.9) average double-figure points for the Gamecocks. Five other Carolina players average at least 5.7 points per game.
> Booker has led the Gamecocks in scoring in each of the last three games, scoring 55 points during the stretch. He tallied 19 points vs. both Tennessee and Auburn last week.
> South Carolina’s bench scored a season-high 43 points in the win vs. Auburn. Booker (19) and Myers (13) combined for 32 of those points. The team’s previous season-high for bench points was 32 (at Georgia and at Texas A&M).
> South Carolina ranks 10th nationally with 673 free throw attempts on the year. That mark also leads the SEC.
> In the SEC statistics (overall games), Carolina is fifth in scoring defense (68.2 ppg), sixth in rebound margin (+3.4), sixth in turnover margin (+1.6) and second with 12.5 offensive rebounds per game.
> Individually in the SEC statistics (overall games), Silva is tied for 15th with 14.2 points per game and he is fourth with 7.7 rebounds per outing. Booker is 10th in 3-point field goal percent (38.9%), and he is seventh with 61 3s on the year.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

> Georgia is 15-11 on the year and 6-8 in SEC play after posting two wins last week, at Florida and vs. Tennessee.
> The Bulldogs are led by head coach Mark Fox in his ninth season in Athens.
> Senior forward Yante Maten paces the team and the SEC in scoring at 19.5 points per game. Maten is third in the league with 8.6 rebounds per contest as well. He is the only Bulldog averaging double-figure points.
> Maten is the only player in the SEC’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percent and free throw percent.
> In UGA’s most recent win vs. Tennessee, Maten’s 19 points were a team high, and Derek Ogbeide added 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
> In the SEC stats (overall games), Georgia is third in scoring defense (67.0 ppg), first in field goal percent defense (39.9%), second with a rebound margin of +5.3, and sixth with 11.9 offensive rebounds per game (league high 3.6 per game from Maten).
> Individually in the SEC stats (overall games), Maten paces the SEC in scoring and he is seventh in field goal percent (47.3%).

THE SERIES

> Georgia leads the all-time series with South Carolina 58-53.
> The Gamecocks have won three-straight in the series, but before that, UGA had won four straight.
> Carolina owns a 32-19 advantage in games played in Columbia.
> The last five games in the series have been decided by an average of 3.6 points.

UP NEXT

> Carolina will play two of its final three games on the road, beginning with a 3:30 p.m. ET matchup at Mississippi State on Saturday. Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Sean Harrington (analyst) will have the call for the SEC Network. MSU posted an 81-76 win in Columbia in the first meeting between the two schools this season on Jan. 31.

3-POINT CHALLENGE

> There is still time to donate! Frank Martin and the Gamecock men’s basketball team has joined forces with the NABC and the American Cancer Society for the Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge, which will take place during the month of February. During the month, every 3-pointer the Gamecocks make will help raise money to beat cancer. The 3-Point Challenge is a nationwide program that unites basketball teams and their fans for a common cause — ending cancer. Fans can join the 3-Point Challenge and help beat cancer on the court by pledging a donation for every 3-pointer the Gamecocks make in February by visiting http://www.pledgeit.org/cvc18-south-carolina. During the month, Gamecock fans can keep up with the leaderboard at www.3pointchallenge.org