Gamecocks Face No. 5 Michigan In Ann Arbor Saturday

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – South Carolina concludes its road swing on Saturday when it faces No. 5/5 Michigan in Ann Arbor.  Tip time for the matchup is scheduled for Noon ET on FS1.

STARTING FIVE
> South Carolina travels to Michigan for a Saturday matchup against the fifth-ranked Wolverines, the first contest between the two schools in Ann Arbor since December 1975.  Carolina looks to avoid back-to-back losses after suffering a 73-64 loss at Wyoming on Wednesday night.
> Rookie guard A.J. Lawson scored 15 and pulled down nine rebounds to lead Carolina against the Cowboys, but a 17-4 run through the first six+ minutes of the second half would give Wyoming the lead for good.  The Gamecocks connected on just three 3s in the contest, and just one in the second half.
> Senior forward Chris Silva scored 11, to go along with eight rebounds, two assists, three blocks and three steals vs. Wyoming.  Over the course of the last two games, Silva has recorded nine blocks, including a career high six vs. Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30.
> Gamecock head coach Frank Martin has known Michigan head coach John Beilein for several years, however, the relationship between the two was strengthened when the duo shared the sidelines – and a dorm room – as assistant coaches for USA Basketball at the 2013 World University Games in Kazaan, Russia.
> Last time out vs. Michigan, paced by Sindarius Thornwell’s fourth 20-point game of the season, and a stifling defensive pressure throughout the game, South Carolina held No. 25/24 Michigan to just 19.2 percent (10-52) from the field en route to a 61-46 victory in Columbia on Nov. 23, 2016.  The Wolverines finished with just two assists after averaging 14.3 in their first four games.  Carolina held Michigan’s leading scorer, Zak Irvin, to just five points and 2-of-13 shooting. The five points were 9.5 under his season average of 14.5 entering the game.  The Gamecocks would go on to defeat No. 18-16 Syracuse three days later in New York.

LAST TIME VS. THE WOLVERINES
> The Carolina defense held Michigan to just 46 points in the last meeting between the two schools – and the Wolverines have scored over that mark in every contest since – a span of 83 games.

THROUGH THE FIRST EIGHT GAMES…
> Carolina is yet to win consecutive games, having traded wins and losses through the first eight games of the season … Rookie guard A.J. Lawson paces the Gamecocks with 14.9 points per game, and his 3.4 assists per game are also a team high … Senior forward Chris Silva (10.3) and senior guard Hassani Gravett (10.0) are also in double figures … Eight different Gamecocks average at least 7.0 points per game, and eight average 20+ minutes per contest … Gravett (14) and Lawson (13) have combined for 27 of Carolina’s 59 3-pointers on the year; Campbell has nine, and Haase and Moss have eight each … In its three games away from home, Carolina is averaging 73.7 points per game.

FRANK MARTIN
> South Carolina head coach Frank Martin is in his seventh season leading the Gamecocks and 12th season overall as a head coach in 2018-19.  Martin, the 2017 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year (CollegeInsider.com), led South Carolina to its first Final Four and a school record 26 wins in 2016-17.  In his 11 complete seasons as a head coach, Martin has led his teams to at least 21 wins seven times.  Martin is a native of Miami, Fla., and a graduate of FIU.

QUICK HITS
> South Carolina is in its 111th season of varsity basketball in 2018-19.
> Gamecock head coach Frank Martin is joined on the sidelines by assistant coaches Perry Clark (6th season), Bruce Shingler (3rd season) and Chuck Martin (2nd season).  Andy Assaley is in his seventh season as the director of operations.
> South Carolina is one of 13 DI schools nationally that have two or more former DI coaches serving as an assistant coach.  Perry Clark served as the head coach at Tulane, Miami (Fla.) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, while Chuck Martin was the head coach at Marist for five campaigns.
> South Carolina advanced to its first Final Four in 2016-17, which included posting its first NCAA Tounament win since the 1973 campaign when it talied a 93-73 win over Marquette in the First Round.
> The Gamecocks are 24-14 (.631) in neutral-site contests under the direction of head coach Frank Martin, including a 3-3 mark last season.
> Carolina was 15-18 (.454) over the course of the last three seasons in away contests (2015-16, 16-17, 17-18).
> Martin is 29-38 (.432) against ranked opponents as a
head coach. His teams have four wins over opponents
ranked in the top five, and two wins over opponents
who are ranked No. 1.
> According to KenPom.com, Carolina is 19th in the country with an average possession length of 15.0 seconds.  Carolina is also fourth in the nation in two-point field goal defense, opponents are hitting just 39.4 percent of their two-point attempts.

MARTIN – BEILEIN CONNECTION
> Prior to Carolina’s matchup with Michigan during the 2016-17 season, Gamecock head coach Frank Martin said that he has known Michigan head coach John Beilein for several years, however, their time coaching together with USA Basketball during the summer of 2013, and their 18 days sharing a dorm room in Kazan, Russia, for the World University Games, strengthened their relationship.  

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
> Carolina is 4-4 on the year, and 0-1 in road games following Wednesday’s loss at Wyoming.
> Saturday’s matchup is Carolina’s first vs. an opponent ranked in the top five of the AP poll since facing No. 2 Gonzaga in the 2017 National Semifinal in Phoenix.
> A win at Michigan would mark Carolina’s first over an AP top-five opponent since posting a 68-62 win over No. 1/1 Kentucky on Jan. 26, 2010.
> Carolina out-rebounded Wyoming 43-31 on Wednesday, holding the Cowboys to just one offensive rebound (team rebound).  
> Last season, Carolina averaged 66.8 points per game in road contests, with Silva averaging a team high 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in those contests.  The Gamecocks were 4-8 on the road last season with wins at Wofford, FIU, Georgia and at nationally ranked Florida.
> South Carolina returns seven letterwinners from last season’s 17-16 squad, including senior guard Hassani Gravett and senior forward Chris Silva.
> Carolina welcomes eight newcomers to its roster this season, including a pair of transfers and six freshmen student-athletes.  Jair Bolden (transfer/George Washington/guard), graduate transfer Tre Campbell (transfer/Georgetown/guard), Keyshawn Bryant (freshman/guard), Jermaine Couisnard (freshman/guard), Alanzo Frink (freshman/forward), A.J. Lawson (freshman/guard), T.J. Moss (freshman/guard) and Nathan Nelson (freshman/forward) join the Garnet and Black this fall.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
> Michigan is ranked No. 5 in both polls this week and the Wolverines are currently riding a nine-game win streak to open the season.  Michigan is 5-0 at home this season.
> UM’s last two contests have been Big Ten matchups, with the Wolverines posting a 76-57 home win over Purdue, and most recently a 62-60 win at Northwestern on Tuesday night.
> UM is led by head coach John Beilein in his 12th season.
> Dating back to last season, Michigan has won 23 of its last 24 games.
> The Wolverines advanced to the national title game in 2018, suffering a 79-62 loss to national champion Villanova.
> Leading the way for Michigan this season is a trio on the offensive end, as Ignas Brazdeikis (17.0), Charles Matthews (13.3) and Jordan Poole (11.9) are all in double figures.
> The Wolverines are holding opponents to 52.7 points per game this season, 35.3 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from 3-point range.