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Gamecocks Back Home Sunday, Host George Washington
Men's Basketball  . 

Gamecocks Back Home Sunday, Host George Washington

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (4-3) returns to Colonial Life Arena on Sunday when it hosts George Washington (3-4) at 2 p.m. for a non-conference matchup vs. the Colonials.  The contest will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and the Gamecock Radio Network.

CHRISTMAS VACATION DAY AT COLONIAL LIFE ARENA
> December 1 marks the 30th anniversary of the holiday movie classic, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, and to celebrate the occasion and ring in the holiday season, Gamecock basketball will hold a Christmas Vacation Day for it’s 2 p.m. ET contest against George Washington.  In honor of the movie’s anniversary, the Cousin Eddie “Real Nice” ticket package has been announced.  The package includes four tickets for just $30.  Fans will also enjoy holiday music as they enter the arena on Dec. 1, and the first 250 fans will receive a free limited-edition Cousin Eddie Gamecock dickey.  Also on the concourse, fans will have the opportunity to take their photo with Clark Griswold (cardboard cutout) and purchase eggnog at the concession stands, while also testing their knowledge of the movie throughout the game with Christmas Vacation trivia and in-game contests themed after the holiday classic.

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> South Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena to begin the month of December when it hosts George Washington on Sunday afternoon.  The Gamecocks aim to snap a two-game losing streak, after suffering neutral-site losses to Wichita State and UNI last week in Cancun.
> Sunday’s contest vs. GW is Carolina’s “Christmas Vacation Day” at Colonial Life Arena, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the holiday classic movie, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, with Chevy Chase.
> Senior forward Maik Kotsar was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Cancun Challenge, after scoring 12 points in each matchup at the event.  Kotsar also led Carolina in the game vs. Wichita State, collecting seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals in 36 minutes of action.
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson scored 20 points, his third 20+ outing of the season, against UNI.  Lawson connected on his first four shot attempts in the game, and finished with eight made field goals, matching his career high.  Lawson enters action vs. GW pacing the Gamecocks with 15.9 points per game, which is 10th in the SEC.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP FROM KOTSAR
> Senior forward Maik Kotsar has played great basketball to start the season.  Kotsar is such a strong component for the Gamecocks on the defensive end, but of late, his offense and rebounding have been key.  He’s recorded double-figures in each of the last four outings, and leads the Gamecocks with 5.7 rebounds per outing.  

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
> George Washington is led by head coach Jamion Christian in his first season with the Colonials.
> GW is 3-4 on the year, with wins over Howard, and most recently a pair of wins over Evansville and Milwaukee in the Island of the Bahamas Showcase last week.
> R-senior guard Armel Potter reached the 1,000-point plateau in the Bahamas and first-year forward Jamison Battle took home his first A-10 Rookie of the Week award after scoring double figures in all three games outside the U.S.
> Potter paces the team with 12.5 points per game, and Arnaldo Toro adds 12.3 per outing.
> GW is holding opponents to just 33.1 percent from the field, and 26.0 percent from 3.

NOTES TO KNOW
> South Carolina is led by eighth-year head coach Frank Martin.  Martin, the 2017 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year, owns a 250-163 record in his 13th season as a head coach, and a 133-109 record in his eighth season at Carolina.
> Joining Martin on the sidelines is a veteran staff, including assistant coaches Perry Clark (seventh season), Chuck Martin (third season) and Bruce Shingler (fourth season), director of basketball operations Andy Assaley (eighth season) and strength and conditioning coach Scott Greenawalt (eighth season), and several support staff members.
> South Carolina returns a core group from last season’s squad, while welcoming seven newcomers to Columbia, including five freshmen – Trey Anderson, Jalyn McCreary, Trae Hannibal, Wildens Leveque and Mike Green, transfer Seventh Woods (North Carolina/not eligible this season due to NCAA transfer rules) and graduate transfer Micaiah Henry (Tennessee Tech/immediately eligible).
> Carolina’s top returning scorer, and 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team honoree, is sophomore guard AJ Lawson, who scored 13.4 points per outing last season, while dishing 2.9 assists per game.  Over the summer, Lawson competed for Team Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece, leading the Canadians with 16.7 points per outing, including an event-high 31 points vs. Senegal.
> The Gamecocks lost two starters to injury early last season in sophomore guard Justin Minaya (missed final 27 games of the season) and rookie guard TJ Moss (missed 25 games last season); the duo have both fully recovered and are back on the court for the Garnet and Black.
> R-junior guard Jair Bolden, who was unable to play last season due to NCAA transfer rules (transferred in the summer of 2018 after playing two seasons at George Washington), will bring veteran leadership and proven scoring ability to the court this season for Carolina, as the Brooklyn, N.Y., native averaged 11.2 points per game as a sophomore for the Colonials, while also pacing the team with 98 assists on the season.
> In non-conference play, Carolina hosted five-straight matchups to start the campaign, before traveling to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge, for matchups against Wichita State, and Northern Iowa.  In December, the Gamecocks host George Washington,  before a matchup at UMass, followed by a home contest against Houston and consecutive road games at Clemson and Virginia.
> In SEC action, the Gamecocks open league play on Jan. 7 at Colonial Life Arena against No. 6/6 Florida, while also hosting No. 2/2 Kentucky, No. 22/24 LSU, and No. -/25 Tennessee in conference play (rankings listed are preseason).
> Carolina recently announced it will add throwback uniforms to its lineup for game attire this upcoming season.  Fans can get their first glimpse of the throwback uniforms when the Gamecocks host Houston on Dec. 8 at Colonial Life Arena.
> South Carolina returns 43.9 percent of scoring from a year ago, 48.3 percent of its made field goals, and 45.7 percent of its rebounding, following the graduation of All-SEC forward Chris Silva, who led the Gamecocks with 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and 150 made field goals last season.
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson is Carolina’s top returning scorer after contributing 13.4 points per outing last season.  Lawson, who was named to the Jerry West Award Watch List last month, posted 18 double-figure scoring games last season, including six 20-point performances.
> South Carolina improved to 83-29 all-time in season openers, and a perfect 8-0 under the direction of Frank Martin in season lidlifters, when the Gamecocks posted a 77-55 win over North Alabama Nov. 6 at Colonial Life Arena.  Redshirt-sophomore forward Justin Minaya (17) and r-junior guard Jair Bolden (14) scored in double figures.
> R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard made his college debut vs. North Alabama, putting together a strong showing with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and a block in 22 minutes of action.  Couisnard missed the exhibition vs. CIU on Oct. 30 due to illness.
> Carolina improved to 2-0 on the young season when it posted a 66-32 victory over Wyoming at Colonial Life Arena on Sunday.  Four were in double figures for the Gamecocks, but the story of the game was the Carolina defense, which held Wyoming to just nine made field goals in the contest.
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson and r-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard each tallied 12 points to pace the Gamecocks in the win over the Cowboys.  Sophomore forward Alanzo Frink netted a then-career best 10 points, and r-junior guard Jair Bolden added 11.
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson hit seven buckets, including a pair of 3s, and was a career best 12-of-13 at the foul line to post a new career high 28 points in leading the Gamecocks over Cleveland State on Nov. 15 at Colonial Life Arena.  Classmate Alanzo Frink posted the first double-double of his career as well, scoring 11 with 10 boards, including eight on the offensive glass.
> Despite three Gamecocks in double-figures, including a game-high 22 points from sophomore guard AJ Lawson, Boston U posted a 78-70 win over Carolina on Nov. 19 at Colonial Life Arena.  The Terriers connected on nine made 3-pointers, and hit an opponent season high 42.2% (27-64) from the floor.
> The Gamecocks rebounded from their first loss of the season to post a 74-69 hard-fought win over visiting Gardner-Webb Nov. 22 at Colonial Life Arena.  Five were in double-figures for the Gamecocks, led by rookie guard Jermaine Couisnard and sophomore guard AJ Lawson’s 16 points each.  Senior forward Maik Kotsar (11), junior Jair Bolden (10) and sophomore Alanzo Frink (10) were also in double figures.  It was the first time this season that five Gamecocks have reached double figures in a game.
> South Carolina suffered a 70-47 loss to Wichita State in its opening neutral-site game at the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 26 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. Senior forward Maik Kotsar was the only player in double figures for Carolina, finishing with 12 points. He also had seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks in a team-high 36 minutes.

MORE NUMBERS
43.9% – South Carolina returns 43.9 percent of its scoring from last season following the departure of All-SEC forward Chris Silva, who led Carolina with a total of 486 points – 15.2 points per game – last season.
17/11 – In his return to the court for the first time in almost a year after missing the final 27 games of last season due to injury, r-sophomore forward Justin Minaya posted team highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds for the first double-double of his career vs. North Alabama on Nov. 6.
49.1% – South Carolina was solid from the field vs. UNA, hitting 28-of-57 attempts, 49.1%, including 54.1% of its two-point attempts.
23 – Sophomore guard AJ Lawson led Carolina in its lone exhibition contest with a team high 23 points.  Lawson connected on 7-of-11 attempts from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers.
32 – Carolina held Wyoming to just 32 points in the non-conference matchup on Nov. 10.  The mark was the lowest opponent point total during the seven+ seasons under Coach Martin.
12 – Rookie forward Wildens Leveque was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free throw line for the first double-digit outing of his career, as he posted 12 points in Carolina’s Nov. 15 win over Cleveland State.
7 – Carolina committed just seven turnovers in the win over Gardner-Webb.  It was the fewest this season, and tied for the fifth-fewest under the direction of head coach Frank Martin.
500 – Senior forward Maik Kotsar recorded the 500th rebound of his career in the win over Gardner-Webb on Nov. 22.  Of his 513 career boards, 198 of those – 38.5 percent – are offensive rebounds.  The senior big had a crucial offensive rebound tip-out in the win over Gardner-Webb with just 21 seconds remaining and the Gamecocks up two.  Junior guard Jair Bolden collected the tip-out, and sank a free throw to push the Gamecock lead to three points with 15 seconds to play.
29 – Carolina forced 29 Cleveland State turnovers in the matchup vs. the Vikings on Nov. 15.  That mark was the most ever by a Gamecock squad under the direction of Frank Martin, and ties for the third-most all-time by a Carolina team (happened three other times, most recently vs. ETSU on Nov. 24, 2002).

COMING UP NEXT
> The Gamecocks are back on the road following Sunday’s contest vs. George Washington, heading to face UMass in Amherst on Wednesday night.  That contest will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network with Tom McCarthy (play-by-play) and Chris Walker (analyst) on the call.