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Gamecocks Host Wyoming Sunday At Noon
Men's Basketball  . 

Gamecocks Host Wyoming Sunday At Noon

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (1-0) will host Wyoming (1-0) on Sunday at Noon in a non-conference matchup at Colonial Life Arena.  Anish Shroff (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst) will have the call for the SEC Network broadcast, while Derek Scott (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (analyst) will have the call over the air waves for the Gamecock Radio Network.

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> 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 last Wednesday at Colonial Life Arena.  Redshirt-sophomore forward Justin Minaya (17) and r-junior guard Jair Bolden (14) scored in double figures to pace Carolina in the win.
> Sunday’s matchup vs. Wyoming will once again pit teacher and pupil against eachother for the third straight season.  Gamecock head coach Frank Martin coached Wyoming’s Allen Edwards at Miami Senior High School, before Edwards would go on to star at Kentucky.  Allen’s brother, Doug Edwards, a standout at Florida State, also played under Martin at Miami Senior, and is in his eighth season as the Director of Player Development for the Gamecocks.
> 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.
> 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.

SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
> Wyoming is led by head coach Allen Edwards in his fourth season in Laramie.  Edwards was a standout performer during his college career at Kentucky, helping lead the Wildcats to two national championships.
> R-sophomore guard Hunter Maldonado is Wyoming’s top offensive threat early this season.  He scored 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting, and was 8-of-10 at the free throw line in Wyoming’s season-opening win over Idaho State.
> Maldonado missed the final half of last season due to injury, but he did start and play 37 minutes in the matchup with the Gamecocks in Laramie, scoring nine points, with four assists and three steals.
> Wyoming held Idaho State to just 31.9 percent from the field, and just 16.7 percent from 3-point range.

SALUTE THE TROOPS
> South Carolina Athletics will Salute The Troops at Sunday’s game vs. Wyoming in honor of Veterans Day on Monday.  Each branch of the military will be recognized during the game.  Colonel Jack Van Loan, who passed away last month at the age of 87, will also be recognized for his years of service as a soldier and as a Vietnam POW in the Hanoi Hilton.  Van Loan, along with former University President Dr. Harris Pastides, and Gamecock Athletics Director Ray Tanner, unveiled the POW/MIA Chair of Honor at Colonial Life Arena during the 2017-18 regular season.  The unoccupied chair is in honor of those that are still prisoners of war, or missing in action, and symbolizes there will always be a place in the arena awaiting their return.  

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 247-160 record in his 13th season as a head coach, and a 130-106 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 will host five-straight matchups to start the campaign, before traveling to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge, where matchups against Wichita State, and either West Virginia or Northern Iowa await.  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.

COMING UP NEXT
> South Carolina continues its home stand Friday when it hosts Cleveland State for a 7 p.m. ET matchup at Colonial Life Arena.  The contest will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and the Gamecock Radio Network.