Gamecocks Host Texas A&M On Legends Weekend

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (13-9, 5-4 SEC) hosts Texas A&M (11-10, 5-4) on Saturday afternoon at Colonial Life Arena.  The meeting is the second between the two schools this SEC season, and the matchup also marks Legends Weekend in Columbia.  Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET vs. the Aggies.

GAME INFORMATION
Arena:  Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Broadcast: SEC Network
  Play-By-Play: Dave Neal
  Analyst: Debbie Antonelli
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
  In Columbia: 107.5 The Game
  Play-By-Play: Derek Scott
  Analyst: Casey Manning
  SIRIUS: – | XM: 387 | INTERNET: 977
Watch: WatchESPN/ESPN App
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: GamecocksOnline.com/
  1-800-4SC-FANS/Arena box office
Series: Carolina leads 6-4
  In Columbia: Carolina leads 3-1
  Trend: Carolina has won three straight
  Last Game: 81-67 Gamecock win on Jan. 18, 2020, in College Station

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> South Carolina saw its three-game win streak come to an end on Wednesday when it suffered an 84-70 loss on the road at Ole Miss.  Breein Tyree led the Rebels with 38 points on 12 made baskets in the win.  
> R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard continued his hot streak on the offensive end, scoring a season high 28 vs. Ole Miss.  It was his second 20-point game of the year.  He connected on eight field goals, one shy of matching his season high, and hit a season best nine free throws.  He made six of his eight field goals in the second half.  Couisnard paces the Gamecocks in SEC action with 16.1 points per game.  
> Kotsar had a strong outing against the Rebels as well, especially in the first half when he scored 12 of his 19 points.  Kotsar also led the Gamecocks in rebounds (8), blocks (3) and steals (3) on Wednesday.
> In home games this season, Carolina is averaging 73.2 points per outing and 42.8 percent from the field.
> Since the beginning of the 2016 SEC campaign, Carolina is 29-11 (.725) in conference home contests.
> In its 13 wins, the Carolina defense is holding opponents to just 35.9 percent from the field and 26.0 percent from 3-point range.
> Martin is 33-45 (.435) 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.
> The Gamecocks are 5-3 on the road this season, and are 27-36 (42.8%) in road contests dating back to the 2014-15 campaign.
> South Carolina extended it’s winning streak to three straight when it posted a convincing 76-54 home victory over Missouri last Saturday.  Three were in double figures for Carolina, led by Kotsar’s 21 points.  It marked Kotsar’s first 20-point outing of the year and his second career.
> Entering Wednesday’s contest at Ole Miss, Carolina had not trailed since Vanderbilt held a 7-6 lead with 17:37 remaining in the first half of the Jan. 25 matchup – 117:23 consecutive minutes without trailing.  Ole Miss would score the first basket of the game to snap the streak.
> South Carolina picked up its third quadrant one win of the season with a 79-77 road victory at Arkansas on Jan. 29 night.  The Gamecocks never trailed in the contest, and led by as many as 11 in the opening half.  Arkansas pulled to within a point with 28 seconds remaining on a Mason Jones free throw, before Jermaine Couisnard hit one of his two attempts from the line to push the Carolina lead back to two with 26 seconds to play.  
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson was big on both ends of the court vs. the Razorbacks, scoring a team high 19 points, while also picking up a steal.  He also defended Arkansas’ final 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

GAMECOCK HOST LEGENDS WEEKEND
> Saturday’s contest vs. A&M marks the annual Legends Weekend matchup for South Carolina.  Former Gamecock men’s basketball players, coaches, managers and support staff are invited back to participate in weekend activities, which includes a Friday night reception, a Tip-Off Club meeting, attending practice and more.  All Legends in attendace will be honored at halftime vs. the Aggies.

THROUGH 22 GAMES …
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson paces the Gamecocks with 13.5 points per game.  Lawson also has a team high 40 3-pointers on the year and is dishing out 2.0 assists per game.
> Senior forward Maik Kotsar has scored 225 points through the first 20 games, and is just 95 points away from 1,000 for his career..  
> The Gamecocks are holding opponents to just 38.8 percent from the floor, which is second in the SEC and 21st nationally.
> Carolina has dished at least 13 assists in 17  games, including an SEC season high 22 in the Jan. 18 road win at Texas A&M.
> R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard is averaging a team high 2.9 assists per game.  He has 17 games this season with two or more assists.
> Carolina has held its opponent to less than 40 percent from the field on 10 occassions, including holding Wyoming to 23.1 percent and only nine made field goals.
> The Gamecocks are 12-2 in games in which they lead at the half.
> Carolina is 10-2 in games in which Jair Bolden scores in double figures.

KOTSAR CONTINUES STRONG SENIOR CAMPAIGN
> Senior forward Maik Kotsar is such a strong component for the Gamecocks on the defensive end, but during his senior campaign, his offense and rebounding have been key.  
> Kotsar has led or shared the team lead in scoring six times this season, including in three of Carolina’s SEC games.  He has also scored in double figures a career high 13 times.
> Earlier in non-conference play, Kotsar scored in double figures in a career-best five-straight contests, starting with 14 points vs. Boston U (Nov. 19). He scored 11 points vs. Gardner-Webb (Nov. 22), before leading the Gamecocks with 12 points, three assists, two blocks and three steals, while also pulling down seven rebounds vs. Wichita State (Nov. 26), and he was strong again vs. UNI (Nov. 27), scoring 12 with two blocks, en route to Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team honors.  Kotsar returned to Columbia to pace Carolina with 17 points, nine rebounds and another two-block performance in the home win over George Washington (Dec. 1).  Kotsar also led the Gamecocks with 35.4 minutes per game during that stretch.
> Kotsar snapped his double-figure streak at UMass, however, he scored nine points, pulled down a team high nine rebounds, dished five assists and had three steals in 27 minutes of action.  He also collected a crucial lose ball late in the contest on the defensive end.
> In SEC games, Kotsar is averaging 11.0 points, and 7.8 rebounds (t-8th in the SEC), and a team high 1.6 steals per game (t-8th in the SEC).
> Kotsar continues to be the SEC’s active leader with 619 career rebounds.

MINAYA STRONG  IN LEAGUE PLAY
> Prior to suffering a hand/wrist injury in the Feb. 1 Missouri contest, r-sophomore forward Justin Minaya was playing strong on both ends of the court for the Gamecocks in SEC action.  In his eight league games, Minaya is averaging 8.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per outing.  He has four double-figure outings in SEC action, including a career high 18 points in the Jan. 18 road win at Texas A&M.  Additionally his 31.1 minutes played in SEC games is a team high.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
> Texas A&M is led by head coach Buzz Williams in his first season in College Station.  Williams was an assistant for the Aggies prior to becoming a head coach.
> Since the January 18 game vs. South Carolina, A&M is 3-2, with a pair of SEC wins over Missouri and a road win at Tennessee.  Its two losses have come against Oklahoma State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, and at Georgia.
> Josh Nebo paces the squad with 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.  In SEC games, he scores 12.3 points per outing, and his 1.7 blocks per game rank fifth among SEC leaders.
> Savion Flagg’s 2.6 assists per game are a team high.
> In A&M’s win earlier this week over Missouri, Nebo scored a team best 18 points, while Wendell Mithcell added 12 behind a trio of 3-pointers.  

FRANK MARTIN
> South Carolina head coach Frank Martin is in his eighth season leading the Gamecocks and 13th season overall as a head coach in 2019-20.  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 12 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.
> Prior to his time on the sidelines in the college ranks, Martin spent 15 years in high school coaching in Miami, Fla., including the last seven as a head coach. He was part of five state championships as an assistant at Miami Senior High School (1985-93), before earning two titles as the program’s head coach (1995-98). Highlighting Martin’s stint as the head coach of the program were consecutive 30-win seasons and consecutive Florida 6A State Championships in 1996 and 1997, with his 1997 squad earning a 36-1 overall record and ranking No. 4 in the USA Today Top 25 Poll. He also served as the head coach at North Miami Senior High School (1993-95) and one season at Booker T. Washington High School (1999-2000).
> Among active Division I head coaches, South Carolina’s Frank Martin holds the eighth-highest (tied with Villanova’s Jay Wright) NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.667) behind only Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina’s Roy Williams, Texas Tech’s Chris Beard, Kentucky’s John Calipari, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Kansas’ Bill Self and Virginia’s Tony Bennett.

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 258-169 record in his 13th season as a head coach, and a 141-115 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.
> 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 in October, posted 18 double-figure scoring games last season, including six 20-point performances.
> 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.
> 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.  
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson posted his fourth 20-point game of the season with a game-high 24 on eight bade baskets and six made free throws in the win at UMass.  
> The Gamecocks suffered a home loss to Houston on Dec. 8.  The Carolina offense hit just 32.3 percent from the field, and the Cougars claimed the road win.  Senior forward Maik Kotsar led Carolina with 12 points, and sophomore guard AJ Lawson added 10 in the loss.  Carolina hit six 3s vs. Houston, it’s highest output from beyond the arc since hitting 7-of-19 attempts from range vs. Northern Iowa.  
> Carolina claimed a Palmetto Series point with a big road win over instrastate rival and ACC opponent Clemson Dec. 15 at Littlejohn Coliseum.  The 67-54 victory snapped a three-game Tiger win streak in the series, and was Carolina’s first at Littlejohn since 2011.  
> In that Clemson victory, sophomore guard AJ Lawson scored a team high 20, along with 11 from senior forward Maik Kotsar and 10 from r-junior guard Jair Bolden to round out the Gamecocks in double figures.  The 20-point effort was the fifth of its kind this season for Lawson, who is 11th in the SEC and leads the squad with 16.3 points per outing thus far.
> Prior to the break for the holidays, Carolina upset No. 9 Virginia in Charlottesville with a 70-59 victory on Dec. 22.  The win improved the Gamecocks to 3-0 on the road this season, and it snapped a 22-game home non-conference win streak for the Cavaliers.
> R-junior guard Jair Bolden led four Gamecocks in double figures vs. UVA with a season high 22 points on eight made field goals, including four makes from 3-point range.  AJ Lawson (14), Justin Minaya (12) and Keyshawn Bryant (10) also posted double figures in the win.
> Bolden was named the SEC’s co-Player of the Week following his standout performance vs. Virginia.  It marked Bolden’s first weekly award as a Gamecock.
> The victory on the road vs. the Cavaliers was Carolina’s first on the road over a top 10 opponent since an 81-78 victory at No. 8/8 Texas A&M on Feb. 6, 2016.
> Carolina suffered a 63-56 loss to Stetson in the non-conference finale on Dec. 30.  Only Maik Kotsar (11 points) registered double figures, and the Gamecocks connected on just 20-of-54 (37.0%) attempts from the floor and only 12-of-24 (50.0%) attempts at the free throw line.
> Rookie guard Trae Hannibal scored a then-season high eight points, with four rebounds, two assists and two steals vs. Stetson.  
> South Carolina suffered an 81-68 loss at home to Florida in its SEC opener on Jan. 7.  Senior forward Maik Kotsar continued his strong play, pacing the Gamecocks with team highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
> Kotsar (18) and sophomore forward Keyshawn Bryant (14) both turned in season highs in points vs. Florida.    
> South Carolina suffered a 56-55 loss at Tennessee Jan. 11 in its first SEC road contest of the season.  Senior forward Maik Kotsar concluded a monster week with a 17-point, eight-rebound performance, and r-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard led all bench scorers with 15.  
> South Carolina collected its first win of the 2020 SEC campaign on Jan. 15, as r-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard sank a long 3-point buzzer-beater to give the Gamecocks an 81-78 upset win over No. 10/12 Kentucky at Colonial Life Arena.  The win was Carolina’s second this season over a top-10 opponent.
> Couisnard led four Gamecocks in double figures with a season high 26 in the win over UK.  TJ Moss added 10, his first double-figure outing of the season, Justin Minaya scored 11 and sophomore forward Keyshawn Bryant had a season high 15 points.
> The Gamecocks won their second-straight and captured their first SEC road win on Jan. 18 with a dominant victory at Texas A&M.  Carolina matched its school record with 16 made 3-pointers in the contest, behind a career high five from R-junior guard Jair Bolden.
> R-sophomore forward Justin Minaya scored a career best 18 points in Carolina’s win vs. the Aggies.  He hit six baskets, including four 3s, also dished five assists and pulled down eight rebounds in a career best 40 minutes.  He became the first Gamecock to play all 40 minutes of a contest since Duane Notice hit the mark – also vs. the Aggies – on Feb. 21, 2015.
> R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard followed up his standout performance vs. Kentucky with another strong outing vs. A&M.  He hit seven baskets, including three 3-pointers, for 17 points, and also dished three assists.  
> Couisnard was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 20 following his standout week vs. Kentucky and Texas A&M.  The following day he was also named the CBS Sports/USBWA National Freshman of the Week.
> The Gamecocks suffered an 80-67 road loss at No. 16/16 Auburn on Jan. 22.  R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard led the Gamecocks with 16 points, while Justin Minaya (14), AJ Lawson (11) and Jair Bolden (10) were also in double figures.  Carolina hit 47.5 percent (29-61) from the field vs. the Tigers, but were just 3-of-9 from the free throw line, compared to an 18-of-21 mark at the line from Auburn.
> Guard Trae Hannibal played 15 minutes during the second half of the win at Arkansas, and the rookie scored a season high 11 points to help lift the Gamecocks in the win.  He was 4-of-7 from the floor, and made 3-of-6 attempts at the foul line.
> The Gamecock offense was on fire in Carolina’s 90-64 win over Vanderbilt at home on Jan. 25.  Eleven different Gamecocks marked the scoring column, with five of those in double figures led by 14 from both AJ Lawson and Justin Minaya.  Minaya pulled down a career best 12 rebounds – six on the offensive glass – for his second-career double-double.  As a team, Carolina hit 33-of-61 from the field (54.1%) and 17-of-24 (70.8%) at the free throw line.
> Rookie forward Jalyn McCreary posted the first double-figure scoring game of his career with 11 in the win vs. Vanderbilt.  In SEC action, McCreary has hit 13-of-16 attempts – 81.3% – and is averaging 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per contest.

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.
23 – Sophomore guard AJ Lawson led Carolina in its lone exhibition contest, a win over Columbia International, with a team high 23 points.  Lawson connected on 7-of-11 attempts from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers.
55.1% – Virginia entered the Dec. 22 matchup vs. Carolina as the nation’s leader in field goal percent defense, holding opponents to just 32.1 percent from the field.  The Gamecocks hit 55.1 percent from the field in the win, a UVA opponent season high.
18/10 – Senior forward Maik Kotsar recorded his first double-double of the season with team highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds vs. Florida on Jan. 7.  It marked the third double-double of his career.
25.9% – South Carolina held Tennessee to just 25.9 percent from the floor (14-of-54) on Jan. 11.  It marked the lowest percentage from the field by an opponent in SEC play since Georgia hit just 22.0% (11-of-50) on Jan. 31, 2015.
22 – The Gamecocks dished out 22 assists in the win at Texas A&M (Jan. 18), matching a season high and also matching for the fourth-most under the direction of Frank Martin.
18/40 – R-sophomore forward Justin Minaya scored a career high 18 points in the win vs. the Aggies.  He also played a career high 40 minutes.
16 – Carolina matched a team record with a season high 16 3-pointers in the road victory at Texas A&M Jan. 18.  It was the third time in Gamecock history that a squad has reached the mark, and the first time since also doing that vs. A&M last season in Columbia (Feb. 16, 2019).
11 – 11 different Gamecocks scored in Carolina’s 90-64 home win over Vanderbilt on Jan. 25.  Five of those scored in double figures.
3 – R-junior guard Jair Bolden hit a trio of 3-pointers in the win over the Commodores on Jan. 25.  It marked his eighth game this season with multiple makes from beyond the arc, and it was his third straight game with two or more 3s.
11 – Rookie guard Trae Hannibal scored a season best 11 points, all in the second half, of the Jan. 29 road win at Arkansas.  In league play, he is averaging 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
8 – Sophomore guard AJ Lawson matched his career high with eight made field goals at Arkansas (Jan. 29).  It was the ninth time in his career he has hit the mark.

THROWBACK JERSEYS VS. HOUSTON
> South Carolina debuted its throwback jerseys for the first time this season for the Dec. 8 matchup vs. Houston.  Fans can visit the official online store at GamecocksOnline.com to purchase the full line of throwback gear.  
> The uniforms are inspired by the look of the uniforms from the 1970’s era of Gamecock basketball.  
> The Gamecocks got their first win in their throwback uniforms in the upset victory over No. 10/12 Kentucky on Jan. 15 and posted wins in the uniforms vs. Vanderbilt on Jan. 25 and Missouri on Feb. 2.

COMING UP NEXT
> Carolina travels to face Georgia on Wednesday in its next SEC road matchup.  The meeting will be the first between the two schools this season.  Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) will have the call for the SEC Network broadcast in Athens.