Gamecocks Host Volunteers Saturday Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (15-9, 7-4 SEC) returns to Colonial Life Arena to host Tennessee (14-10, 6-5 SEC) on Saturday evening.  The meeting is the second between the two schools this SEC regular season, as Tennessee posted a 56-55 win in Knoxville on Jan. 11.  Below is information on the matchup.

GAME INFORMATION
Arena:  Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Broadcast: SEC Network
  Play-by-Play: Mike Morgan
  Analyst: Pat Bradley
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
  In Columbia: 107.5 The Game
  Play-By-Play: Derek Scott
  Analyst: Casey Manning
  SIRIUS: – | XM: 386 | INTERNET: 976
Watch: WatchESPN/ESPN App
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: GamecocksOnline.com/
  1-800-4SC-FANS/Arena box office
Series: Tennessee leads 47-27
  In Columbia: UT leads 17-16
  Trend: The Vols have won five straight
  Last Game: 56-55 Tennessee win on Jan. 11, 2020, in Knoxville

SLIVE FOUNDATION AND THE BLOCK CANCER INITIATIVE
> South Carolina has partnered with the Mike Slive Foundation on the Block Cancer initiative to help raise awareness about prostate cancer for Saturday’s contest vs. Tennessee.  The teams will wear blue Block Cancer shooting shirts, and coaches will wear blue ties and Foundation lapel pins. During the game, fans will see signage and videos that focus on increasing awareness for prostate cancer. Fans have the opportunity to donate online at mikeslivefoundation.org.

THE OFFICE NIGHT
> Gamecock Athletics has announced “The Office Night” for Saturday’s matchup vs. the Vols.  The theme is based off the hit NBC mockumentary sitcom television series that depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, PA branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The February 15 game vs. Tennessee will feature nods to the popular show including: a free piece of paper for every fan in attendance, free “Bears, Beets, Gamecock Basketball” shirt for the first 500 students, regular and cinnamon sugar pretzels available at the concession stands paying homage to Stanley’s favorite day, pretzel day, photo opportunity with replica Michael Scott desk on the concourse, in-game contests, including the office Olympic favorite, Flonkerton and more.

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> The Gamecocks return to Colonial Life Arena on Saturday to host Tennessee in the second meeting between the two schools this SEC regular season.  The Vols posted a 56-55 win on Jan. 11 in the meeting in Knoxville.  Senior forward Maik Kotsar led the Gamecocks in that contest with 17 points.
> South Carolina captured its sixth road win of the season on Wednesday when it defeated Georgia 75-59 in Athens.  The Gamecocks held the Bulldogs to just one field goal in the first 14 minutes of the game to build a double-digit lead they would never give up.  Sophomore guard AJ Lawson led four Gamecocks in double figures with a game high 20 points.
> Carolina’s six road wins are currently the most in the SEC, and the most by a Gamecock squad since the 2016-17 Final Four team also had six road wins.  
> Kotsar ranks fourth all-time in Gamecock history with 114 career starts.  He’ll make career start 115 on Saturday vs. Tennessee, which will be just one away from a tie for second all-time with Gamecock greats Melvin Watson and BJ McKie.  Sindarius Thornwell leads the category with 132 career starts.
> For his efforts Feb. 5 vs. Ole Miss, when he scored a season high 28 points, and his 19-point performance in last Saturday’s win over A&M, Jermaine Couisnard was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season.  He paces the Gamecocks in league contests with 16.2 points per game.  Over the last three games, he is averaging 20.3 per contest.
> Kotsar continues his career year in 2019-20.  The Tallinn, Estonia, native registered his 15th double-figure scoring contest of the season, and posted his eighth game this season with two or more blocks vs. Georgia.
> Kotsar is the only player in the SEC (conference games only) to be ranked in the top 10 in both rebounds (team high 7.1 per game/10th in the SEC) and steals (team high 1.7 per outing/t-6th).
> In home games this season, Carolina is averaging 73.2 points per outing and 42.5 percent from the field.
> Since the beginning of the 2016 SEC campaign, Carolina is 30-11 (.731) in conference home contests.
> In its 15 wins, the Carolina defense is holding opponents to just 35.2 percent from the field and 25.0 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 6-3 on the road this season, and are 28-36 (43.7%) in road contests dating back to the 2014-15 campaign.

OVER THE LAST FIVE GAMES
> Carolina is 4-1 (2-0 at home, 2-1 on the road)
> Couisnard’s 16.2 points per game are a team high
> Lawson has hit 13-of-30 (43.3%) attempts from 3-point range
> Kotsar has a team high 7.2 rebounds, and also 14.2 points, 2.4 assists, 2.2 blocks and 2.2 steals per game
> Opponents are averaging just 36.6% from the field

THROUGH 24 GAMES …
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson paces the Gamecocks with 14.0 points per game.  Lawson also has a team high 46 3-pointers on the year and is dishing out 1.9 assists per game.
> Senior forward Maik Kotsar has scored 246 points through the first 24 games, and is just 74 points away from 1,000 for his career.
> Kotsar is also 57 rebounds away from cracking the top 10 all time in the category.  He sits at 627 for his career, and Gamecock great Sindarius Thornwell is in the 10th position with 684 career rebounds.
> The Gamecocks are holding opponents to just 38.1 percent from the floor, which is first in the SEC and 14th nationally.
> Carolina has dished at least 13 assists in 19  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 19 games this season with two or more assists.
> Carolina has held its opponent to less than 40 percent from the field on 12 occassions, including holding Wyoming to 23.1 percent and only nine made field goals.
> The Gamecocks are 14-2 in games in which they lead at the half.
> Carolina is 10-2 in games in which Jair Bolden scores in double figures.

THE DEFENSE SHINES
> Frank Martin teams are known for their tenacious defense and the 2019-20 team is on the mark.  The Gamecocks lead the league and rank 14th nationally, holding opponents to just 38.1% from the field.  From 3-point range, opponents have hit just 151-of-524 attempts (28.8%/2nd in the SEC/14th nationally), and Carolina is forcing 15.5 turnovers per contest, second in the SEC and 49th in the nation.

COUPLE MORE NOTES ON THE DEFENSE
> Carolina has held 12 opponents to under 40% from the field and five of those under 30%
> 13 Gamecock opponents were held to under 30% from the field from 3-point range
> 11 opponents have been held to under 20 made field goals
> 13 opponents have committed 15+ turnovers
> Carolina is sixth in the SEC (overall games) with 4.4 blocks per game, second with 7.8 steals and second with a +2.0 turnover margin

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 seven times this season, including in three of Carolina’s SEC games.  He has also scored in double figures a career high 15 times.
> Earlier in non-conference play, Kotsar scored in double figures in a career-best five-straight contests, and he currently has double figures in five straight again entering the Tennessee game.  
> Over the course of the last five games, Kotsar is averaging 14.2 points per game, 58.7% (27-46) from the field, 17-of-22 (77.3%) at the foul line and 7.2 rebounds per contest.
> In SEC games, Kotsar is averaging 10.9 points, and 7.1 rebounds (10th in the SEC), and a team high 1.7 steals per game (t-6th in the SEC).
> Kotsar continues to be the SEC’s active leader with 627 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 VOLUNTEERS
> Tennessee is 14-10 on the year and 6-5 in SEC contests.
> UT is led by head coach Rick Barnes in his fifth season.  Barnes recently won his 100th game as head coach of the Volunteers.
> Four active players average double figures for the Vols, led by Jordan Bowden’s 13.2 points per outing.  In SEC games, Bowden also paces the team with 13.0 points per game.
> Since joining UT mid-year, Santiago Vescovi is averaging 11.6 points and a team high 3.9 assists per game.  
> In Tennessee’s most recent win, an 82-61 victory at home over Arkansas, Vescovi led the squad with a team high 20 points, along with eight assists and a steal.
> The Volunteers are strong on the defensive end, holding opponents to just 39.1 percent from the field, third in the SEC and 25th nationally.

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 261-169 record in his 13th season as a head coach, and a 144-115 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 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.
> 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 19-of-30 attempts – 63.3% – and is averaging 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest.
> 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.
> 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.
> South Carolina extended it’s winning streak to three straight when it posted a convincing 76-54 home victory over Missouri Feb. 1.  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.
> South Carolina saw its three-game win streak come to an end on when it suffered an 84-70 loss on the road at Ole Miss last Wednesday.  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.

MORE NUMBERS
28.8% – South Carolina held Georgia to just 12.5% (3-24) from 3-point range on Wednesday in Athens.  The Gamecocks are second in the SEC and 14th nationally holding opponents to just 28.8% from beyond the arc this season.
14 – R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard posted his 12th double-figure scoring game of the season and his eighth in 11 SEC games with 14 in the win at Georgia on Wednesday.
2 – Sophomore guard AJ Lawson sank a pair of 3-pointers vs. the Bulldogs, marking his 16th game this season with 2+ makes from beyond the arc in a game.  
74 – Kotsar is just 74 points away from becoming the 46th member of the Gamecock 1,000 point club.
10+ – Depth is a strength for Carolina this season, and 11 different Gamecocks are averaging at least 10 minutes per contest.
70+ – SC is 13-3 this season when it scores 70+ points.

THROWBACK JERSEYS
> 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
> South Carolina has one more weekday road contest in league play, as it heads to Mississippi State next Wednesday.  Tip time is set for 9 PM ET with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst) on the call for the SEC Network broadcast.