Gamecocks Travel To Mississippi State On Wednesday Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (16-9, 8-4 SEC) travels to face Mississippi State (16-9, 7-5 SEC) on Wednesday evening for a 9 p.m. ET tipoff in Starkville.  The meeting is the first of two between the two schools in the final six games of the regular season. 

GAME INFORMATION
Arena:  Humphrey Coliseum (10,575)
Broadcast: SEC Network
  Play-By-Play: Roy Philpott
  Analyst: Mark Wise
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
  In Columbia: 107.5 The Game
  Play-By-Play: Derek Scott
  Analyst: Casey Manning
  SIRIUS: – | XM: 382 | INTERNET: 972
Watch: WatchESPN/ESPN App
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: Arena box office
Series: MSU leads 22-15
  In Starkville: MSU leads 12-4
  Trend: MSU has won three of the last five
  Last Game: 76-61 Mississippi State win on Feb. 23, 2019, in Starkville

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> A crucial steal, followed by four straight makes at the free throw line in the final 23 seconds by senior forward Maik Kotsar would be the difference in Carolina’s 63-61 home win over Tennessee last Saturday.  Kotsar led the Gamecocks with 13 points and eight rebounds, and the senior secured Carolina’s eighth SEC win of the season.
> The numbers show just how close of a contest it was vs. the Vols – both teams with 20 baskets, both with four 3-pointers, and the difference was Carolina’s 19 makes at the charity stripe compared to 17 by the Vols.  Kotsar was 7-of-8 at the line for Carolina and R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard was 7-of-11, as the duo accounted for 14 of Carolina’s makes at the line.
> Carolina aims for its seventh road win of the season on Wednesday at MSU.  Should the Gamecocks win, it would mark the most on the road for the Garnet and Black since the 2005-06 squad also won seven in true road matchups.
> The Gamecocks have won eight of their last 10 contests after starting league play 0-2, with three of those victories on the road – at Texas A&M, at Arkansas and at Georgia.
> In the Feb. 17 NCAA NET figures, Carolina holds a NET of 65, and has three Q1 wins and 4 Q2 wins.  Wednesday’s matchup at Mississippi State is another Q1 opportunity for the Gamecocks.
> South Carolina captured its sixth road win of the season last 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 (Kentucky has five and is on the road on Tuesday evening at LSU), 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 115 career starts.  He’ll make career start 116 on Wednesday vs. Mississippi State, which will place him in a tie for second all-time with Gamecock greats Melvin Watson and BJ McKie.  Sindarius Thornwell leads the category with 132 career starts.
> In home games this season, Carolina is averaging 72.5 points per outing and 42.4 percent from the field.
> Since the beginning of the 2016 SEC campaign, Carolina is 31-11 (.738) in conference home contests.
> In its 16 wins, the Carolina defense is holding opponents to just 35.6 percent from the field and 25.1 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.

THROUGH 25 GAMES …
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson paces the Gamecocks with 13.8 points per game.  Lawson also has a team high 47 3-pointers on the year and is dishing out 1.8 assists per game.
> Senior forward Maik Kotsar has scored 259 points games, and is just 61 points away from 1,000 for his career.
> Kotsar is also 49 rebounds away from cracking the top 10 all time in the category.  He sits at 635 for his career, and Gamecock great Sindarius Thornwell is in the 10th position with 684 career rebounds.
> The Gamecocks are holding opponents to just 38.3 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 15-2 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 38.3% from the field.  From 3-point range, opponents have hit just 155-of-538 attempts (28.8%/4th in the SEC/13th nationally), and Carolina is forcing 15.7 turnovers per contest, second in the SEC and 42nd in the nation.

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 eight times this season, including in four of Carolina’s SEC games.  He has also scored in double figures a career high 16 times.
> Kotsar is currently in a career-best streak of six straight games scoring in double figures.  During the stretch, Kotsar is averaging 14.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.
> In SEC games, Kotsar is averaging 11.1 points, and 7.2 rebounds (t-10th in the SEC), and a team high 1.7 steals per game (7th in the SEC).
> Kotsar continues to be the SEC’s active leader with 635 career rebounds.
> Kotsar is the only player in the SEC (conference games only) to be ranked in the top 10 in both rebounds (team high 7.2 per game/t-10th in the SEC) and steals (team high 1.7 per outing/7th).

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 BULLDOGS
> Mississippi State is led by head coach Ben Howland in his fifth season in Starkville.  
> The Bulldogs are 16-9 overall this season and 7-5 in SEC games.
> At home, MSU is 11-2, with their losses coming against Louisiana Tech and Auburn.
> The Bulldogs are second in the SEC and 43rd nationally with a field goal percentage of 46.5% this season.  MSU is also among the best in rebounds, ranking ninth in rebound margin at +7.8 per game.
> Much of the Bulldogs’ success on the glass comes from sophomore forward Reggie Perry, who averages 9.8 per outing to lead the SEC.  In conference games, he is the only player in the league averaging a double-double at 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest.
> Tyson Carter (13.4), Nick Weatherspoon (11.6) and Robert Woodard II (11.4) also average double figures on the year.
> The Bulldogs have won three of their last five SEC games entering Wednesday’s contest.

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 262-169 record in his 13th season as a head coach, and a 145-115 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. 
> 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.
> 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 23-of-35 attempts – 65.7% – and is averaging 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in 13.1 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.
> 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.

MORE NUMBERS
3 – The two matchups this season between the Gamecocks and Tennessee were decided by a total of three points.  UT posted a 56-55 win in the matchup in Knoxville, and the Gamecocks clinched a two-point win over the Vols on Saturday in Columbia.
4-4 – Senior forward Maik Kotsar was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in the final 23 seconds of the win over UT.  Entering Wednesday’s contest at MSU, Kotsar has hit 24-of his last-29 (82.8%) at the line.
38.3% – South Carolina currently leads the SEC in field goal percent defense, holding opponents to just 38.3% from the field this season.
8/10 – Entering the matchup at MSU, Carolina has won three straight and eight of its last 10 games.
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
> Carolina opens up a two-game homestand on Saturday when it hosts LSU for a 6 PM matchup at Colonial Life Arena.  The game will be Carolina’s “Pet Appreciation Day” with a fun halftime show provided by Flying Houndz Frizbee Trick Dog Show.