Gamecocks Host Gators In SEC Opener Tuesday Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (8-5, 0-0 SEC) begins Southeastern Conference action on Tuesday when it hosts Florida (9-4, 1-0 SEC) for a 7 p.m. ET matchup at Colonial Life Arena.  The meeting marks the second-straight SEC opener between the two schools, and the 73rd meeting all-time between the Gamecocks and Gators. 

ABOUT THE GAME
Arena:  Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Broadcast: ESPNU
  Play-by-Play: Kevin Fitzgerald
  Analyst: Jimmy Dykes
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
  In Columbia: 107.5 The Game
  Play-By-Play: Derek Scott
  Analyst: Casey Manning
  Sirius: – | XM: 381 | Internet: 971
Watch: WatchESPN (link above)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: GamecocksOnline.com/
  1-800-4SC-FANS/Arena box office
Series: Florida leads 45-27
  In Columbia: UF leads 22-15
  Trend: Carolina has won five of the last seven
  Last Game: 71-69 Carolina win on Jan. 5, 2019, in Gainesville

EAT LOCAL. BALL LOCAL. PROMOTION
> Gamecock Athletics has announced the Eat Local. Ball Local. promotion for South Carolina men’s basketball’s SEC home opener on Jan. 7, versus Florida at 7 p.m. Eat dinner at a local business and the first 500 fans that bring a receipt to the game from eating dinner out prior to the matchup will receive a free “803” Gamecock T-shirt.  Simply bring your receipt to the marketing table located on the concourse near the main entrance and receive your T-shirt. In addition to the promotion, Gamecock fans that have purchased the Men’s Basketball Mobile Pass are guaranteed a lower level seat for the matchup.

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> South Carolina opens SEC play on Tuesday when it hosts former SEC East foe Florida.  The Gators are 1-0 in league action after posting a 104-98 double-overtime comeback win at home over Alabama.  The meeting with Florida will be the 73rd in the series between the Gators and Gamecocks.
> Tuesday’s opener marks Carolina’s first SEC lidlifter at home since also hosting Florida on Jan. 7, 2015, a game in which the Gators won 72-68.
> Since the 2017 SEC campaign, four of the last six games between the Gamecocks and Gators have been decided by seven or fewer points, with three of those decided by five points or less.
>  In last season’s SEC opener, the Gamecocks began league play in thrilling fashion on the road, as Chris Silva’s dunk with 2.5 seconds remaining would be the game winner in a 71-69 road win at Florida.  The Gamecocks trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, and steadily fought back to tie the contest with 4:39 remaining.  Carolina’s stout defense held the Gators without a field goal the final 7:17 of the game. 
> In the month of January, Carolina will host just three SEC matchups and will be on the road to face five league opponents.
> The Gamecocks are 11-17 all-time in SEC openers, including a 6-6 mark in league openers at home.  
> In its eight wins, the Carolina defense is holding opponents to just 34.5 percent from the field and 27.7 percent from 3-point range.
> Carolina most recently 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 season high eight points, with 4 rebounds, two assists and two steals vs. Stetson.  Over the last three games, Hannibal is averaging 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and has made 7-of-13 (53.8%) of his shot attempts in 14.0 minutes per game.
> Martin is 32-44 (.421) 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 3-0 on the road this season, and are 25-33 (43.1%) in road contests dating back to the 2014-15 campaign.

THROUGH 13 GAMES …
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson paces the Gamecocks with 15.5 points per game.  Lawson also has a team high 23 3-pointers on the year and is dishing out 2.4 assists per game.
> Senior forward Maik Kotsar has scored 126 points through the first 13 games, 9.7 points per outing.  His 5.8 rebounds per game lead the team and rank 17th in the SEC.
> The Gamecocks are holding opponents to just 38.1 percent from the floor, which ranks second in the SEC and 26th nationally.
> Carolina has dished at least 13 assists in 10  games.
> R-freshman guard Jermaine Couisnard is averaging a team high 2.6 assists per game.  
> Carolina has held its opponent to less than 40 percent from the field on seven occassions, including holding Wyoming to 23.1 percent and only nine made field goals.
> Sophomore forward Alanzo Frink has hit a team best 63.5 percent (33-52) of his shot attempts.
> The Gamecocks are 8-1 in games in which they lead at the half.
> Carolina is 7-1 in games in which Jair Bolden scores in double figures.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP FROM KOTSAR
> Senior forward Maik Kotsar is such a strong component for the Gamecocks on the defensive end, but of late, his offense and rebounding have been key.  
> 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).  He was near perfect from the field, hitting 8-of-9 attempts from the floor, and he also collected Carolina’s only steal in the game vs. the Colonials.  
> 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.
> Kotsar has scored in double figures vs. Houston,  and in the win at Clemson, while also scoring 11 vs. Stetson.  

SCOUTING THE GATORS
> Florida is 9-4 on the year and posted a 104-98 double-overtime victory over Alabama in its SEC opener last Saturday in Gainesville.
> Head coach Mike White is in his fifth season leading the Gators.  
> Graduate transfer Kerry Blackshear paces the squad in points (14.9) and rebounds (9.0) per game.  He is also averaging 2.92 offensive rebounds per outing.
> Sophomore point guard Andrew Nembhard’s 5.8 assists per game are a team best, ranking third in the SEC and 31st nationally.  He is also second in the SEC in assist to turnover ratio with a mark of 2.3.
> The Gators lead the SEC and are 54th nationally committing 12.1 turnovers per game, and their 157 total turnovers on the year also pace the league and rank 20th nationally.
> Florida is winless in true road games this season at 0-2, but the Gators are 4-1 in neutral-site contests.
> Rookie guard Scottie Lewis was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after he had 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in the win against Alabama.

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 254-165 record in his 13th season as a head coach, and a 137-111 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.
> 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 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).
> 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.
> 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 Nov. 10.  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, the fewest made field goals during the Frank Martin era.
> 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.
> 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.
> Sophomore guard AJ Lawson scored 20 points, his third 20+ outing of the season, against UNI (Nov. 27).  Lawson connected on his first four shot attempts in the game, and finished with eight made field goals, matching his career high.  
> 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.  
> Carolina snapped its two-game losing streak when it posted a 74-65 victory over George Washington on Dec. 1 in Columbia.  Senior forward Maik Kotsar continued his stretch of strong play, leading the Gamecocks with 17 points and 9 rebounds, pushing his double-figure scoring streak to five-straight games, the longest such stretch of his career.  
> An 84-80 win at UMass marked the first road victory of the season for the Gamecocks Dec. 4 in Amherst.  Sophomore forward Keyshawn Bryant made his season debut, scoring 13 points, and guard Jermaine Couisnard matched his season high with 16 points, as the duo provided a spark on both ends of the court off the bench in the win.
> 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.

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.
4 – After a really strong week of practice prior to the Clemson contest, walk-on forward Nate Nelson was one of the first Gamecocks off the bench in the win over the Tigers on Dec. 15.  It was Nelson’s fifth appearance this season, and the sophomore forward played over four minutes of action in the win vs. the Tigers.
22 – R-junior guard Jair Bolden scored 20 points for the first time in a Carolina uniform in the upset road win at No. 9 Virginia on Dec. 22 with a team high 22.  Bolden is averaging 10.2 points per game.
14 – South Carolina matched a season high, and a Frank Martin era high, when it collected 14 steals vs. UVA in the win on Dec. 22.  Both Maik Kotsar and Trae Hannibal led the Gamecocks with three steals each.
28.0% – The Gamecock defense held Clemson to just 28.0 percent (14-50) from the field in the Dec. 15 road win vs. the Tigers.  That mark was the lowest by an opponent in Carolina’s previous eight games, the lowest since Wyoming’s (Nov. 10) 23.1 percent (9-39) from the floor.

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. 

COMING UP NEXT
> Carolina will play three of its next four SEC matchups on the road, starting on Saturday when the Gamecocks travel to face Tennessee in Knoxville.  Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Pat Bradley (analyst) will have the call for the SEC Network broadcast, which tips at 1 P.M. ET.