Gamecocks Open League Play Against Texas A&M Wednesday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (2-2) will host Texas A&M (6-2) on Wednesday evening at 9 p.m. ET in its SEC opener at Colonial Life Arena.  Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Dalen Cuff (analyst) will handle the call for the ESPNU broadcast, while Derek Scott (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (analyst) will be over the airwaves on the Gamecock Radio Network.

GAME INFORMATION
Arena:  Colonial Life Arena (approx. 3,500)
Broadcast: ESPNU
  Play-By-Play: Beth Mowins
  Analyst: Dalen Cuff
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
  In Columbia: 107.5 The Game
  Play-By-Play: Derek Scott
  Analyst: Casey Manning
  Sirius: – | XM: 190 | Internet: –
Watch: WatchESPN/ESPN App
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Texas A&M Series: Carolina leads 7-4
  In Columbia: Carolina leads 4-1
  Series Trend: The Gamecocks have won four straight overall, and two straight in Columbia
  Last Meeting: The Gamecocks posted a 74-54 win in Columbia on Feb. 8, 2020

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> South Carolina opens SEC play when it hosts Texas A&M on Wednesday night at Colonial Life Arena.  The Gamecocks are 11-18 all-time in SEC openers, and Wednesday’s matchup vs. the Aggies marks Carolina’s first vs. A&M in a conference opener.
> The Gamecocks posted a 78-71 win over Florida A&M last Saturday in their home opener, using a 9-2 run over the final five minutes to secure the win.  Junior guard AJ Lawson’s career high nine made field goals saw him post a team best 25 points in the win, sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard added 15, and junior forward Justin Minaya posted his first double-double of the season with 10 points and a team high 10 rebounds.  The Gamecocks had nine players available for the contest.  
> South Carolina returned to the court for the first time since Dec. 5 when it hosted Florida A&M on Jan. 2.  The contest marked the Gamecocks’ first game in 28 days due to a combination of positive COVID-19 tests, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of individuals within the South Carolina program.
> The Gamecocks held a halftime lead on the road at No. 10 Houston (Dec. 5), however, the Cougars battled back in the second half and closed a 77-67 win.  Junior forward Justin Minaya hit all three of his attempts from beyond the arc and led Carolina with 13 points in the loss.  
> On Nov. 29, Carolina held Tulsa scoreless for 9+ minutes in the second half and used a 15-0 run to close a 69-58 win over the Golden Hurricane at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.  The win was Carolina’s first on the year, and improved the Gamecocks’ record to 1-1 after opening action in Kansas City with a 78-62 loss to Liberty (Nov. 28).
> Junior guard AJ Lawson was named to the Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team after a pair of double-figure scoring outings at the event.  Lawson led the Gamecocks with 12 vs. Liberty, before a 17-point outing behind four 3s in the win over Tulsa.  On the weekend, Lawson was 6-of-13 (46.2%) from range, while also dishing out three assists and collecting three steals.
> R-sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard led Carolina with 20 points in the win vs. Tulsa.  It marked the third 20-point outing of his career.  Dating back to the start of SEC play last season, he has now hit double-figures in 18 of his last 21 games.
> Martin is 33-46 (.417) 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.
> A pair of Gamecocks collected preseason honors from both the media and SEC coaches during the preseason.  Junior guard AJ Lawson earned preseason All-SEC Second-Team accolades from the media, while Lawson (First Team) and Couisnard (Second Team) were honored by the SEC coaches on the preseason teams.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
> Texas A&M is led by head coach Buzz Williams in his second season in College Station.  Williams was previously the head coach at Virginia Tech and Marquette.
> The Aggies are 6-2 on the year, and 1-1 in SEC action.  Texas A&M opened SEC play with a 77-54 road loss at LSU, before evening its conference mark with a 68-66 home win vs. Auburn last Saturday.  
> Sophomore guard Andre Gordon scored the game winner vs. Auburn with 0.9 seconds left on the clock.
> Sophomore forward Emanuel Miller paces the Aggies with 17.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest, which ranks fourth in the SEC.
> A&M has won all of its home games this season, but lost both of its matchups away from College Station, a neutral-site loss to TCU on Dec. 12, and the Dec. 29 loss at LSU.
> The Aggies force 17.6 turnovers per contest, however, they also committ 16.8.  TAMU’s 13.0 assists per game is 10th in the SEC.

GAMECOCK NOTES TO KNOW
> Head coach Frank Martin is in his ninth season leading the Gamecocks in 2020-21.  He is joined by assistant coaches Will Bailey, Chuck Martin and Bruce Shingler, while Andy Assaley is the director of operations for the squad.
> Junior guard AJ Lawson is Carolina’s top returning scorer after pacing the team with 13.4 points per game last season.  He averaged the same during his rookie campaign, and is just 137 points away from reaching 1,000 for his career.
> Five who started the majority of SEC games last season return to the court for Carolina.  Lawson, sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard, who paced the team in league play at 12.1 points per game, junior forward Keyshawn Bryant, junior forward Justin Minaya (missed nine SEC games due to injury last season) and junior forward Alanzo Frink.  
>  South Carolina returns a core group from last season’s squad that finished the shortened campaign with an 18-13 overall record.  The Gamecocks return three of their top five scorers, including Lawson (13.4 ppg), Couisnard (12.1 ppg) and junior forward Keyshawn Bryant (9.1 ppg).  Junior forward Justin Minaya, who missed nine games last season due to injury, added 7.8 points per game in 2019-20.
> From last season, the biggest absence from the lineup will be graduated four-year starter Maik Kotsar.  Kotsar had a career year, averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while also leading the Gamecocks in blocks (1.1 per game) and steals at 1.5 per outing in 2019-20.  Kotsar, who was a starter during his rookie season on Carolina’s 2017 Final Four squad, also played a team high 30.4 minutes per game a year ago.

LOOKING AHEAD
> Following Wednesday’s matchup vs. the Aggies, a road trip follows for Carolina, as the Gamecocks travel to Ole Miss for the weekend matchup versus the Rebels on Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. ET.  Ole Miss is 5-3 overall this season after an 83-79 loss to Wichita State on Jan. 2.  Ole Miss hosts Auburn on Wednesday.
> Following the trip to Oxford, the Gamecocks return home for a Tuesday (Jan. 12) matchup with No. 9/8 Tennessee at Colonial Life Arena.

COOPER IMMEDIATELY ELIGIBLE FOR COMPETITION
> Sophomore guard Ford Cooper Jr. is immediately eligible to take the court for the Gamecocks this season after the NCAA Division I Council granted a blanket waiver allowing transfer student-athletes to compete immediately.  Cooper transferred to Carolina after spending his freshman season at Missouri State, where he played in 27 games with five starts.  His 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio in Missouri Valley Conference contests ranked third in the league.  His top scoring output of the season came in a seven-point performance versus Evansville, and his five assists in a matchup at Drake marked a season best.  Cooper had 10 games with two or more assists last season as well.
> The Council granted a blanket waiver allowing immediate eligibility to student-athletes who meet certain criteria: the student-athlete must be enrolled full time at the school for the Fall 2020 term, it must be the first transfer from a four-year school, the student-athlete must have left their previous school in good standing academically and not facing disciplinary suspension, and both the head coach and student-athlete must certify that impermissible recruiting did not take place.

BY THE NUMBERS
5 – Sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard dished out a team high five assists in Saturday’s win over Florida A&M.  It marked his third game in a row with 3+ assists, and the 21st game of his career with three or more in a game.
+7 – South Carolina out-rebounded Florida A&M by seven, marking the Gamecocks highest rebound margin in a game this season.
14.8 – Junior guard AJ Lawson’s 14.8 points per game are a team best and rank 10th in the SEC.  Lawson has hit double figures in three of four games this season, including his season high 25-point outing vs. Florida A&M.
2.3 – Sophomore forward Wildens Leveque is averaging a team best 2.3 offensive rebounds per game.  He pulled down a season high four on the offensive glass in the win vs. Florida A&M, just one shy of matching his career high.

COMING UP NEXT
> Carolina travels to Ole Miss on Saturday for its first SEC road matchup.  Tip time versus the Rebels is set for 6 p.m. ET on the SEC Network and the Gamecock Radio Network.