Carolina Travels To No. 22/23 Florida Wednesday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (4-6, 2-4 SEC) travels to face No. 22/23 Florida (10-4, 6-3 SEC) in Gainesville on Wednesday night.  Tip time is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) on the call, while Derek Scott (play-by-play) and Casey Manning (analyst) will have the call over the air on the Gamecock Radio Network.

GAME INFORMATION
Arena: Exactech Arena (10,151)
Broadcast: SEC Network
  Play-By-Play: Mike Morgan
  Analyst: Debbie Antonelli
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
  In Columbia: 107.5 The Game
  Play-By-Play: Derek Scott
  Analyst: Casey Manning
  Sirius: – | XM: 380 | Internet: 970
Watch: WatchESPN/ESPN App
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Florida Series: UF leads 46-27
  In Gainesville: Florida leads 21-9
  Series Trend: The Gamecocks have won two straight in Gainesville, and three of the last five meetings overall
  Last Meeting: 81-68 Florida win on Jan. 7, 2020, in Columbia

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> The Gamecocks are back on the road for a mid-week matchup at No. 22/23 Florida on Wednesday night in Gainesville.  Carolina looks for its third straight win on the Gator home court.
> Vanderbilt jumped out to an early lead, and led for all but 57 seconds of the contest against South Carolina last Saturday in Nashville in the 93-81 Commodore win.  The Gamecocks hit 50% of their attempts from the field, including 10 from beyond the arc, but the Vandy responded with 13 made 3s, and a 22-of-27 mark at the free throw line.
> Junior guard AJ Lawson led Carolina with 21 points at Vandy, his fifth game this season with 20+, and he was also 3-of-9 from 3-point range, marking his seventh contest this season with three or more makes from beyond the arc.  His 37.7 percent (29-77) from 3-point range (overall games) is third in the SEC, while his average of 2.9 makes from 3 this season is a conference best and 31st nationally.
> Anchored by a 19 point, 10 rebound double-double from junior forward Keyshawn Bryant, Carolina snapped a three-game losing streak with an 83-59 win over Georgia at Colonial Life Arena last Wednesday.  Jermaine Couisnard added an SEC season high 18 points, and sophomore guard Trae Hannibal dished out a career best six assists in the win.  
> The Gamecock defense was locked in from the start vs. Georgia, and held the Bulldogs to opponent season lows of 31.8 percent (21-66) from the floor, and 15.4 percent (4-26) from beyond the arc.  The Gamecock defense also forced 20 Georgia turnovers.
> Carolina and Auburn traded points early in the matchup at Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 23, but Auburn used an 11-1 run to take a double-digit lead midway through the first half, and out-scored the Gamecocks the rest of the way in the win.  Junior forward Keyshawn Bryant continued his hot streak on the offensive end, leading Carolina with 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field.  Classmate AJ Lawson matched his career high with six made 3-pointers vs. the Tigers, and r-sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard dished out a season high six assists.

SCOUTING THE GATORS
> Florida is 10-4 overall this season and 6-3 in SEC contests.
> The Gators are led by head coach Mike White in his sixth season in Gainesville.
> UF is back in the national rankings this week at No. 22 in the AP poll and 23 in the coaches poll after winning its fourth-straight contest, an 85-80 win at West Virginia last Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
> In home games this season, Florida is 5-1, with its lone loss coming against Kentucky on Jan. 9.
> Tre Mann paces the team with 14.3 points per game, and his 3.9 assists per outing are also a team best.
> Junior forward Colin Castleton adds 13.4 points, a team high 5.5 rebounds, and a team high 2.3 blocks per game, which is second in the SEC and 28th nationally.
> Castleton is also second in the league and ninth nationally hitting 63.9 percent of his attempts from the floor this season.
> As a team, Florida leads the SEC and is 33rd nationally in field goal percent (47.9%), and fourth nationally and third in the SEC with 5.9 blocks per game.

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.
> Martin is 33-47 (.412) 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.
> 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 24 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.  
> 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.
> R-sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard led Carolina with 20 points in the win vs. Tulsa (Nov. 29).  It marked the third 20-point outing of his career.  
> 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 (Jan. 28), 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.
> 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.  
> 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 posted a 78-71 win over Florida A&M on Jan. 2 in their home opener, using a 9-2 run over the final five minutes to secure the win.  Junior guard AJ Lawson’s then-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.  
> Carolina opened SEC play on Jan. 6 with a 78-54 win over visiting Texas A&M at Colonial Life Arena.  Junior guard AJ Lawson scored a career high 30 points in the win, R-sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard added 15 points and sophomore forward Wildens Leveque scored a season high 10 points for the Gamecocks.
> Carolina held a four-point lead at halftime of its matchup at LSU behind 18 first-half points from junior guard AJ Lawson, but, the Tigers out-scored the Gamecocks 51-42 in the second half to close the home win on Jan. 16.  Lawson finished with 22, his third-straight game with 20+, and junior forward Keyshawn Bryant scored a career high 26 in the loss.
> Due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, South Carolina head coach Frank Martin, assistant coach Chuck Martin, and Doug Edwards, who handles student-athlete development for the team, did not travel with the team to Baton Rouge on Jan. 16.  Assistant coach Bruce Shingler was the acting head coach for the matchup vs. the Tigers, along with assistant coach Will Bailey, video coordinator Brian Steele, and special assistant to the head coach John Reynolds.
> Missouri jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first three minutes of the Jan. 19 contest, and the Gamecocks weren’t able to overcome the early deficit in the 11-point loss to the 19th-ranked Tigers.  Missouri hit 58.3% from the field in the 81-70 win.
> Sophomore forward Trey Anderson had a breakout performance at Mizzou.  The San Diego native played a career high 25 minutes off the bench, hitting 7-of-9 from the floor, including a pair of 3s, en route to a career high 17 points.  His five rebounds were also a career best.

LOOKING AHEAD
> South Carolina begins a three-game SEC homestand this weekend when Mississippi State travels to Columbia.  The meeting is the first of two between the two schools this season.
> Mississippi State is 10-8 overall this season and 3-6 in league games entering mid-week action at Arkansas.
> Following the matchup vs. MSU, Carolina will host league leading Alabama on Feb. 9, followed by a home game with Ole Miss on the 13th.  

MINAYA STRONG ON THE GLASS
> R-junior forward Justin Minaya is having a career year on both ends of the floor this season.  Minaya paces the Gamecocks with 7.5 rebounds per contest, which is +2.2 rebounds per game over his career average.  He has three double-doubles on the year, and also paces the Gamecocks with 3.20 offensive rebounds per game, which is fourth in the SEC and 35th nationally.
> In strictly SEC games, Minaya’s 7.8 boards per game is third in the conference.  He has two double-doubles in league games, and pulled down a season best 11 rebounds at No. 19 Mizzou.
> Minaya has at least six rebounds in every game this season except two, and he has at least three on the offensive glass in every game except three.

BY THE NUMBERS
20.2 – Junior forward Keyshawn Bryant has been on fire on the offensive end of the court in SEC games this season, averaging a team high 20.2 points per game in league play.  He also has 6.6 rebounds and is blocking 1.6 shots per game.
4.16 – R-junior forward Justin Minaya is averaging 4.16 offensive rebounds per SEC game, which leads the league.  
3 – Junior forward AJ Lawson hit a trio of 3s at Vanderbilt marking his seventh game this season with three or more makes from beyond the arc. For the year, he is averaging 2.90 made 3s per game, which leads the SEC and ranks 31st nationally.
16.50 – The Gamecocks are forcing 16.50 opponent turnovers per game, which is third in the SEC and 28th nationally.  
24 – Lawson needs just 24 points to reach 1,000 for his career.

COMING UP NEXT
> South Carolina returns to Columbia on Saturday to host Mississippi State in the front end of a three-game SEC homestand.  Tip time vs. the Bulldogs is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Colonial Life Arena.