Men's Hoops At No. 19/20 Tennessee Wednesday Night

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (5-9, 3-7 SEC) travels to face No. 19/20 Tennessee (14-5, 7-5 SEC) on Wednesday night in Knoxville at 9 p.m. ET.  Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) will have the call for the SEC Network broadcast, 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: Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678)
Broadcast: SEC Network
  Play-By-Play: Tom Hart
  Analyst: Jon Sundvold
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
  In Columbia: 107.5 The Game
  Play-By-Play: Derek Scott
  Analyst: Casey Manning
  Sirius: – | XM: 384 | Internet: 974
Watch: WatchESPN/ESPN App
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
  Series: Tennessee leads 47-28
  In Knoxville: The Vols lead 28-9
  Series Trend: Carolina’s win at home last season snapped a five-game UT win streak in the series
  Last Meeting: 63-61 Carolina win on Feb. 15, 2020, in Columbia

TIPOFF NOTABLES
> South Carolina will play three of its final five regular season games on the road, beginning with Wednesday’s matchup at No. 19/20 Tennessee.  Carolina looks for its first win in Knoxville since the 2017 SEC regular season.
> The Gamecocks pulled to within five of the Rebel lead with 17 seconds to play, but Ole Miss guard Devontae Shuler blocked a Gamecock shot attempt, and then sealed the win with a pair of free throws at the opposite end, as the Rebels posted an 81-74 win on Saturday at Colonial Life Arena.  
> Sophomore forward Wildens Leveque (13) and sophomore guard Trae Hannibal (12) each posted career-high points vs. Ole Miss.
> Junior guard AJ Lawson continues to shine on the offensive end.  The Toronto native scored 22 vs. Ole Miss, his seventh 20-point performance in SEC play this season.  He connected on four 3-pointers, his ninth game this season (overall games) with three or more makes from beyond the arc.
> Junior forward Nathan Nelson connected on a 3-pointer and also dished out an assist vs. the Rebels.  Nelson has hit a 3 in four of his last five outings and is 4-of-5 from 3 this season.
> South Carolina jumped out to an early lead on No. 11/11 Alabama last Tuesday at Colonial Life Arena, but the Crimson Tide battled back to take a three-point lead into the halftime break.  The contest featured five lead changes and seven ties, but the Crimson Tide clinched the win with a pair of free throws from James Rojas with two seconds to play.
> The Gamecock defense forced 22 Alabama turnovers, and held the Crimson Tide to just 38.2 percent from the field, but Alabama hit 12 3s, compared to Carolina’s six, and UA added 17 at the free throw line.
> South Carolina suffered a 75-59 loss to Mississippi State on Feb. 6 at Colonial Life Arena.  The Gamecocks hit just 31.1 percent of their attempts from the floor (19-61), and the Bulldogs connected on 46.4 percent (26-56) in the win.  Carolina was also out-rebounded, as MSU held a 46-30 advantage on the glass.

SCOUTING THE VOLUNTEERS
> Tennessee is 14-5 overall and 7-5 in SEC play
after most recently suffering a 78-65 loss at LSU on Saturday.
> Head coach Rick Barnes is in his sixth season leading the Volunteers.
> UT began its season with a string of seven straight wins.
> The Vols are 11-2 in home games this season and 4-2 in SEC home games.
> Freshman guard Jaden Springer leads UT with 12.2 points per game.  Rookie guard Keon Johnson (10.2) is the only other Vol in double figures for the year, however, seven average at least 8.9 points per game for Tennessee.
> Senior guard/forward Yves Pons is fifth in the SEC with 1.6 blocks per game, and as a team, UT is 27th in the nation with 4.7 blocks per outing.
> The Volunteer defense is strong this season, ranking 15th nationally, holding opponents to just 61.7 points per game.
> Tennessee is averaging 76.7 points per game in home games this season.

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 34-48 (.414) 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 have hit double-digit conference victories in four of the last five seasons (11 in 2016, 12 in 2017, 11 in 2019, and 10 in 2020).
> 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.  
> 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.
> 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.
> 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 on Jan. 27.  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.
> Vanderbilt jumped out to an early lead, and led for all but 57 seconds of the contest against South Carolina on Jan. 30 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 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.  
> South Carolina held Florida without a field goal for the final 6:37 of the contest, and used a 13-1 run during that final stretch to post a come-from-behind upset road win over the No. 22/23 ranked Gators on Feb. 3 in Gainesville.  Junior guard AJ Lawson scored 22 to pace the Gamecocks, and his eight rebounds were also a team best.  It was Carolina’s third-straight win in Gainesville.  
> Carolina out-scored Florida 50-30 in the paint, marking its highest point in the paint total of the season.  Senior guard Seventh Woods played a huge roll in that total, hitting 6-of-10 from the floor, with several of those made baskets in the lane.  His 12 points marked a season high.

ODDS AND ENDS
> A couple random notes and factoids …
  – Four Gamecocks have at least 120 career assists, led by Seventh Woods with 166, AJ Lawson (163), then Jermaine Couisnard (145) and Justin Minaya (126)
  – Lawson has 12 double-figure scoring games this season with eight of those 20+
  – Prior to its contest vs. Mississippi State, in its previous three games, Carolina made at least 31 field goals in each, with a season high 33 in the home win vs. Georgia (Jan. 27)
– Among the SEC’s active career leaders, Lawson is third in scoring (1,054) and tied for fifth in steals (91)

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 6.9 rebounds per contest, which is +1.6 rebounds per game over his career average.  He has three double-doubles on the year, and also paces the Gamecocks with 2.92 offensive rebounds per game, which is fourth in the SEC and 51st nationally.
> In strictly SEC games, Minaya’s 6.8 boards per game is eighth in the conference.  He has two double-doubles in league games, and pulled down a season best 11 rebounds at No. 19 Mizzou (Jan. 19).

BY THE NUMBERS
35.4 – The South Carolina duo of AJ Lawson (19.1) and Keyshawn Bryant (16.3) average a combined 35.4 points per SEC game this season, which is the second-ranked tandem in league play behind LSU’s Cameron Thomas and Trendon Watford, who average a combined 38.2 points per league outing.
22 – Junior guard AJ Lawson posted his eighth 20+ point outing of the season with a team high 22 vs. Ole Miss on Saturday.  It was the 20th 20-point performance of his career.
17.14 – The Gamecocks are forcing 17.14 opponent turnovers per game (overall games), which is an SEC best, and 13th nationally.  Carolina has forced a combined 63 turnovers in its last three games.
13 – Sophomore forward Wildens Leveque scored a career high 13 vs. Ole Miss on Saturday.  It was his fourth-career double-figure scoring performance.

COMING UP NEXT
> Carolina returns to Colonial Life Arena to host No. 20/19 Missouri on Saturday. Tip time versus the Tigers is set for 2 p.m. ET for the ESPN2 broadcast.  Mizzou posted an 81-70 win over the visiting Gamecocks in Columbia, Mo., on Jan. 19.