Gamecocks Host Stetson in Saturday Matinee

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (5-3) returns to action at home on Saturday squaring off with Stetson (3-7). Tip is set for 2 p.m. (ET) with Colonial Life Arena doors opening 1 hour prior.

Dave Weinstein (pxp) and John Williams (analyst) will be on the call for the SEC Network+ broadcast.

The Gamecocks will look to bounce back from an overtime heartbreaker earlier this week against Virginia Tech in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Hokies handed the Gamecocks their first home loss, 86-83. Ben Hammond made the go-ahead layup with 13 seconds to go in OT to help the Hokies prevail. Meechie Johnson fired a potential game-winning 3 on the next possession with 3 seconds remaining that rimmed out. He finished with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting for Carolina. Elijah Strong added 18 points off the bench, his fifth game in double-figures this season. The Gamecocks battled back from a 10-point, first half deficit taking the lead, 68-65, with 3:39 to go on a Mike Sharavjamts putback, and-1. Both teams had a number of chances down the stretch but couldn’t get shots to fall as the game went to overtime tied at 70. It was the first loss of the Lamont Paris era at Carolina when the team scores 80 or more points (entered the game 16-0). The SEC won the ACC/SEC Challenge for the second-straight year, 9-7.

The Hatters enter Saturday’s game on a four-game losing streak that dates back to Nov. 25. They fell, 67-45, at Grand Canyon on Tuesday earlier this week. Sophomore guard Jamie Phillips Jr. is the team’s leading scorer (14.9 ppg) and rebounder (5.3 rpg). Junior guard Ethan Copeland also averages double-figures at 11.4 points per game. He leads the team in 3-point field goals made (26), averaging 2.6 made 3s per game. Copeland’s 26 made 3s are T-50^th nationally and second in the Atlantic Sun.

GAME INFORMATION
TIME: 2 p.m. (ET)
VENUE: Colonial Life Arena
TV: SEC Network+
    PLAY-BY-PLAY: Dave Weinstein
    ANALYST: John Williams
RADIO: Gamecock Radio Network 
IN COLUMBIA: 107.5 The Game
    PLAY-BY-PLAY: Derek Scott
    ANALYST: Casey Manning
SIRIUSXM: 391 | SXM APP: 981
WATCH: espn.com/watch/
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
SERIES: tied, 3-3
IN COLUMBIA: tied, 2-2
SERIES TREND: Hatters have won 3-of-4 in the series dating back to a 81-59 win at Carolina Coliseum on Jan. 25, 1978.
LAST MEETING: During the 2019-20 season at Colonial Life Arena and was first matchup between the two schools since 1983-84. Stetson defeated the Gamecocks 63-56 in the non-conference finale on Dec. 30, 2019

NUMBERS OF NOTE

12-1 – The Gamecocks have a 12-1 record under Lamont Paris when shooting 50.0% or higher. The lone loss came in his 1st season in 2022-23 at Missouri.

16-1 – The Gamecocks are 16-1 record under Paris when scoring 80 or more points.

43-9 – The Gamecocks are 43-9 in 4 seasons under Paris when holding teams below 70 points (.827 win %).

444 – Meechie Johnson (201) and Myles Stute (243) have combined to make 444 3s in their college careers. Stute’s 243 career 3s are T-15th amongst active career leaders in Division I. Johnson’s 201 3s rank 40th. The Gamecocks are one of six teams in NCAA Division I to have multiple players with 200+ career made 3s (Indiana, Louisville, Oklahoma, San Diego & West Virginia the others). 

1,000 – Stute recently scored his 1,000th career point with a 3-pointer early in the game vs. Radford (Nov. 18).

473 – Stute (137), Johnson (124), transfers Mike Sharavjamts (107) and Kobe Knox (105) have combined to play 473 games at the NCAA Division I level bringing a wealth of experience to the Gamecocks’ backcourt. Stute (T-5th) and Johnson T-26th) both rank inside the top-30 on the active games played list in Division I.

25 – Johnson became the 25th different player for South Carolina since the 2004-05 season to record a 30-point game when he had a career-high 33 points vs. Southern Miss on Nov. 9. Johnson, Brenton Williams (2014) and Devan Downey (2009) are the only Gamecocks to have a 30-point game with seven or more made 3s.

43 – Johnson became the 43rd player in the SEC to hit seven or more 3s in a game over the last five seasons. Stute is also on that list, making seven 3s twice while at Vanderbilt in games at Temple (11/15/22) and at Texas A&M (1/28/23).

7-0 – Carolina was 7-0 last season when holding its opponents below 40.0% shooting from the floor. The team is 2-0 this season when accomplishing the defensive feat.

 6-0  – The Gamecocks are 6-0 all-time under Paris when the team shoots 50.0 percent or higher from behind the arc.

75 – Carolina has hit 75 3s (9.4 3FG per game) in the first eight games of the season with a combined 43  different players hitting a shot from behind the arc in the eight ball games (average of 5.4 different players hitting a 3FG per game).

7-0 – The team is also 7-0 all-time under Paris when dishing out 20 or more assists.  Five of those seven games came in the historic 2023-24 season with a high of 25 helpers in the win at Georgia on Feb. 3, 2024. Carolina dished out 24 assists on 31 made field goals in the 91-72, season-opening win against NC A&T (Nov. 4).

9-0 – The Gamecocks are 9-0 under Paris when the team makes 30 or more FGs. Carolina made 34 field goals (team high in the Paris era), shooting 57.6% (another team high in the Paris era) in an 87-58 victory over Radford on Nov. 18.

28.8% – The Carolina defense held Arkansas to just 28.8%(15-of-52) from the field in a 72-53 win on March 1 last season, the lowest opponent FG-percentage in the Lamont Paris era at SC. The Gamecocks held Arkansas to just 14 points in the 1st half. With the win, Paris improved to 3-0 at Carolina againstJohn Calipari, the winningest coach in men’s college basketball.

34 – The team made 34 free throws in an 84-69 win over Texas on Feb. 22 last season, the most in the Lamont Paris era at Carolina. The last time the Gamecocks hit 30 or more free throws in a game was 35 made foul shots in the four OT thriller against Alabama on Feb. 7, 2017.

10 – Paris has been a part of 10 NCAA Tournament teams as a Division I assistant/head coach with his first appearance at South Carolina coming last season.

18 – He has been a part of 18, 20-win seasons as a college head and assistant coach.

.696 – In his 17 seasons as a collegiate assistant coach, teams associated with Paris were 497-217 (.696) with five conference titles and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching two Final Fours.

 274 – The Gamecocks made 274 3s during the 2023-24 campaign, a new single-season program record.

344 – The team had just 344 turnovers in the 2023-24 season, the third-fewest all-time for a single season at Carolina.

8-3 – The Gamecocks were 8-3 in true road games during the 2023-24 season. The team won seven SEC games on the road, tying the 1996-97 SEC Champion squad for the most league road wins in program history since joining the SEC in 1991-92.

25 – Carolina held 25 opponents to less than 70 points in 2023-24, which T-4th nationally and led the SEC.

8-0 – The Gamecocks were 8-0 in 2023-24 when shooting 50.0% or better from the floor.

1998 – The team finished the 2023-24 season ranked No. 25 in the final AP Poll, marking the first time the Gamecocks were ranked in the final top-25 poll since being slotted No. 14 in the final AP Poll of 1998.

1997 – The Gamecocks picked up the program’s first top-five road win since 1997 on Jan. 30, 2024 with a 63-59 victory over No. 5/5 Tennessee. The previous top-five road win was a 72-66 win at No. 3 Kentucky on March 2, 1997. The 59 points scored by Tennessee were a season-low for the Vols. It was also the first home loss of the season for UT, snapping a 13-game home winning streak by the Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena.

UP NEXT
South Carolina is off until next Saturday when it welcomes The Citadel (2-7) to Colonial Life Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. (ET) on SEC Network+ with Dave Weinstein (pxp) and former Gamecock Stephen Clark (analyst) on the call.

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