Gamecocks Face Road Test at No. 17/17 Arkansas Wednesday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina (10-6, 1-2 SEC) hits the road for a pair of games this week before returning home next Tuesday. The Gamecocks will first face No. 17/17 Arkansas (12-4, 2-1 SEC) tomorrow night at Bud Walton Arena.

Tip is set for 9 p.m. (ET) with Mike Morgan (pxp) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) on the call for the SEC Network broadcast.

The Gamecocks are looking to bounce back from tough, 75-70, home loss to No. 21/22 Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) on Saturday. There were 12 lead changes and nine ties in the back-and-forth affair which Carolina led by as many as 12 late in the first half. The Gamecocks went cold down the stretch, finishing the game 1-for-10 from the floor as the Bulldogs rallied to win late. Mike Sharavjamts scored a season-high 18 points for Carolina. Kobe Knox had his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Eli Ellis (13) and Meechie Johnson (11) were also in double-figures for the Gamecocks. Johnson had five assists to lead the team, his seventh game this season with five or more helpers. Ellis (10.7 ppg) is one of five SEC freshmen to average double-figures thru 16 games so far this season.

Carolina is 1-1 in true road games this season with an impressive 78-68 win at LSU last Tuesday. Elijah Strong had a career-high 30 points to lead the Gamecocks to the road victory in Baton Rouge. He’s averaging 18.7 points per game in SEC play and shooting a team-best 54.1% (20-of-37 FGs) from the floor thru three league games.

The Gamecocks remain atop the SEC as the best free throw shooting team at 78.7% (No. 6 nationally). Carolina also leads the SEC and ranks No. 17 in the country averaging just 9.6 turnovers per game.

The Razorbacks are also looking to bounce back from defeat as they fell 95-73 on the road at Auburn on Saturday. The Tigers, who built a 49-34 lead at halftime and led by as many as 29 in the game, shot 56.7% and made 34 field goals. Standout freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. had 19 points to lead the Razorbacks. He ranks fourth in the SEC and leads Arkansas in scoring (19.9 ppg). Acuff Jr. also leads the Razorbacks and the SEC with 94 assists (5.9 apg). Fellow freshman guard Meleek Thomas (15.4 ppg) and senior forward Trevon Brazile (13.5 ppg) also average double-figures. Brazile leads the team averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. His three double-doubles are T-7^th in the SEC. Former Gamecock Nick Pringle has started 15 of 16 games for Arkansas and is averaging 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 67.5% (27-of-40 FGs) from the floor. Sophomore wing Karter Knox, the younger brother of Kobe, averages 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 43.5% (20-of-46) from behind the arc.

Arkansas is 10-0 at home this season and has the No. 15 scoring offense (89.4 ppg) in the nation. They also lead the SEC and rank No. 12 nationally in 3-point percentage with an efficient 39.2% shooting clip from behind the arc. Similar to Carolina’s last opponent Georgia, Arkansas is No. 3 in the nation in fastbreak points (20.4 ppg).

GAME INFORMATION
TIME: 9 p.m. (ET)
VENUE: Bud Walton Arena
TV: SEC Network
    PLAY-BY-PLAY: Mike Morgan
    ANALYST: Jon Sundvold
RADIO: Gamecock Radio Network 
IN COLUMBIA: 107.5 The Game
    PLAY-BY-PLAY: Derek Scott
    ANALYST: Casey Manning
SIRIUSXM: 382 | SXM APP: 972
WATCH: espn.com/watch/
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
SERIES: Razorbacks lead, 24-18
    IN COLUMBIA: Razorbacks lead, 12-6
SERIES TREND: Gamecocks have won 3-of-4 dating back to a 77-64 road win on Jan. 20, 2024 at Bud Walton Arena.
LAST MEETING: Razorbacks fended off late Gamecock rally in 72-68 win in R1 of SEC Tournament on March 12 last season in Nashville. Collin Murray-Boyles had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

NUMBERS OF NOTE
5 – Per the ESPN Basketball Power Index for the 2025-26 season, South Carolina’s remaining strength of schedule is No. 5 in the nation. The entire SEC makes up the top-17 in the country with Purdue (No. 3) the only other school outside the SEC to crack the top-17.
15-1 – The Gamecocks have a 15-1 record under Lamont Paris when shooting 50.0% or higher. The lone loss came in his 1st season in 2022-23 at Missouri.
19-1 – The Gamecocks are 19-1 record under Paris when scoring 80 or more points.
47-10 – The Gamecocks are 47-10 in 4 seasons under Paris when holding teams below 70 points (.825 win %).
29-3 – Carolina is 29-3 under Paris last season when holding its opponents below 40% shooting from the floor. The team was 7-0 last season and is 5-0 this season when accomplishing the defensive feat.
7-0  – The Gamecocks are 7-0 all-time under Paris when the team shoots 50.0 percent or higher from behind the arc.
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).
11-0 – The Gamecocks are 11-0 (3-0 this season) 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.
4-0 – The Gamecocks are 4-0 this season when the bench scores 40 or more points.
17-2 – Carolina is 17-2 over the last three seasons when Myles Stute scores 10 or more points (only losses at No. 16/16 Indiana last season and vs. No. 11/11 Vanderbilt on Saturday).
10-2 – The Gamecocks are 10-2 over the last three seasons when Stute makes three or more 3s (only losses at No. 16/16 Indiana last season and vs. No. 11/11 Vanderbilt on Saturday).
469 – Meechie Johnson (212) and Stute (257) have combined to make 469 3s in their college careers. Stute’s 255 career 3s are 19th amongst active career leaders in Division I. Johnson’s 212 3s rank T-44th. The Gamecocks are one of NINE teams in NCAA Division I to have multiple players with 200+ career made 3s (Alabama, Gonzaga, Indiana, Louisville, Oklahoma, Purdue, San Diego & West Virginia the others).
505 – Stute (145), Johnson (132), transfers Mike Sharavjamts (115) and Kobe Knox (113) have combined to play 505 games at the NCAA Division I level bringing a wealth of experience to the Gamecocks’ backcourt. Stute (6th) and Johnson (T-23rd) both rank inside the top-25 on the active games played list in Division I.
1,000 – Stute scored his 1,000th career point with a 3-pointer early in the game vs. Radford (Nov. 18).
48 – Johnson scored his 1,000th career point at South Carolina with his final bucket in a recent victory over The Citadel (Dec. 13). He became the 48th  Gamecock to join the 1,000-career point club (first since former All-SEC guard AJ Lawson from 2018-21).
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.
44 – Johnson became the 44th 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).
30 – Elijah Strong became the 26th different player (21st in SEC action) for SC since 2004-05 to have a 30-burger when he scored 30 points (18 in the first half) in just 25 minutes in a road win at LSU on Jan. 6. Strong was 10-for-15 (66.7%) from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from 3 and 6-of-6 at the free throw line.
9 & 5 – Strong became just the 9th player in D1 this season to have a 30-point game in 25 minutes or less (5 of those 8 previous 30-burgers were against non-D1 opponents). He also became just the 5th player since 2004-05 to do it in an SEC game. Alabama’s Brandon Miller was the last player to do it when he had 31 pts in 24 min vs. LSU on Jan. 14, 2023.
140 – Carolina has hit 140 3s (8.8 3FG per game) in the first 16 games of the season with a combined 82 different players hitting a shot from behind the arc in the 16 ball games (average of 5.1 different players hitting a 3FG per game).
30 – The Gamecocks’ 31-point win over Stetson (Dec. 6) was the team’s first victory by 30 or more points since defeating Florida A&M, 94-62, on Dec. 30, 2023 in the non-conference finale.
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
Carolina remains on the road with a trip to Auburn (10-6, 1-2 SEC) on deck Saturday. Mike Morgan (pxp) and Pat Bradley (analyst) will be on the call for the 6 p.m. (ET) SEC Network broadcast.

###