Dec. 28, 2010

The South Carolina men’s basketball team (7-3) returns from a week-long holiday break to host Jacksonville State (2-11) on Wednesday at Colonial Life Arena. The contest will be televised on Fox Sports Carolinas and will tip off at 7 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tipoff: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Series: South Carolina leads 1-0
Television: FSCR (Fox Sports Carolinas)
Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Eddie Fogler (analyst)
Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
(107.5 FM – Columbia/GamecocksOnline.com)
Talent: Derek Scott (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst)
Live Stats: GamecocksOnline.com
Tickets: Tickets are available via the Gamecock Ticket Office (1-800-4SC-FANS)

Game Notes vs. Jacksonville State

Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina is in its 103rd season of basketball.
– Wednesday’s contest features the only two colleges in the NCAA with “Gamecocks” as its mascot in South Carolina and Jacksonville State.
– Third-year head coach Darrin Horn has led South Carolina to a 33-8 (.804) home record during his two-plus seasons in Columbia and an 8-18 (.307) mark in road contests.
– Freshman guard Bruce Ellington scored 31 points vs. Furman on Dec. 22. It marked the first Gamecock to hit the 30-point plateau since Devan Downey posted 33 in a 78-77 victory over Georgia on Jan. 30, 2010.
– Sophomore forward Lakeem Jackson collected a team-best seven rebounds vs. Furman, marking the seventh contest this season in which he has collected at least seven boards.
– Carolina’s 26 rebounds vs. Furman marked a season low.
– Junior forward Malik Cooke was 5-of-5 from the floor vs. Ohio State.
– Senior forward Sam Muldrow led Carolina with 14 points vs. the Buckeyes. He collected eight rebounds and posted two monster blocks in the game.
– South Carolina’s 40.7 rebounds per game rank second in the SEC.
– Carolina’s 5.4 blocked shots per game are tied for fifth in the SEC. – Freshman guard Bruce Ellington ranks fourth in the SEC in assists (4.1), and is first among freshmen in the category.
– Senior forward Sam Muldrow collected his second career double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds in the win over Wofford on Dec. 11. It was the highest single-game rebounding effort by a Gamecock this season.
– South Carolina snapped a six-game losing streak to archrival Clemson on Dec. 5, defeating the Tigers, 64-60, behind four Gamecocks in double figures, led by Ellington with 14.
– South Carolina has out-rebounded seven of its 10 opponents this season, with the exceptions being Clemson, Ohio State and Furman.
– South Carolina is 277-265 (.511) all-time in the month of December. The Gamecocks went 3-3 during the month last season.
– South Carolina owns a 5-1 record against current schools in the Ohio Valley Conference. Carolina’s last win over a school from the league came in an 89-76 win over Jacksonville State on Nov. 14, 2008. The last Gamecock loss to a team from the OVC came in a 73-67 loss to Tennessee Tech on Nov. 17, 2000.

Scouting Jacksonville State
– Jacksonville State enters Wednesday’s matchup having lost its last seven games and 11 of its last 12.
– The Gamecocks most recently dropped a 61-54 decision to Eastern Illinois on Dec. 21, their last game before the break for the holiday.
– JSU is led by three veterans in seniors Nick Murphy, and Jeremy Bynum and junior Stephen Hall. Murphy paces the squad with 15.2 points per game, Bynum adds 10.8 per game and Hall 12.4. The trio account for 64 percent of the Gamecocks’ offense.
– Jacksonville State opponents hit 46.7 percent of their shot attempts (287-614), including 35.7 percent from beyond the arc (56-157).

By The Numbers
– 6 – Carolina has collected just six steals in the last two games combined, three each vs. Ohio State and Furman.
– 12 – South Carolina’s 12 made 3’s vs. Furman marked a season high.
– 14.4 – Bruce Ellington’s 14.4 points per game rank ninth in the SEC and fourth among freshmen.
– 8 – South Carolina’s eight 3’s in the second half vs. Furman matched the most made 3’s in a half for the Gamecocks this season. Carolina also hit eight 3’s in the second half vs. Michigan State on Nov. 16.
– 15 – Brian Richardson’s 15 points were a season high for the freshman guard. He has hit double-figure points in six contests this season.