USC Back In Action Against Clemson Friday

COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) — South Carolina hosts Clemson on Friday in the 165th meeting all-time between the two rivals. The matchup will be broadcast on the SEC Network with Mike Morgan and Will Perdue on the call. Clemson has won two-straight games in the series entering Friday’s matchup. GAME INFORMATION Game Date: Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 Game Time: 7 p.m. ET Arena: Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Broadcast: SEC Network | WatchESPN Talent: Mike Morgan (pxp), Will Perdue (analyst) Radio: Gamecock Radio Network Talent: Andy Demetra (pxp), Casey Manning (analyst) Sirius: 91; XM: 91 Series: South Carolina leads 88-76 Last Meeting: 71-57, Clemson win on Nov. 17, 2013 in Clemson, S.C. GAME STORYLINES – South Carolina is in its 107th season of varsity basketball in 2014-15. – The Gamecocks are led by third-year head coach Frank Martin. His associate head coach is Matt Figger, his assistant coaches are Perry Clark and Lamont Evans, and his director of operations is Andy Assaley. – South Carolina extended its season-long win streak to three games on Dec. 6 with a 26-point victory over visiting Oklahoma State, defeating the Cowboys 75-49. Sophomore guard Duane Notice posted 20 points to lead three Gamecocks in double figures (Thornwell and Johnson with 13 apiece), hitting the 20-point plateau in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. Notice hit 3-of-6 from the 3-point line, while also collecting four rebounds. – Junior forward Mindaugas Kacinas led the Gamecocks on the glass with 12 rebounds vs. Oklahoma State, marking his third double-figure rebounding game of the season and just two shy of matching his career high. Kacinas leads the Gamecocks with 7.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks tied for fifth in the SEC. His 3.5 offensive boards per game rank third in the league and 34th nationally. – Notice exploded for a career high 27 points leading the Gamecocks to their biggest road win since 2008 when they defeated Marshall 77-59 on Dec. 1. Notice hit 10-of-18 attempts from the floor and also collected five rebounds, while dishing a team high four assists in 36 minutes. Junior forward Laimonas Chatkevicius hit double-digits for the second straight game with 15 points, and sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell notched his third-career double-double with 10 points and a team high 10 rebounds. The Gamecocks hit 47.6 percent from the field in the win, holding the Thundering Herd to just 28.6 percent. – South Carolina snapped a two-game losing streak with an 89-75 victory over UNC Asheville on Nov. 26, at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks posted solid offensive numbers in the game, hitting 31-of-60 attempts from the floor for a season high 51.7 percent. Chatkevicius led five Gamecocks in double-figures with a career high 17 points. Asheville hit just 36.5 percent from the floor, but guard Andrew Rowsey tallied 30 points, hitting 10 attempts, including six 3s. – Chatkevicius posted his first-career double-double vs. the Bulldogs on Dec. 1, leading the Gamecocks in points (17), rebounds (13) and also in blocks (3). Hit point and rebound totals were both career highs, and his blocks matched a career high. SCOUTING CLEMSON Clemson enters Friday’s matchup with a 6-3 overall record after most recently posting a 72-61 home win vs. Auburn on Dec. 14. The Tigers’ three losses this season have come against Winthrop, Gardner Webb and Rutgers. Friday also marks the Tigers’ first true road game of the season. They’ve played six games at home, and three games in a neutral site tournament at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. Five Clemson players are averaging double-digit points, led by Damarcus Harrison and Jaron Blossomgame with 12.0 per game each. Rod Hall (11.4), Landry Nnoko (10.9) and Donte Grantham (10.2) also contribute double digits. Blossomgame’s 9.0 rebounds per game lead the team and rank fifth in the ACC. Head coach Brad Brownell is in his fifth season leading Clemson. The Tigers are 3-0 vs. the SEC this season with wins vs. LSU, Arkansas and Auburn. CLEMSON SERIES South Carolina holds an 88-76 upperhand in the all-time series with Clemson, but the Tigers have won the last two contests, and three of the last five, entering Friday night’s game. 19 of the last 21 matchups between the two schools dating back to the 1994-95 season have come in the month of December, with the exceptions in the stretch a February game during the 2002-03 campaign, and last season’s November meeting.