Gamecocks Welcome Arkansas for Legends Weekend on Saturday

South Carolina Looks to Extend Win Streak Against Arkansas in Historic Matchup

Good afternoon from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina! The Gamecocks are looking to make history today as they seek their third straight win over the Arkansas Razorbacks, a first for the program. This game marks the first of South Carolina’s final two contests of the season.

South Carolina (11-17, 1-14 SEC) is gearing up to face Arkansas (17-11, 6-9 SEC) at 1 p.m. ET today, followed by their Senior Night matchup with Georgia on Tuesday. You can catch today’s action on SEC Network, with Roy Philpott on play-by-play and Pat Bradley serving as the analyst. Doors to Colonial Life Arena open at noon, an hour before tip-off.

Today is also Legends Weekend, where the Gamecocks will honor their former players, coaches, and staff during halftime. There will be a private reception at Carolina Coliseum this evening, as well as another postgame reception in the McGuire Club.

South Carolina enters this game fresh off two victories over Arkansas last season, including a road win at Bud Walton Arena and a victory in the SEC Tournament’s second round in Nashville. With a win today, the Gamecocks would mark their first-ever three-game win streak over the Razorbacks.

On the court, look for Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina’s preseason All-SEC forward, to continue his dominant play. Murray-Boyles is coming off a season-high 27 points in Tuesday’s game against No. 14/16 Missouri, where he went an impressive 10-for-11 from the floor. This performance marked his fourth game of the season with double-digit field goals. The last Gamecock to achieve this was Devan Downey in the 2009-10 season.

Even more impressive, Murray-Boyles is the only player in the SEC with multiple games this season making 10 or more field goals while shooting above 90%. He’s also one of only three players in Power Five conferences averaging at least 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal per game, while shooting over 50% from the floor.

As of now, Murray-Boyles leads the SEC in field goal percentage at 58.5%, ranking 25th nationally. He’s already had a career-best nine 20-point games and eight double-doubles this season.

As for Arkansas, the Razorbacks are led by first-year head coach John Calipari, who joined after a storied 15-season tenure at Kentucky. Calipari, the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball, has an impressive career record of 855-262. Under his leadership, South Carolina has defeated Calipari’s Wildcats in both of the last two seasons.

The Razorbacks’ leading scorer and rebounder is Adou Thiero, who averages 15.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Other key contributors include Johnell Davis (10.7 ppg) and D.J. Wagner (10.7 ppg), both transfers from FAU and Kentucky, respectively. Arkansas enters today on a two-game win streak, having recently defeated No. 15/16 Missouri and Texas in thrilling fashion. Despite a 3-5 record in true road games this season, the Razorbacks have secured notable victories at Miami, Kentucky, and Texas.

GAME INFORMATION:

• Time: 1 p.m. (ET)
• Venue: Colonial Life Arena
• TV: SEC Network (Roy Philpott on play-by-play, Pat Bradley as analyst)
• Radio: Gamecock Radio Network, 107.5 The Game in Columbia
• SiriusXM: Channels 106 or 190 | SXM App: 960
• Watch: ESPN.com/watch
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Series History:

• Razorbacks lead the all-time series 23-17, with the teams tied 8-8 in Columbia.
• The Gamecocks won both meetings last season, but the Razorbacks have claimed 3 of the last 4 matchups at Colonial Life Arena, dating back to March 5, 2015.
• The last meeting was a 80-66 win for South Carolina in the SEC Tournament on March 14, 2024.

After today, South Carolina will stay home for their final game of the season, a Senior Night matchup against Georgia (17-11, 5-10 SEC) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network, with Richard Cross and Brandon Johnson calling the action.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the game!