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t GAME SCHEDULE Pao-f* 11 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. wrj j rL lftnc * WOMEN’S TENNIS vs. Winthrop, 2 p.m. Wednesday, February 23, 2005 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m. Thursday By JONATHAN HILLYARD SPORTS EDITOR nickname better. Now standing at 6-feet 2-inches>,Trice is the lightest player on the USC/baskerball team at a mere 160 -founds. Don’t tell him that though. Like most young basketball players of his generation, Trice grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins and said he modeled his game after therm. Trice said he admires Dwayne WSrfe in the NBA now, who plays po-irtr guard for his favorite team, the Miami Heat. Born in Atlanta, /Trice moved to Swainsboro and attended Swainsboro High School. He WAS the basketball team at Swaipsboro, being named conference player of the year twice, ,all conference three times and all-state twice Not only was Trice a big-time player, but he was a winner in high school, leading his team to the elite eight of the state tournament as a junior and the sweet sixteen as a senior. —‘Bur despite^, averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists as a senior in 2002, Trice was not recruited by the big time SEC and ACC schoolsN, “I was recruited by mostly^Southern Conference schools like 'Georgia ♦ Please see ROCKY, page 14 CHARLIE DAVENPORT/THE GAMECOCK Redshirt freshman forward Melanie Johnson wraps around an Alabama defender in the Gamecocks’ first 2005 SEC win. Carolina seeks consecutive veins By MICHAEL FINNEGAN THE GAMECOCK The Carolina women’s basketball team plays host to Kentucky on Thursday in the Colonial Center as these two teams battle for the 11th seed in the SEC Tournament. Kentucky is 3-9 in conference play and Carolina is 1-11. Both Kentucky and Carolina look to finish conference play strong, as they are both young, talented teams. The Gamecocks are looking to start a winning streak, as they won their first SEC game of the year Sunday against the Crimson Tide. This win snapped the Gamecocks’ 17-game SEC losing streak and 10-game overall losing streak. Kentucky, on the other hand, looks to stop its five-game skid. This will be a tough task for the Cats, as they have yet to win an SEC road game. This is coach Mickie Demoss’s second year with Kentucky and sixth year coaching overall. She was an assistant for national powerhouse ♦ Please see SECOND, page 14 All-Star weekend relieves Daytona 500 domination ■ NBA festivities bring entertaining alternative to NASCAR fans’ mecca I’m not usually a huge NBA fan, but the All-Star weekend gave me a welcome escape from the Daytona 500 television coverage. Even though it wasn’t all that great, at least it wasn’t NASCAR. It all started with the “Got Milk? Rookie Challenge.” Yes, the “Got Milk? Rookie Challenge.” Apparently making money off shoe-company contracts, television contracts, advertising revenue and merchandise sales isn’t quite enough for the NBA, so they sold out the naming rights to a game. This year the game was actually entertaining. I was pleasantly surprised. The Saturday events were pretty decent, as well. The Shooting Stars competition was pretty cool because we got to see Dan Majerle waltz out on the court rockin’ the throwback Phoenix Suns uniform, looking about 40 pounds overweight, and draining a half-court shot like it’s nothing. He even walked off holding one finger high like he owned the place. Thank goodness it wasn’t a bench-press competition or Diana Taurasi would have been the one walking off with one finger high. I know baseball is the sport with steroid problems, but somebody needs to keep an eye on JAKE shoulders are BROOM broad they could have instV,led SCIENCE overflow STUDENT seating on them. The skills challenge and the . 3-point shootout were all right. They weren’t anything spectacular, but the NBA will never EVER top the year that ♦ Please see ALL-STAR, page 14 Different paths bring USC, UT together again CHARLIE DAVENPORT/THE GAMECOCI USC point guard Tre' Kelley dribbles the ball up the court in Carolina’s first meeting with Tennessee, a Gamecock victory. By AJ BEMBRY THE GAMECOCK The last time USC played the Tennessee Volunteers, the Gamecocks dispatched the Vols in a 66-63 nailbiter. Both teams were looking to have solid seasons in the SEC, and hopefully receive invitations to the “Big Dance” that is the NCAA Tournament. As the teams’ paths cross again, it has been a tale of two seasons, seeing the Vols going a dismal 2-7, while the Gamecocks have gone a steady 4-4. Just last week the Gamecock basketball team was flying high with a memorable 73-61 win against the mighty Kentucky Wildcats. Carolina finally had that signature victory that the NCAA Tournament selection board looks for, and the prospects of Dave Odom’s team making the tournament for a second straight year were pretty good. A lot can change in a week. Now that the Gamecocks have been brought back down to earth in the form of a 19- point road drubbing at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the reality of the situation is that the final stretch of the season enters the pressure-filled “must win” territory. Luckily for them, the Gamecocks have gone 8-0 this season on the rebound game after a loss. Carolina will get the chance to improve to 9-0 when the familiar Volunteers play host to the Gamecocks on Wednesday night. The Vols are coming off a loss of their own last Saturday, a 60-58 heartbreaker against the underwhelming Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Miss. Tennessee was without leading scorer Scooter McFadgon for that game. The 6 foot-5 guard from Memphis averages 14.1 points per game, but is listed as day-to-day with a leg injury. If McFadgon is able to play, USC would be wise to avoid committing fouls against him, as he is shooting 91.4 percent from the line. Tennessee has also found an additional dependable presence down low in the form of Florence native Major Wingate. Wingate, a 6-foot-10 center, has averaged 26.3 minutes per game in the eight games in which he has been a starter. Tennessee coach Buzz Peterson placed Wingate in the starting lineup after the Jan. 19 Florida game, and the sophomore responded with a 13-point effort against Louisville on Jan. 22 and a 14-point night against Kentucky on Jan. 25. The Vols are 11-14 on the season, but are only 4-8 in SEC play, and 2-4 at home in the SEC. Historically, however, the Volunteers have made Thompson Boling Arena a very formidable place to play. Since the 1998-1999 season, the Vols have gone 99-25 in the friendly confines of the 17 year-old arena. If the Gamecocks win against Tennessee, they will knot the all time series at 22 and will improve to 7-6 in SEC play. They will also sweep the season series for the first time since the 2001-2002 season. The last time the two teams met, forward Carlos Powell led the way for Carolina with a 20-point effort. The Gamecocks will need similar production from him if they expect to leave Knoxville with a win. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ! Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockspo7ts@gtrm.sc. edu