Good morning. It’s February 1st. Gamecock men’s basketball is 18-3 with a pair of Top-10 wins. And CBS Sports is calling our squad a “bona fide contender” in the SEC.

What else is mixed into today’s Brew? ⤵️

💗 A big brother to me
🏀 Defensive dominance
🤙 And much, much more

🎥 GAMECOCKS+

The next chapter of Changing Expectations premieres this evening at 8:00pm ET, and it’s going to be can’t-miss! We’re taking you behind the scenes from wins over Arkansas and Kentucky and sitting down with Ta’Lon Cooper.

Make sure you’re signed up for Gamecocks+ as we get ready to hand you a backstage pass to some of the biggest wins in recent program history! This team has us taken one wild ride; don’t miss a single second of it.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 A Big Brother. B.J. Mack is quickly becoming a household name around Columbia with huge efforts against Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. Gamecock legend Sindarius Thornwell reached out to the South Carolina transfer to wish him luck and encouragement as the Gamecocks’ magical season on the court continues.

“I know Sindarius. I’m very cool with him,” Mack said. “So he texted me good luck and keep balling out. That’s like big brother to me. So for him being able to reach out and tell me a little bit of advice, how to play throughout the game, how to play with fouls and everything like that. So it’s just been a great help.”

🔼 Rank Me Please. Coach Staley champions all sports at South Carolina, and she’s taking to Twitter in her support of Gamecock men’s basketball. Here’s what Coach Staley had to say about Gamecock men’s hoops in the AP Poll.

🔼 Defensive Dominance. Wisconsin men’s basketball has been one of the most consistent defensive programs in the nation after Bo Ryan, and later Greg Gard, took the program’s reins. Coach Paris, who worked under Ryan and coached in Madison from 2010-2017, has brought that suffocating defensive mindset to South Carolina — and it resulted in two Top-10 upsets and No. 5 Tennessee’s second-worst offensive performance of the season. 247sports explores how the Wisconsin defensive mindset made its way to Columbia.

🔼 Fresh Impact. JaMeesia Ford is once again the SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week! The freshman superstar has won the honor three times during her rookie season. Ford followed up her world lead time in the 400m with a second world-leading time in the 200m at the Razorback Invitational, completing the 200m in 22.58.

🔼 Keep Watch. The Late Season Top 20 Watch List is in for the John R. Wooden Award and two Gamecocks made the cut! Kamilla Cardoso and Te-Hina Paopao both landed on the watch list. Cardoso leads the team in scoring this season, averaging a double-double with 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, while Paopao is the best three-point shooter in the nation, sinking 50.5 percent of her shots from beyond the arc.

🤔 GAMECOCK TRIVIA

Titan Killers. The last time South Carolina men’s hoops knocked off two Top-10 opponents over the course of three games came in February of 1968. Can you name the teams they beat?

Got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the right answer!

📬 STICK WITH US

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📬 A LOOK AHEAD

Thursday 2/1

🏀 Women’s Basketball @ Auburn @ 8:00pm ET on SEC Network+

Friday 2/2 - Saturday 2/3

🏃 Track & Field @ the South Carolina Invite (Columbia, SC)

Friday 2/2

🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Georgia Tech @ 12:00pm ET | Live Streaming | Live Stats

🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. NC State @ 4:00pm ET | Live Streaming | Live Stats

Saturday 2/3

🏇 Equestrian vs. Auburn @ 1:00pm ET (Blythewood, SC)

🏀 Men’s Basketball @ Georgia @ 1:00pm ET on SEC Network

Sunday 2/4

⛳ Women’s Golf @ the Therese Hession Regional Challenge Round 1 (Palos Verdes Estates, CA)

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Ole Miss @ 2:00pm ET on ESPN2

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: The Gamecocks knocked off No. 8 Duke, 56-60 on February 24, 1968, then beat No. 3 North Carolina, 87-86, on February 28, 1968.

🤙 Have a good February, y’all.