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Despite having nine new players this season, South Carolina carries an unbeaten record into Friday’s game with DePaul in the inaugural Arizona Tipoff at Glendale, Ariz.

The Gamecocks, in their second year under coach Lamont Paris, are coming off a 74-64 win over visiting VMI on Monday.

The victory gave the program its first 3-0 start in four years.

The only returning player in the starting lineup is Meechie Johnson, who had 13 points against VMI.

B.J. Mack, a transfer from Wofford, finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Paris said he believes the Gamecocks formed a solid bond during a summer trip to Bahamas.

“I think that worked to really solidify some relationships,” Paris said. “It’s a fun-loving group, and we don’t have one selfish guy on the team. And that’s a rarity.”

DePaul (1-2) defeated visiting South Dakota 72-60 on Tuesday after losing its first two games at home against Purdue Fort Wayne and Long Beach State.

Jeremiah Oden led DePaul with a season-high 16 points on Tuesday, followed by Caleb Murphy’s 13 and K.T. Raimey’s 11.

Oden, a transfer from Wyoming who grew up in Chicago near DePaul, had his third consecutive game with double-digit scoring. He also tallied five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Former South Carolina guard Chico Carter Jr., a graduate transfer who averaged 9.8 points a game with the Gamecocks last season, scored seven points against South Dakota.

“Chico brings a great skillset to our team,” DePaul coach Tony Stubblefield said. “He is a sharp-shooter who has a lot of experience and has played high-level basketball.”

Carter has struggled with his shooting through three games, making 26.7 percent (4 of 15) of his 3-point attempts.

He led the SEC last year shooting 46.7 percent (49 of 103) from beyond the arc.

South Carolina shoots the 3-pointer at a high rate under Paris. The Gamecocks have made at least seven 3-pointers in each of their games this season.

From beyond the arc for South Carolina, Myles Stute has made 8 of 13 shot attempts (61.5 percent), Ta’Lon Cooper 5 of 11 (45.5) and Jacob Wright 4 of 5 (80).

–Field Level Media