South Carolina State coach Murray Garvin does not need to look at the statistics to know what kind of game to expect when 18th-ranked Syracuse faces South Carolina in a Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Garvin has already lived it.I look for it to be a defensive basketball game, said Garvin, whose Bulldogs have lost to both teams this season. I think itll be a grind-it-out, nasty basketball game.Syracuse (4-0) holds opponents to an average of 52.5 points per game, and foes are shooting just 29.2 percent overall and 19.2 percent from 3-point range against the Oranges vaunted 2/3 zone. The Gamecocks (5-0) limit opponents to 58 points per game, 32.3 percent shooting from the floor, and 23.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.Syracuse and South Carolina are both 3-0 in the five-team, round-robin Holiday Invitational, so Saturdays game in Brooklyn is the de facto championship game.Southeastern Conference member South Carolina throttled No. 25 Michigan 61-46 Wednesday night at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. The Wolverines shot 19.2 percent (10 of 52) from the field and 2 for 26 from 3-point range, and Michigan scored more points from the foul line (24) than the field (22) as it never figured out the Gamecocks rotating man-to-man defense.Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell, who leads South Carolina in scoring at 21.8 points per game, scored 21 against Michigan on 8-for-12 shooting. He filled up the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.South Carolina is shooting the ball much better from the perimeter, Garvin said. In the past, coach (Frank) Martins teams were struggling to knock down open shots. Now the guards are making shots. Sindari Thornwell is playing the best basketball of his career.Atlantic Coast Conference member Syracuse welcomes a more challenging game after defeating Colgate, Holy Cross, Monmouth and South Carolina State by an average of 33.8 points per game. Led by fifth-year transfer guard Andrew White (17.3 points per game), the Orange have six players averaging 9.0 points per game or more.Were competitors and we want to play against the best, said Syracuse forward Tyler Lydon, who is on the Naismith Player of the Year Watch List. Weve got some really good teams coming up on the schedule and were all looking forward to it.When the Orange were in the Big East Conference and the conference tournament was at Madison Square Garden, Syracuse always tried to schedule a nonconference game at the Garden to help the players get used to the surroundings. The ACC tournament will be played at the Barclays Center this season.Depth perception kind of changes from court to court, so being in there and getting used to it and getting a good look at it, I think that will help (in the ACC tournament), said Syracuse guard John Gillon.The key to Saturdays game may be the players focus as South Carolina must stay sharp after the upset win over Michigan, and Syracuse must avoid looking ahead to Tuesdays Big Ten-ACC Challenge game at No. 16 Wisconsin.We got to go deal with Syracuse, Gamecocks coach Martin said after the Michigan game. If for some reason, we punt one in and win by one, you think Vermonts going to come in here (on Dec. 1) and say, Whew, theyre good. Were just going to lay down? No. We got to play them all. Kyrie Irving Shoes Clearance . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Kyrie 3 Shoes For Sale . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. http://www.kyrieirvingshoescheap.com/cheap-kyrie-2-shoes-a.html ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. New Kyrie Irving Shoes . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. Kyrie Irving Shoes Wholesale . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- While the Kansas City Royals headed for St. Louis after an 8-4 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday night, center fielder Lorenzo Cain was going for a MRI.Cain suffered a left hamstring injury while running to first base in the seventh inning. Cain was first ruled safe, but upon a review the call was overturned.By the time the reversal was announced after an 83-second delay, Cain was already being attended to by a trainer and headed for the dugout.Whether Cain will be going on the disabled list is still unknown.I dont know, Royals manager Ned Yost said. You guys want to know what I dont know. Nobody knows. The doc will look at him and well evaluate him tomorrow. I wish I had an answer for you, but it doesnt happen that quick. Well have a MRI soon as they can get him in. Well determine how much fluid is on it and what the extent of it is.The defending World Series champion Royals can ill afford to have another serious injury to a key player. Alex Gordon just returned Saturday after missing 30 games with a fractured wrist, while third baseman Mike Moustakas is out for the season after knee surgery.Its tough especially the way the year has been going, Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said to see Cain go down. Its happened to quite a few guys. Weve just got to figure out a way to get through it. Weve got to hope its not anything serious. Its just an added adversity to a 162-game season. Its time for guys like myself and Gordo to step up and carry the team.At the last second it (Cains hamstring) kind of pops. Weve just got to hope for nothing to be torn in there and hopefully its just a couple of days and well get him back sometime on this road trip.The Royals open an eight-game three-city trip Wednesday, continuing this four-game series with the Cardinals with the final two games at Busch Stadium. The first five games are in National League cities, including three in Philadelphia.Yost said he is toying with the idea of playing designated hitter Kendrys Morales in the outfield in Philadelphia to keep his bat in the lineup.The Cardinals will likely be without rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz for the remainder of the Royals series. Diazs right eye was nearly swollen shut Tuesday, looking more like a puggilist than a baseball player.dddddddddddd He did not play Tuesday and probably will not return before the weekend.I just feel discomfort in my eye with the inflammation, Diaz said. I dont see very well right now, but thank God it is nothing worse.Greg Garcia, who started Monday, will likely fill in at shortstop until Diaz returns.Soon as we get the swelling down, he should be ready to go, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. They had no concerns structurally or anything else. I dont think its going to be very long for Diaz.The Cardinals and Royals have had a rivalry for the Missouri state championship since interleague play began. Well, actually longer.This goes back I think a ways to 85 that kind of solidified that, said Matheny, referring to the 1985 World Series that the Royals won in seven games. When we play these guys, its always a good matchup. Obviously, theyre the team wearing the (World Series) ring from last year. Theyve brought a young team in, built it from the ground up and did a lot of things right.Now its a young team with some experience and some success. We talk about the different components. They have everything they need to be in a good place to continue to win for a while. Im sure its going to be a good matchup for us.Right-hander Carlos Martinez starts Wednesday for the Cardinals, his first career start against the Royals. He tops the Cardinals with seven victories, 3.02 ERA and .209 opponents batting average.Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez is coming off his worst career start, surrendering 12 runs (11 earned) in one inning, plus three batters, Friday to the Astros. George Springer tripled and hit a grand slam in a nine-run first off Volquez.Yost is not putting any emphasis on the Cardinals series.I dont think there is any difference than for any other team, any other game, Yost said. Each series is important. Playing the Cardinals, its unique in that were playing two here and two there. We dont do that anywhere else. I dont look at as a rival or anything like that. I dont think my mindset changes on who were playing. Its just every series is important. ' ' '