South Carolina Basketball

South Carolina has been called a lot of things over the years, not all of them favorable. On the football field especially, the Gamecocks have been labeled underachievers, disappointments, and "the school where coaches go to retire."

A few more names may be hurled at the South Carolina basketball team (overrated, "bubble team") after getting shellacked at Vanderbilt 96-83 on Saturday.

As someone who married into a Gamecock household, I've dodged more than my share of objects directed at a television set displaying Steve Spurrier's quarterbacks.

My wife informed me that this is to be expected by now, as the Gamecocks suffer from what she (and other fans, apparently) terms "The Chicken Curse."

As best as I can figure, the Curse goes something like this: If a South Carolina team has low expectations, it will either meet them or wildly exceed them only to leave you that much more devastated when they collapse in the end.

And on the rare occasions that there are high expectations, fans should prepare themselves early to be disappointed.

The football disappointments (including two straight bowl losses and the 2007 season that started out 6-1 only to end at 6-6 without a bowl bid) are especially painful to Gamecock fans because, for all the attempts to change its image over the years, Columbia remains a football campus and a football city.

Enter fresh-faced coach Darrin Horn and his newly-christened "Garnet Army," the aptly named legion of fans who are ready to change all of that in just one exemplary season.

The Gamecock players, led by stirring PG Devan Downey, have brought USC basketball to a level not seen since the days of Frank McGuire, the namesake of the court they used to play on.

A loss to Vanderbilt aside, the current streak that has South Carolina (20-7, 9-5 SEC) leading the SEC East cannot be appreciated without a brief history lesson.

The program reached national prominence under Coach McGuire during the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the school was still in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After an undefeated ACC regular season in 1969-70 and an ACC Tourney Championship the following year, things got a bit ugly.

To make a long story short, the Tobacco Road stalwarts who held most of the power in the ACC held a strong dislike for South Carolina and McGuire, claiming that USC's lower eligibility standards and "irregular" recruiting behavior gave them unfair advantages and were, for lack of a better word, "unsportsmanlike" and not befitting of the ACC.

Crowds (especially in the state of North Carolina) were incredibly hostile, and even the opposing coaches and athletic directors shunned McGuire. McGuire took his ball and left, and the school became an Independent in 1971.

Their success continued for a few more years, though it was never the same after 1973, the last time the Gamecocks made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The basketball program entered a period of long decline, punctuated by single seasons in which they excelled, only to be devastated by shocking disappointments in the NCAA Tournament.

South Carolina has suffered some of the worst upsets in the history of the NCAA. Coach Eddie Fogler led the Gamecocks to an SEC Championship and a 15-1 conference record in 1996-97, only to lose as a No. 2 seed to No. 15 seed Coppin State.

They returned to the East Region as a No. 3 seed the following season, only to be upended by the No. 14 seed Richmond Spiders in yet another stunner.

Memphis handled South Carolina easily in their only NCAA bid this decade, a 2004 loss as a No. 10 seed in the first round.

Back-to-back NIT Championships in 2005 and 2006 under Wake Forest refugee Dave Odom did little to bring enthusiasm to a program that had once seen sustained success.

Will it be different this year?

South Carolina is poised to enter their first NCAA Tournament in five years, and there is something about this team that tells me the first-round "Chicken Curse" might finally be broken.

Darrin Horn has the team and the fans believing, and Devan Downey is producing like the All-American he deserves to be.

They are likely to draw a No. 8 or No. 9 seed, but Horn knows how to play Cinderella at the Big Dance, bringing No. 12 seed Western Kentucky to the Sweet 16 just one year ago.

Like any team with a superstar, the Gamecocks are infinitely better when everyone becomes involved, rather than expecting the athletic point guard to work miracles on his own.

They have a tendency to play up or down to the level of their opposition, not a trend that is particularly favorable in March.

Still, with a new coach, a revved-up fan base, an All-American point guard, and a completely new attitude within not only the team but the state itself, there is every reason to believe that South Carolina may be on the positive end of an NCAA surprise, for the first time in decades.

If nothing else, the team that meets them in the first round may not need to do much unpacking.

My wife tells me not to hold my breath.

Kentucky, fresh off a blowout of Tennessee, travels to Columbia for a rematch with South Carolina who defeated the Wildcats earlier this season in Lexington. The Gamecocks are tied with UK and Florida at 8-4 in the East Division. The top two teams will receive first round SEC Tournament byes.

Records:

Kentucky 19-8, 8-4, 4-4 (away), RPI #62
South Carolina 19-6, 8-4, 15-1 (home), RPI #43

Series:

Kentucky is 7-3 in the last 10 games
Kentucky is 4-1 in the last 5 games at the Colonial Center

Last Meeting:

South Carolina won their fourth game in a row by defeating Kentucky 78-77. The Gamecocks were lead by their backcourt duo of Zam Frederick and Devan Downey who combined for 47 points. South Carolina won this game by dominating the glass with 18 offensive rebounds allowing them 76 field goal attempts to just 48 for Kentucky. The Wildcats also hurt themselves with 21 turnovers.

What South Carolina Must Do To Win...

I said it last time they played and I will say it again. The Gamecocks have to have big games from Downey and Frederick to win this game. South Carolina needs to do a better job of getting to the free throw line where they had just 15 attempts and made seven last meeting. The interior defense needs to slow Patrick Patterson in the paint. The sophomore had 28 in January and is coming off a very good game Saturday.

What Kentucky Must Do To Win...

Rebound the ball. The Wildcats were punished on the glass in the loss and that stat has been in a trend in UK losses this season. Kentucky has to play the same kind of defense they did on Saturday where they allowed UT just 32 percent shooting from the field which is even lower than the 38 percent UK's defense is averaging on the season. And finally, if they get production from guys like Darius Miller like they did against the Vols then that just frees up more space for Jodie Meeks and Patterson who had 48 combined against South Carolina last game.

Prediction

The Gamecocks have lost just once at home this season to arch rival Clemson back early in the season. But I think Kentucky is getting on a roll and they did not play very well in the previous meeting, but lost by just one point. I like Kentucky to win this one close and split the season series.

Kentucky wins by 1-5 points

Season: 19-16 SU through 2/22

My Home Page

With only four games left in the conference season, the SEC East is still deadlocked in a three-way tie, with Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina all looking to claim the crown.

What follows is a breakdown of the remaining games and challenges for each team. 

Let’s start with Florida.  Things get juicy for the Gators Tuesday night when they travel to LSU—a team that has ripped off 11 straight conference wins after losing a lackluster conference opener to Alabama of all teams.  The Tigers have no home conference losses this year and only one home loss all season (to a tough Xavier team). 

From there, Florida gets an unpredictable Tennessee team and then closes the season by traveling to Mississippi State and getting Kentucky at home.  Winning all four seems out of the question for the inconsistent Gators, who have the dubious distinction of being the only SEC team to lose to Georgia this season.

I see the Gators going 2-2 to finish the season, ending at 10-6 for the season.  

As for Kentucky:  This Wednesday, the Cats travel to South Carolina in a game that could very well determine the East champion.  A loss to South Carolina would give the Gamecocks a sweep of Kentucky and would therefore give Carolina the tiebreaker, so you can bet the Cats will be ready to play.   

Kentucky then closes with LSU at home followed by road games at Georgia and Florida.

While my gut tells me Kentucky will end the season 2-2, a trusted and unbiased Kentucky fan insists that the Wildcats will go 3-1 to close out the year, so I put my trust in that man’s hands, meaning Kentucky will end at 11-5 for the season.   

As a side note, typically the phrase “unbiased Kentucky fan” would be considered an oxymoron (you know it’s true, Kentucky fans), but in this case, I trust my source. 
 
Meanwhile, after South Carolina’s game against Kentucky, they travel to Vandy, get Tennessee at home, and then finish with a trip to Athens to play Georgia.

Based on the remaining games, it appears that South Carolina’s schedule is the easiest.  Then again, the Gamecocks have won so many close games already that you have to wonder if they can continue to pull off more last second wins.

The difference for the Gamecocks is simple, though:  They have gotten last second wins from four different players.  Downey sank Kentucky, Zam Fredrick pulled off the miracle win over Florida and drilled a jumper to beat Baylor, Mike Holmes’ tip-in beat Alabama, and, most recently, Dominique Archie’s put-back allowed South Carolina to pull off an overtime win over Arkansas.

Because of that, I’ve got South Carolina also going 3-1 down the stretch, ending at 11-5 and tied with Kentucky for the SEC East lead.  Based on the tiebreaker, however, the Gamecocks win the East, and the city of Columbia—led the by new student “Garnet Army”—goes bonkers. 

The real question, however, will be if one of these top four teams—Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, or LSU—can win the SEC Tournament.  If we get another 2008 Georgia type tournament, the SEC’s reputation will take yet another hit—and rightfully so.   

Finally, my apologies to Tennessee fans for leaving the Vols out of the equation, but Tennessee’s ugly two-game skid, nasty losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky, makes me think they have thrown in the towel.  At 7-5 and victims of a Kentucky sweep, the Vols have too big a hole to dig out of, especially with Mississippi State, Florida, and South Carolina still on the schedule.

Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi has an interesting take on Billy Donovan’s recent struggles at Florida: A Magic Jinx.  Since Donovan spurned Orlando, the Magic have become one of the NBA’s best teams under Stan Van Gundy; meanwhile, the Gators just lost to Georgia, a 1-9 SEC team with no coach and an 11-game losing streak before the win over Florida. 

In Bianchi’s words: “Somewhere, somehow, Billy D. has misplaced his mojo.”

I don’t know if I’d take it that far, but it just goes to show you that a few recruiting mistakes can set a program back two years—or more.

Junior Dan Werner and sophomore Chandler Parsons came in with reputations as sharpshooting big men, but neither has shown the ability on the collegiate level.  Parsons appeared to be on his way to breaking out after lighting up Vandy from three, bombing 7-8 triples en route to 27 points.  But since then, Parsons has gone a miserable 3-16 from downtown, brining his season average to just 30 percent.

Werner, meanwhile, is averaging only seven ppg in conference play while shooting 33 percent from three.  And as a starting power forward in a guard-heavy conference, Werner only averages 4.2 rebounds a game. 

When your starting forwards are putting up those numbers—and you can’t go to anyone on the bench—something is wrong.      

It’s hard to believe that Donovan—who took over the FL program at only 31 years of age—is now the “Dean of the SEC” and still only 43 years old.  But Donovan’s image took a hit after his five-day employment at One Magic Place, and he needs to see things through at Florida. 

All of a sudden, Billy the Kid went from winning national championships to turning down Kentucky’s overtures (twice) to signing a huge NBA coaching contract to back full circle to his early days in Gainesville—leading an average Florida team into the tail end of another mediocre season. 

Times, they do change.  And a new young face is on the verge of taking over. 

As the SEC East continues its shift in power, Kentucky’s struggles seem to get compounded by each game.  Once the front runner for the East crown at 5-0, the Cats are now 7-4 after Tuesday night’s loss to Vandy, and with an ailing Patrick Patterson, who knows what Kentucky will put together to close the year. 

Tennessee, meanwhile, has been all over the map and has a difficult stretch to end the season—filled with mainly road games.

And then there is South Carolina, quietly sitting atop the East standings, with a very manageable remaining schedule.  At the helm is new coach Darrin Horn, the upstart 35-year-old fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance coaching his alma mater, Western Kentucky. 

Horn is in prime position to claim not only the East title but also SEC Coach of the Year, if he can hold off LSU’s Trent Johnson.  Horn has entirely changed the culture at South Carolina, and the same team that couldn’t win a close game last year is pulling off miracle wins this season. 

And he isn’t stopping there. 

Horn has become the new Donovan in more ways than one.  In his first year in Columbia, Darrin Horn has the following on the table in front of him: a first place finish in the East, an NCAA tournament bid, an SEC Coach of the Year Award, and a top-flight recruiting class.  

He might also be pondering job offers in the near future as well: Horn grew up in Lexington, KY, and if Billy Gillispie continues to falter, Horn might just replace Donovan as the new target for the Wildcats. 

If Georgia can lure former Florida assistant Anthony Grant to Athens, SEC fans will be in for a treat for a long time coming.

The nominees for the annual Bob Cousy Award were recently released, and the biggest omission was clearly South Carolina’s outstanding point guard, Devan Downey.

The irony is that today I was going to write an article about why Devan Downey should win SEC Player of the Year.  And now the nation tells us that he’s not even the 13th best point guard in Division I basketball. 

Never mind that he is snubbed from a list of the 13 “best” point guards in the nation.  Devan Downey is one of the 13 best overall players in the nation. 

This is an absolute sham, and hopefully someone with more clout than yours truly takes notice. 

Not only are Downey’s numbers (and his team’s overall record) better than nearly all of the other nominees, he is the undisputed heart and soul of his team—the one guy necessary for South Carolina to win.  And win they have done.  At 17-5 and atop the SEC East standings, the Gamecocks have been the surprise of the SEC—and it all starts with Downey.

As for the Bob Cousy Award, its description reads:  “A committee comprised of media members” narrowed the field to 13 Division I athletes.  Just who exactly are these media members, and do they watch college basketball? 

Certainly a handful of names are worthy but others have some serious deficiencies.  I have broken down the 13 finalists into four categories. 

Deserving
 
Sherron Collins, Kansas
Darren Collison, UCLA
Jeff Teague, Wake Forest
Ty Lawson, UNC

No qualms with these guys.  They are true floor generals, although Teague is more of a score-first point guard.   

Deserving but with question marks 

Stephen Curry, Davidson
Toney Douglas, FSU
Jonny Flynn, Syracuse
Eric Maynor, VCU
Patrick Mills, St. Mary's

Curry is one of the nation’s best players, but he gets so much time at the two and rarely defends the other team’s point guards.  Does anyone really see this guy as a point guard?   

Jonny Flynn is a good player on an inconsistent Cuse team, but he has been known to disappear for an entire half, and his stats simply don’t wow you in any way.  He can fill it if he gets enough attempts, but his team’s most recent seven-game stretch has been brutal.  

Douglas and Maynor post scoring numbers similar to Downey’s, but Douglas shoots a terrible percentage, rarely distributes the ball, and plays on an unranked team.  Maynor fills the statbook, as he has done his entire career, but with the emergence of 5-9 Joey Rodriguez, he sees a ton of time at shooting guard—and like Curry, typically defends the opponent’s shooting guard. 

Mills, meanwhile, is outdone by Downey in nearly every single statistical category.  The only reason I have not dropped him below this second tier is because of his team’s success, even though the West Coast Conference is not considered an elite conference by any stretch. 


Role players on great teams

Levance Fields, Pitt
AJ Price, UConn

Fields and Price are great team players, but their numbers simply don’t add up.  Fields is Pitt’s fourth leading scorer at 11 ppg, and he does not even average one steal per game.  While his assists average is the highest of all the nominees, he simply doesn't hurt you in other areas. 

Price, meanwhile, starts but loses major minutes to freshman Kemba Walker.  He, too, is the fourth leading scorer on a great team, but his assists are far too low (4.5 per game) for a player who only averages 12.2 ppg.  What about Price stands out—other than his team’s ranking? 

It seems both Fields and Price benefited greatly from the strength of the Big East rather than their individual play. 


Undeserving

Dominic James, Marquette
Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga

James is a great athlete and defender, but he shoots an abysmal 27% from three and 45% from the free throw line.  His 11.7 points and 5.1 assists simply don’t make up for the awful percentages just listed.  

Pargo’s name on this list is nothing short of egregious.  The fifth leading scorer on his team, Pargo averages 9.5 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 30% from the three-point line and 64% from the free throw line.  In yesterday’s embarrassing loss to Memphis, Pargo recorded two points and four assists.   


For whatever reason, Devan Downey continues to be overlooked by the rest of the college basketball nation.  While leading his team to the aforementioned 17-5 record, Downey is currently averaging exactly 20 points, 4.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 2.9 steals while shooting 38% from three and 75% from the line.  He is also getting rave reviews from opposing coaches.   

Look for this latest snub to be used as motivation for Downey as the season winds down.  With the bulk of their schedule out of the way, the Gamecocks are poised for a first-place East finish and NCAA tournament appearance—and Devan Downey will be leading the charge.

The red-hot South Carolina Gamecocks travel to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators in a rematch of a thrilling game just a few weeks ago. South Carolina won that game by one point with a three-quarter court pass to a streaking Zam Frederick for a layup at the buzzer (see the play again).

The winning team will be at worst tied for first place in the loss column of the SEC East.

Records

Florida 18-4, 5-2, 12-0 (home), RPI 35
South Carolina 16-4, 5-2, 3-3 (away), RPI 47

Series

Florida has won 7 of the last 10
Florida has won 4 of the last 5 in Gainesville

Players to Watch

Florida—G Nick Calathes, F Alex Tyus, F Chandler Parsons
South Carolina—G Devan Downey, G Zam Frederick, F Mike Holmes

What Florida must do to win

The Gators have to try and slow South Carolina's dynamite backcourt of Downey and Frederick. Downey is more of the driver and Frederick is more the shooter but both are capable in either aspect. Florida has to stop the dribble penetration from breaking down their defense.

Also, the Gators have to hit their free throws. They were up late in Columbia and would have won the game if they had hit their one-and-ones late.

What South Carolina must do to win

South Carolina needs to force turnovers. The Gamecocks forced 18 from the Gators last time, six above Florida's season average, and 21 from Kentucky this past weekend. Downey and Frederick need to continue to deliver in the clutch as this game will come down to the wire.

Prediction

The Gators had the game in Columbia won and even with all the free throws missed it took a perfect outlet pass three-quarters of the length of the court for South Carolina to win. I think they bounce back from a poor shooting night on Saturday vs. Tennessee.

However, I think the Gamecocks make this one go right down to the end again because they are playing too well to get blown out even on the road.

Florida wins by 3-8 points

Other SEC Games This Week

Kentucky Over Miss State Tuesday
I think the Wildcats bounce back from two poor defensive efforts in a row to take this at home.

LSU over Georgia Wednesday
LSU is rolling right now under first-year coach Trent Johnson. Georgia is more concerned with Bob Knight being their coach than this game.

Ole Miss over Auburn Wednesday
That Kentucky win looks to have inspired this Rebel team that was floundering early in the SEC season.

Tennessee over Arkansas Wednesday
The Vols may have found an elixir to their ills with that atmosphere this past Saturday. I think they take some of that renewed energy on the road to Fayetteville and win.

Vanderbilt over Alabama Thursday
Vandy is the home team amongst two underachieving teams so I will take them.

Season: 10-12 SU through Feb. 2.

My Home Page

South Carolina (16-4) at Florida (18-4)

The Line: Florida - 8 1/2

Time: 9 PM EST

Two giants in the college basketball world collide on the court in Gainesville in the first rematch of the year in the Southeastern Conference. This gem between Florida and South Carolina matches two of the top teams in the SEC, and really two of the best teams in the country, as Florida looks to avenge a one-point loss earlier this season at Columbia.

In their last game, South Carolina went into Kentucky and took down the Wildcats outright as nearly a double-digit underdog. Florida, on the other hand, finally cooled off from a red-hot shooting stretch they had been on and dropped one in Knoxville to Tennessee in a game the Volunteers controlled from start to finish.

Erratic performances are to be expected from this young Gator team, but after shooting over 70 percent for prolonged stretches in the prior games, it almost looked like the rebuilding process was over and they were already back among the national elite. South Carolina enters this one as winners of their last four in a row.

South Carolina enters this game at 7-7-1 against the spread, while Florida is 6-8-1 against the number and is undefeated straight up at home so far this year. South Carolina is 6-2-1 against the spread in their last nine SEC games and 5-2-1 against the spread in their last eight games against teams with a winning record. Florida is 4-1-1 against the spread in their last six SEC games but are just 5-13 against the spread in their last 18 home games.

The road team is 6-0-1 against the spread in the last seven meetings between these two, the underdog is 7-2-1 against the spread in the last 10, South Carolina is 5-2-1 against the spread in the last eight meetings, and South Carolina has covered in each of their last five trips to Florida.

Mitch's Pick: South Carolina +8 1/2

See the rest of Mitch's free College Basketball picks against the spread.

It’s the first of February and there are bubbles in the air.

As teams position themselves for at-large consideration, remember it doesn’t take much for a given team to ascend or descend with respect to their bubble status.

In Friday’s edition, I mentioned Providence and Arizona as teams that have played themselves into the bubble discussion, while Michigan and Stanford are seemingly NIT-bound. Nothing over the weekend has changed that status.

Here are the weekend winner and losers. As always, comments are welcome.

Note: Next edition will be published on Friday morning. All RPI and SOS numbers are taken from realtimerpi.com.

Winners

South Carolina

I mentioned earlier that I wasn’t going to jump on the S. Carolina bandwagon unless the Gamecocks knocked off Kentucky in Rupp arena. Well, I’m officially on the wagon, and S. Carolina is looking like a solid at-large team.

Texas A&M

It wasn’t long ago Aggie fans were complaining about the tough, early conference schedule. After two wins in row, A&M is 3-4 in the Big 12 and in good shape. A big game this week at Oklahoma would look really good on their resume.

Northwestern

Yes, the Wildcats are on the list after beating Wisconsin on Saturday. Although they're only 4-5 in the Big Ten, Northwestern has four RPI Top-50 wins and an SOS that ranks in the mid-20s—the type of things the NCAA committee likes to see.

Cincinnati

The Bearcats are starting to make some noise in the Big East. The win over Georgetown on Saturday gives them three wins over the RPI Top 50. They have a tough three-game stretch and can’t afford to go 0-3.

USC

The Trojans were on the list Friday after beating Stanford. USC doubled up by beating Cal and improved to 6-3 in the Pac-10, only a game behind co-leaders UCLA and Washington. By the way, USC travels to UCLA Wednesday night.

Other winners: Arizona, Northeastern, VCU, Rhode Island, Utah, UNLV, LSU, BYU, Missouri, Temple, Boston College, San Diego St., Utah St., Penn St.

Losers

Oklahoma St.

The Cowboys have great RPI and SOS numbers. Closer inspection reveals only two Top-50 wins. Oklahoma St. needs to get rolling after dropping two in a row, with the last being at Texas A&M on Saturday.

Miami (FL)

The Hurricanes have lost three in a row with Duke, Wake Forest, and North Carolina on deck. That’s what makes Saturday’s loss to Maryland so big.

Baylor

The Bears looked to be in great shape a week ago. After Saturday’s loss at Missouri, and with Kansas and Oklahoma in two of their next three, Baylor could be in trouble.

Notre Dame

Sure, the Irish have lost five games to five of the best teams in the country. But sooner or later, you have to win games to get into the tournament. Things aren’t getting any easier with Cincinnati, UCLA, and Louisville up next.

St. Mary’s

The loss to Gonzaga on the road with Patty Mills getting hurt was one thing. Getting blown out by Portland is another. By the way, the Gaels have no RPI Top-50 wins and only two Top-100 wins.

Other Losers: Michigan, Stanford, Providence, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Florida, California, St. Josesph’s, George Mason

This was a very bad day for us Kentucky Wildcat fans. It wasn't just the loss that makes today so tough, so to say, but it is having to witness our Kentucky Wildcats seem to be on a downward spiral, exactly like the Kentucky team that started the season.

After the historical night at Tennessee, in which Jodie Meeks scored 54 points to set a new UK record vs. the Vols, the Cats have been on a steady decline. The Cats have struggled to pull out victories against Auburn and Alabama. As well as laying big fat eggs at Ole Miss, and today against South Carolina.

South Carolina came calling into Rupp Arena in front of 24,000 fans today and Billy Gillispie's Wildcats did not respond. The Wildcats stretched their lead on the Gamecocks to 10 points in the second half, when South Carolina made their run to the finish line.

With about 28 seconds left in the game, Perry Stevenson missed two clutch free throws that would have stretched Kentucky's lead to three points 79-76. Instead, the Gamecocks snagged the rebound from the misses and raced down the floor to call a timeout with 22 seconds left on the clock, with Kentucky leading 77-76.

Devan Downey got the inbounds pass in the back-court after the timeout, and milked the clock to about six seconds left in the game, with Downey's blazing speed, he then drove into the lane and drained a step back jumper from just inside the wing to give South Carolina the lead 78-76.

After Billy Gillispie's timeout, the Wildcats ran their designed inbounds play but quickly called another timeout. This time, the Cats would inbounds the ball to Jodie Meeks. Meeks ran it to half court and threw up a prayer half court shot. Kentucky's prayer, along with all UK fan's prayers, were not answered. Meeks shot almost dropped but it hit the front of the rim as time expired.

South Carolina had not won in Rupp Arena since 1997, until today. The Gamecocks 12 year losing streak in Rupp Arena came to a end.

Zam Fredrick, with 24 points, and Devan Downey, with 23 points, led the Gamecocks in Rupp.

Kentucky's Patrick Patterson lead the Wildcats with 28 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks; but to no avail.

A lot of attention was focused toward Gillispie after the game as well. In the line to shake hands, Gillispie blew off South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn. Horn had to reach out and grab Gillispie's hand as he was already past him. Now tell me, if this a case of poor sportsmanship?

Gillispie had already had a case of poor sportsmanship vs. Ole Miss at halftime when he smarted off to ESPN sideline reporter Jenine Edwards which, already grabbed many Kentucky fans attentions.

Is this becoming a trend for Gillispie?

Gillispie had better get control of this team and himself if the Wildcats want to get out of this downward spiral and make a run for the SEC title.

South Carolina improves to 16-4 overall, and 5-2 SEC. Kentucky falls to 16-6, and 5-2 in SEC play.