by Paul Jordan
GAME 20 1/26/2010
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS 11-8 (2-3)
COLONIAL LIFE ARENA, COLUMBIA SC
TV – ESPN – 9 PM
KENTUCKY LEADS SERIES 41-8
KENTUCKY LEADS 16-5 @ SOUTH CAROLINA
RECENT MEETINGS:
2/25/2009: SOUTH CAROLINA 77 KENTUCKY 59
1/31/2009: SOUTH CAROLINA 78 KENTUCKY 77
03/5/2008: KENTUCKY 71 SOUTH CAROLINA 63
1/26/2008: KENTUCKY 78 SOUTH CAROLINA 70
2/7/2007: KENTUCKY 95 SOUTH CAROLINA 89
1/16/2007: KENTUCKY 87 SOUTH CAROLINA 49
Kentucky gets to exorcise another of the demons from the Billy Gillispie era when they travel to South Carolina and face Darrin Horn’s Gamecocks. Granted, this is not the same team that swept UK last year, thanks to injury and suspensions. And it’s safe to say that this is not the same Kentucky team either. Regardless, winning on the road in the SEC is always tough and it gets even tougher with the #1 bullseye on the Wildcat’s back. After scratching and clawing their way through 19 games to finally attain that number one ranking, one wonders how long UK can hold on to it. Tonights test will be a good one as you can throw the Gamecocks 11-8 record out the window when the Cats come to town. Let’s meet the Gamecocks
THE STARTERS
G – DEVAN DOWNEY – SR 5’9 175
21.9 ppg, 3.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists
G – BRANDIS RALEY-ROSS – SR 6’2 193
10.1 ppg, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
F – LAKEEM JACKSON – FR 6’5 215
7.0 ppg, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists
F – EVALDIS BANIULIS – SR 6’7 210
3.5 ppg, 2.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists
F – SAM MULDROW – JR 6’9 216
9.2 ppg, 5.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists
The key to this game is going to be to stop Devon Downey. Simply put, he is one of the SEC’s top scorers and defenders. And he has been on fire lately. Over the last 5 games, he has averaged an eye opening 30.6 points a game and nailed 19 3-pointers in that span. Almost as impressive is the 3.2 steals a game he manages. Downey is a good, but not great 3-point shooter (3.48) but he can get hot, but the pressure of having to carry this team shows as he actually has a negative A/TO ratio. Brandis Raley-Ross has been a good role player his career at USC and is finally a starter. He has stepped it up since Archie went out. He is the teams best 3-point shooter at 42.7 percent but is a inconsistent scorer. He has scored just 7 points the last two games. He’s not a bad player, just no Dominique Archie. Freshman Ramon Galloway is another 3-point threat, but is not terribly accurate (30.1%) but he does have 22 treys on the year and is a decent 3rd scoring option at 8 points a game.
Lakeem Jackson is the player that took Dominique Archie’s spot in the lineup and has had a pretty good year for a freshman. He has had a few good games both scoring and on the boards but like most freshman is inconsistent. He has the odd stat of shooting 48.4% from the floor and 32.6% from the free throw line. Speaking of odd stat lines, Evaldis Baniulus is having the oddest season for a D-1 player. While he starts, he averages just 13 minutes a game. He has 18 3-pointers on the year out of just 20 FG’s made. And it’s not he is a terribly accurate shooter from 3-point land at just 31%. Sam Muldrow has seven blocks in the second game against UK last season and has 8 in a game this season. For the year, he is averaging 3.8 swats and is a pretty consistent 10 point, 5 board guy. Unfortunately. his numbers are pretty limited to that and he is not prone to a huge stat night.
OUTLOOK
As with most teams Kentucky will face this year, the Gamecocks simply do not have the depth or manpower. There is a reason Devan Downey has been on fire lately … none of his team mates are stepping up. He is the only one that is scoring. During his recent five game tear, he scored 36 of his teams 56 points against Florida, 25 of 57 vs Ole Miss, 35 of 79 vs Vandy, 29 of 67 vs LSU and 33 of 80 against Auburn.
The front court, cute stat lines aside is just as weak and thin as Patterson, Cousins, and Orton will wreck havoc. Kentucky will deal with a hostile environment at South Carolina, but if they won at Florida, this should be a win along the lines of 81-69.
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans