5 players Kentucky doesn’t want to see in the SEC Tournament

Kentucky is one of the most talented teams heading into March, but John Calipari's group is far from infallible. These five players in the conference can exploit the Wildcats issues in the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) / Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

2 of 5

Ta'Lon Cooper. Ta'Lon Cooper. 4. 850. . . Ta'Lon Cooper. player. G. Senior

Lamont Paris has done an incredible job with South Carolina this year. The Gamecocks are rooted in a defensive identity and are 338th in possessions per game. At 24-5 (12-4) they still have a shot at the regular season title in the SEC and could be a threat in the tournament as a high seed.

Ta’Lon Cooper is not South Carolina’s best scorer, he’s fourth on the team at 9.8 points per game. However, he does lead the Gamecocks in assists with 4.4, and in their 79-62 win over Kentucky, he went 8-11 from the field for 20 points with five rebounds and five assists.

Cooper was a real thorn in Kentucky’s side but in that matchup, so was D.J. Wagner, who only scored four points in 30 minutes on 2-10 from the field. Reed Sheppard only played 15 minutes and Kentucky went 4-13 from three. That game was an aberration and in the rematch, my money will be on Kentucky to win by double digits. Still, seeing Cooper in Nashville could be unnerving for a young team.

Home/Kentucky basketball