South Carolina men head to Kentucky with first place on the line

They wanted the best, they got the best.

South Carolina knew it could get to this point, tied for first in the SEC and having just knocked off one of the SEC’s best programs. The No. 24 Gamecocks were confident in their team, their approach as they weathered an early storm to rise back into the nation’s consciousness.

They know how good they are.

And now they get a chance, their biggest chance, to prove it.

“Oh, man, before the (Florida) game we was in the locker room talking to each other and stuff and I was saying, ‘These are the games you prepare for in your backyard when you’re little,’” senior Sindarius Thornwell said. “When you sit around in high school and watch the games on TV, these are the games that you live for and play basketball for.”

It’s South Carolina at No. 5 Kentucky Saturday, the Gamecocks’ only game against the Wildcats this season. USC dispatched the Gators and has stayed perfect in the league on the strength of its defense, while Kentucky, as usual, is filled with a crop of freshman stars who can all score in a variety of ways.

First place is on the line, and for USC, another resume-boosting win. The Gamecocks won’t be docked too much if they lose, because it’s not like losing at Rupp Arena is an unusual event.

The Gamecocks aren’t thinking that way. As Thornwell said before the week started when asked about really needing to split the games, “Gotta get one? We’re trying to get both!”

And rest assured, USC has no intention of losing or being satisfied with a “good effort.”

“Any time we step out on the floor, we’re out there to get the win, ultimately,” P.J. Dozier said. “So that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Kentucky scores 93.3 points per game, third in the country. The Gamecocks give up 59.4 points per game, fifth in the country. USC is built on denying the ball on the perimeter, not allowing entry passes or penetration and relentlessly guarding the ball. The Wildcats, with many of their stars cramming a college experience into one season before leaving for the NBA, are used to doing just about whatever they want with the ball in their hands.

What’s heavier?

“Our defense has gotten us a lot of wins, it’s kept us in ballgames,” senior Justin McKie said. “We think our defense is among the best.”

The stats certainly show it, as they do about Kentucky’s litany of scorers. The Gamecocks haven’t been at their best scoring the ball lately but their defense will always give them a chance.

USC had this same scenario last year, battling Kentucky for first place in the league. Despite having the emotion of the moment and the home court – not to mention John Calipari being ejected in the game’s first three minutes – USC was drilled by 27 points.

It’s not about payback or the hokey revenge angle. The Gamecocks are here, once again, with a great team playing great basketball. Kentucky’s been the king of the SEC for so long it’s hard to remember the brief times when it wasn’t, but those times have occurred.

Another one could arrive.

“I wouldn’t say more motivation, because you get up for every game. Or you should get up for every game. It does put a little bit of an edge on it,” McKie said. “They’re undefeated, we’re undefeated, they’re a really good team.

“We feel we’re a really good team.”

This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "South Carolina men head to Kentucky with first place on the line."