Kentucky bashes Gamecocks, takes first place in SEC

The momentum was South Carolina’s.

There was a sold-out Colonial Life Arena – and not 90 percent blue as in years past – a chance for first place and John Calipari had just been ejected less than three minutes in. As Michael Carrera, a 77 percent shooter, stepped to the line for four technical free throws, the Gamecocks were about to take over the game, and the SEC.

Carrera bricked his first shot. Rolled his second off the rim. Clanked his third.

That was when USC, despite 37 minutes to play and Kentucky without its coach, knew the game wasn’t going to end well.

A team that had played loose and confident all year was wound like a snare drum for its biggest game of the season, and the No. 22 Wildcats supplied the beat in an 89-62 win.

The Gamecocks (21-4, 8-4 SEC) slipped out of first place and lost their first home game of the year.

“They came in here to make a point, that they continue to be the best team in this conference,” USC coach Frank Martin said. “They just kicked our tails. That was just a good old-fashioned butt-whoopin.’ ”

Kentucky shot 48 percent, led by 27 points from Tyler Ulis. Jamal Murray had 26.

“With their point guard dominating the ball and their shooting guard dominating the ball, it was kind of hard to keep guys in front of us,” Duane Notice said. “I don’t think we prepared as well as we usually do.”

USC, hot and cold from the line all year, was icy Saturday, missing six of its first seven. The Gamecocks couldn’t hit from the field either. A weak Kentucky post game manhandled USC in the paint, and the Gamecocks had no interest in trying to foul out the Wildcats’ bigs, settling for perimeter jumpers.

With an inability to hit shots and play defense, it was no surprise Kentucky quickly took the lead after Calipari’s ejection. The Wildcats (19-6, 9-3) ran past USC, grabbed offensive rebounds and dunked with abandon as USC meekly complied to how the rest of the nation views it.

The Gamecocks had been making inroads to shut up all of that – and gave it away on Saturday. While they’re still in fine shape for an NCAA tournament berth and not out of the SEC race by any means, they realized they let a prime opportunity to show just how good they were slip away.

“Yesterday was not one of our better days,” Martin said. “Very sloppy, turned it over a lot, listless. You get an opportunity to play a team like Kentucky, you can’t prepare that way.”

Calipari’s ejection, at 17:34, came on a double technical where the Kentucky coach was complaining about a still-unknown issue. On a foul that went against USC, Calipari objected to something and Doug Sirmons gave him a technical. Calipari was still hollering, having to be restrained by assistant coaches and players, and Sirmons tossed him.

Like the last time he was ejected at CLA, Calipari did not attend a postgame press conference. Unlike the last one, his team still won.

“I should have made those free throws,” said Carrera, who scored 25. “I think we just had a bad game. We didn’t prepare well for Kentucky.”

USC grabbed three offensive rebounds on the first second-half possession and Carrera stroked two free throws. USC was down 13. A minute later, after a Murray finger-roll, Derek Willis 3 and Marcus Lee alley-oop dunk around two USC turnovers, it was 20.

The rest of the game was to see how close or how far the loss would be. Sirmons issued two more technicals – freshman Jamall Gregory slapped the ball out of a player’s hand when it was going back to USC, and Isaiah Briscoe was hit for slamming the ball down after a Murray dunk. The Gamecocks barely benefited from the gift free throws, though, down far too much to make a comeback.

Martin likened it to a fight that USC lost, but the season wasn’t over.

“We’ll walk proudly with two big black eyes around school tomorrow … and hopefully get back to things we’ve done pretty good most of the year,” he said.

TURNING POINT

USC had two leads, the last after Duane Notice hit a jumper at 14:25 in the first. The three guys the Gamecocks knew they couldn’t let hurt them – Ulis, Murray and Briscoe – scored the Wildcats’ next six points and UK never trailed again.

3 POINTS

Star of the game: Ulis is everything he was supposed to be. It wasn’t just the points, it was how he effortlessly poured them in and directed his teammates as well. He hit three first-half jumpers with either two or one on the shot clock.

Play of the game: Late in the game as USC was trying to get back into it, Carrera picked off a pass to start a break. Ulis stayed where he was, tapped the ball loose, dribbled the other way and lofted a pass to Lee.

He dunked, then sunk the and-1 free throw.

Stat of the game: Sindarius Thornwell finished with seven points on 3-of-10 shooting and six turnovers. He had 49 points and four turnovers the last two games.

FROM THE BASELINE

Really?: I get that Big Blue Nation probably grabbed up many of the available tickets when the schedule was announced, while USC folks probably waited until they knew the Gamecocks would be good. That explains a lot of the blue shirts in the lower bowl.

But three Kentucky fans, in the high-dollar donor seats, front row mid-court? C’mon, man.

Heading to Groucho’s?: Kentucky coaches have been ejected in three of the past five games they’ve played at CLA. Calipari got the heave-ho in USC’s last home win over UK, on March 1, 2014. Women’s coach Matthew Mitchell was sent packing on Jan. 12, 2015.

On to the next: USC has found a way to respond all season. It hasn’t had back-to-back losses and in many of the wins, the Gamecocks have handled opponents’ late runs and recorded the ‘W.’

This is their biggest test. While their best chance at an SEC title might have slipped away, they still have a shot at it. They’re also a couple of wins away from locking up an NCAA tournament berth. The next game is at league-worst Missouri.

UP NEXT

Who: South Carolina at Missouri

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Mo.

TV: SEC Network

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KENTUCKY (19-6)

Lee 5-9 1-1 11, Ulis 7-14 9-11 27, Briscoe 4-8 2-3 10, Murray 9-21 4-6 26, Willis 3-4 0-0 9, Labissiere 2-4 0-0 4, Matthews 1-3 0-0 2, Humphries 0-0 0-0 0, Hawkins 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-64 16-21 89.

SOUTH CAROLINA (21-4)

Thornwell 3-10 1-2 7, Dozier 1-7 0-0 2, Carrera 6-13 11-15 25, Kacinas 1-3 0-0 2, Silva 2-7 6-8 10, Stroman 0-1 0-0 0, Doby 1-3 0-0 2, Gregory 0-0 0-0 0, Notice 3-5 2-2 10, Chatkevicius 1-4 2-4 4, McKie 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-55 22-31 62.

Halftime_Kentucky 42-27. 3-Point Goals_Kentucky 11-25 (Ulis 4-8, Murray 4-11, Willis 3-4, Briscoe 0-1, Hawkins 0-1), South Carolina 4-14 (Notice 2-3, Carrera 2-6, McKie 0-1, Dozier 0-1, Thornwell 0-3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Kentucky 38 (Lee 13), South Carolina 39 (Carrera 10). Assists_Kentucky 17 (Ulis 12), South Carolina 7 (Thornwell 3). Total Fouls_Kentucky 19, South Carolina 20. Technicals_Briscoe, Kentucky Bench 2, Gregory. Ejected_. Ejections_Kentucky Coach. Attendance_18,000.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 2:09 PM.