Gamecocks stun Kentucky on the road 71-68
Jan. 10, 2023


Over their years in the SEC, some very good Carolina teams have gone to Rupp Arena at Kentucky with the feeling they were going to leave with a victory. Only two did so, before Tuesday night. A Gamecock team coming off their worse loss ever at the Colonial Life Arena somehow regained their balance and upset the Wildcats 71-68 for their first SEC win and first league victory for first-year coach Lamont Paris.

This was no accidental win by the Gamecocks. True, Kentucky has played well below their high standards to this point in the season now with three losses in four SEC games. But Carolina took the fight to the UK right from the opening tip and did not relent.

The Gamecocks never trailed as they jumped out to a 21-6 lead in the game’s first seven minutes. They hit four-three pointers during that opening run, a sign of things to come. They would hit 11 of 20 from deep for the night.

Carolina led 42-32 at the half and they were still up by 11 points 69-58 with 3:58 to play. Fighting the tough UK defense and themselves, the Gamecocks had to hold on down the stretch. The Wildcats ran off 10 straight points to pull to within 69-68 with:51 to play.

That’s when one of the smallest players on the court made the biggest play for the Gamecocks. Meechie Johnson missed a three-pointer, but guard Jacobi Wright grabbed the rebound and was fouled on the following shot by Cat’s All-American forward Oscar Tshiebwe. Wright nailed both shots for a 71-68 lead with :31 to play.

Five seconds later Wright came up with a steal and Paris called a time-out. But Johnson lost the handle on the in-bounds pass and the ball bounced out of bounds giving Kentucky one more opportunity. The Wildcats put up a pair of three-point shots but both missed and the Gamecocks claimed just their third win ever at Rupp Arena and they are first since 2009. They also broke Kentucky’s 28-game home winning streak.

Johnson led USC with a career-high 26 points, including 6 three-pointers. Johnson also handed out 5 assists. GG Jackson, who failed to score in the blowout loss to Tennessee last Saturday, bounced back with 16 points and 3 rebounds. Tshiebwe led Kentucky with 19 points and 12 boards.

FOR THE RECORD

The Gamecocks are now 8-8 overall and 1-2 in the SEC. They will host Texas A&M Saturday night. Kentucky falls to 10-6 overall and 1-3 in the league and will play at Tennessee Saturday.

The mighty Kentucky Wildcats (10-6, 1-3 SEC) entered the contest coming off a 26-point drubbing at Alabama, while the Gamecocks (8-8, 1-2) suffered their worst SEC loss in program history at the hands of Tennessee on Saturday. The Gamecocks shook off the embarrassment of that loss and responded in resounding fashion by defeating John Calipari’s Wildcats 71-68. The win was just the third-ever victory for the Gamecocks at Rupp Arena and the first since 2009. The Gamecocks had lost eight straight games in Lexington before Tuesday and are now 3-29 at Rupp all-time.

Prior to the 2009 win, Carolina last defeated Kentucky on the road on March 2, 1997, a win that sealed the SEC title. The Wildcats had also won 28 home games in a row before the Gamecocks snapped the streak Tuesday.

STAT SHEET

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