COLUMBIA, S.C. — While Kentucky's defense has had its moments of struggle throughout the season, the highest-scoring offense in the country had typically been enough to propel the Cats to victory, anyway. But against the surging South Carolina Gamecocks, the No. 6 Cats finished 30 points below their season-long, nation-leading average of 91.6 points per game.
Kentucky stumbled in Columbia, and the Gamecocks stunned the Cats with a 79-62 win inside a sold-out Colonial Life Arena.
The Gamecock faithful celebrated by storming the court just before the final buzzer.
Proud. #Gamecocks🐔🏀 // #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/a3O04BKOFr
— Gamecock Men's Basketball (@GamecockMBB) January 24, 2024
With the loss, John Calipari and the Cats fall to 14-4 on the season and 4-2 in the SEC, while second-year USC head coach Lamont Paris and his Gamecocks move to 16-3 overall and 4-2 in the league. It's South Carolina's second-straight victory over the Cats, following last season's 71-68 win in Rupp Arena.
Rob Dillingham paced the Cats with 16 points on 7-14 shooting, while Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell added 15 and 13 points, respectively. No other Wildcat had more than four points.
As a team, the Cats shot 40 percent from the field and 31 percent from deep. South Carolina's Ta'Lon Cooper finished with a game-high 20 points, while Jacobi Wright went 4-of-7 from deep to match Meechie Johnson with 14 points apiece.
It was a chaotic game from the jump, with both offenses sputtering. Reeves and Aaron Bradshaw gave the Cats a 4-0 lead to start the night, while the Gamecocks didn't earn their first points of the matchup until more than three minutes into the game. Kentucky's lead was short lived, as a 7-0 USC run pushed the Gamecocks out in front, 7-4.
South Carolina led for 29 of the game's 40 minutes.
Mitchell's first points of the day came from beyond-the-arc, but South Carolina was still in front at the 12 minute mark. Dillingham went on a run of his own to push the Cats back in front, as the freshman rattled off nine quick points in his first eight minutes of playing time.
Back-to-back Rob Dillingham 3️⃣s. pic.twitter.com/z8VRSTNFBB
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 24, 2024
South Carolina's Zachary Davis drilled a three-point shot right before the buzzer to take a 33-25 lead into the break. The Cats did not score in the final 2:57 of the half, hitting just one of their final seven field goals.
Meanwhile, South Carolina ended the first on a 6-0 run.
As a team, the Cats shot 34 percent from the field, a number that was helped tremendously by Dillingham's 5-of-8 opening half. The rest of the team was a combined 6-24 from the floor.
Long story short: the Cats turned in their lowest-scoring first half of the season, to go along with just two assists, compared to four turnovers. The Cats went 2-for-13 on layups.
Kentucky's veterans steadied the ship to start the second. Reeves and Mitchell combined for UK's opening 15 points; an underclassman didn't score until Wagner connected on a jumper with 11:08 on the clock. He added just one additional bucket, to finish with four points on 2-10 shooting.
Fast start from @ToniooReeves. pic.twitter.com/NLLugdiOJH
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 24, 2024
Playing in his second game as a Wildcat, Zvonimir Ivisic added three points, two rebounds and two blocks in ten minutes.
Collectively, the Cats scored on 29 of their 59 possessions, struggled around the basket (8-21 layups), and finished with a season-low 62 points. Kentucky's previous lowest-scoring night came in a loss to UNC-Wilmington, when the Cats managed 73 points.
The Wildcats will continue their week on the road with a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas this Saturday. Tipoff between the Wildcats and the Razorbacks is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN.
LEX 18 Sports Director/BBN Tonight anchor Keith Farmer and photographer/editor Nick Lazaroff are making the trip. Stick with the official station for Big Blue Nation, LEX 18 News, for the latest on all things Kentucky Wildcats.
