On Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats will host the South Carolina Gamecocks in what is likely to be the end of the regular season. This game was originally scheduled for December 29, but has been postponed due to the COVID-19 protocol.
The Wildcats have been recovering from consecutive defeats to Florida and Ole Miss. Coming from a three-game winning streak, Kentucky seems to have returned to some bad habits and they continue to look for answers on the offensive side.
And if all of that isn’t bad enough, senior guard Davion Mintz has a minor injury that he will play on Saturday. Although he is not expected to lose the game, you must ask yourself if the injury will limit his effectiveness, which could be a game changer, as Kentucky has so much confidence in Mintz this season. He has been the most consistent contributor, even though guys like BJ Boston, Jacob Toppin and Keion Brooks are seen as having more talent.
This will likely be the final game in Rupp for several Wildcats, including BJ Boston, Isaiah Jackson, Olivier Sarr and possibly Mintz. In addition to Mintz, these other guys are almost blocked from playing professional ball next season. Mintz may return for a sixth year, as the NCAA is giving everyone a free season of eligibility in 2021-22.
Gamecocks are also not having a good season. They lost several initial games due to COVID and had a six-game losing streak in the SEC game before defeating Georgia last week. In fact, the Gamecocks only beat Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M in the league game.
South Carolina is led by goals by junior guard AJ Lawson with 17.4 points per game. He only failed to score double digits in two games throughout the season. He is shooting 36.7% behind the three-point line, and Lawson is one of only two regular rotating players to shoot better than 30% depth.
The Gamecocks’ offensive attack is very heavy between Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant’s 14.3 points per game. If Kentucky can control these guys, they’ll be in a good position to win.
Of course, we can’t forget second-year guard Jermaine Couisnard, who hit the three-game winning ball in last season’s thriller in Columbia between the cats and the Gamecocks. He ended the game with 26 points and currently averages 10.1 points per game this season.
Although Couisnard did not have the second-year season that many expected, he is still a dangerous player who can enlighten Rupp if he is not considered. He recently scored 23 points in a road victory over Georgia.
Carolina’s defense is also very suspicious, losing 80 or more points in five of the last seven games. This is good news for the Kentucky team, which has trouble scoring points on the scoreboard.
If Kentucky is looking for one last game of adjustment before the SEC Tournament, this is a good fight to try to find some answers before entering elimination territory.
However, as we have seen throughout the season, there is no easy win for this team. They will have to fight, but it looks promising for the Wildcats to end the season on a good note.
Kentucky Wildcats (8-15) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (6-13)
Game time: 12:00 pm Eastern Time on Saturday, March 6
Localization: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
Television channel: ESPN
Stream online: WatchESPN and fuboTV (free trial).
Radio: Tom Leach and Mike Pratt will have the UK radio network called 630 AM, 98.1 FM in Lexington and the UK Sports Network.
Repeat: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | SC
Box scores from the last game: UK | SC
Statistics to know: UK | SC
Chances: The Wildcats opened as a 7-point favorite. ESPN’s match prediction gives Kentucky a 74.6% chance of victory. KenPom gives the home team a 76% chance of winning.
Prediction: KenPom designs the Cats to win 77-69. TeamRankings is going with a 75-68 win for Kentucky.