Kentucky Looks for Revenge Against S. Carolina

February 25, 2010

The Kentucky Wildcats escaped with a hard fought 58-56 win Saturday against a tough Vanderbilt Commodores squad. That win allowed them to keep pace with the Kansas Jayhawks in a fight for the #1 ranking. While the win at Vanderbilt was a true sign of how gritty this Wildcat team is, it will be even more impressive if they can maintain their focus against the mediocre South Carolina Gamecocks.

Generally, most teams have trouble keeping their intensity at a high level after a big win. Kentucky is clearly the better team in all phases of the game, but it’s almost a certain that the Gamecocks will be playing with more intensity as they try to fight for a post-season selection in either the NCAA or NIT tournaments.

S.Carolina should know that they have the ability to compete with the best as they are the only team this season to take down the Wildcats. Last week they gave Tennessee a scare as they took a 4 point halftime lead into the locker room before falling apart in the second half. Despite scoring an average of almost 73 points per game, USC has had a tough time in the ACC. Their 5-7 conference record is due to a lack of consistency on the defensive end of the floor.

Offensively they are led by senior point guard Devan Downey. Downey is averaging a career high 22.7 points per game, but has trouble handling the opposing team point due to his lack of size (5’ 9”). Dominique Archie and Sam Muldrow are a pair of above average college forwards that contribute most of the defensive pressure for the Gamecocks. They combine for 24 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, which is what keeps them in contention the majority of the time. It will take a all-out effort from S. Carolina on both ends of the court to keep Kentucky from running away with this one.

Kentucky’s success derives from their guard play. Freshman John Wall has taken over this team, and shown why he was the top rated recruit coming out of high school last year. He almost a lock for the #1 pick in this years NBA draft, and will most likely leave UK after this season. His 16.8 points and 6.3 assist lead the team, and he has shown that he is equally as good on defense. A key block and a pair of clutch free throws by Wall sealed the game for the Wildcats against Vanderbilt. He already has put together a phenomenal highlight reel of dunks, crossovers and passes that would make the And-1 crew proud. Patrick Patterson has been over-shadowed by Wall’s play, but he has been exceptional this season in points (14.8 per game), and rebounds (7.6 per game).

Despite the outstanding guards that Kentucky has, they are anchored by forward DeMarcus Cousins in the middle. Many opponents tend to give Wall and Patterson too much attention which has left Cousins one on one in the middle. His 10.1 rebounds per game has given their offense the ability to get out and get easy break-away baskets. This team is without question deserving of a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and should be a lock for the Final-4.

Written by Cover The Number · Filed Under NCAA Basketball

Comments

Got something to say?