Sidelines with John Clay

Live updates: South Carolina Gamecocks at Kentucky Wildcats college basketball

Hoping to climb back on track, Kentucky men’s basketball plays host to South Carolina at Rupp Arena on Saturday.

ESPN2 has the noon start.

Ben Roberts, Cameron Drummond, Ryan Hermens and yours truly will be at Rupp. You can follow Ben’s updates on Bluesky at @benrobertshl. You can follow the rest of us on X/Twitter at @ryanhermens, @cdrummond97 and @johnclayiv.

Follow a dedicated Kentucky men’s basketball X/Twitter list.

Jaxson Robinson just saved a ball from going out of bounds and immediately grimaced and grabbed at that injured right wrist. He has come out of the game, but he's staying on the UK bench. Getting some treatment there.Kentucky 41, South Carolina 26

— Ben Roberts (@benrobertshl.bsky.social) February 8, 2025 at 1:15 PM

HALF: Kentucky 33, South Carolina 19.Andrew Carr: 9 pointsKoby Brea: 8 points, 3 assistsUK: 9/21 on 2s, 4/11 on 3s.Carolina is 8-for-34 from the floor and 1-for-11 on 3s.Not pretty basketball, but a double-digit lead for a Kentucky team that has been struggling lately.

— Ben Roberts (@benrobertshl.bsky.social) February 8, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Kentucky guard Lamont Butler (1) shoots the ball as South Carolina forward Nick Pringle (5) defends during Saturday’s game at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky guard Lamont Butler (1) shoots the ball as South Carolina forward Nick Pringle (5) defends during Saturday’s game at Rupp Arena. Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com

Scouting report: South Carolina

At 0-9, South Carolina is the SEC’s only winless team in conference play. The Gamecocks are 10-12 overall. They are 77th in KenPom’s adjusted overall efficiency rankings. They rank 131st in adjusted offensive efficiency and 46th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Coach Lamont Paris’ team is 89th in the NCAA NET rankings. The Gamecocks are 0-10 in Quad 1 games.

Collin Murray-Boyles leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game and rebounding at 8.8 per game. Murray-Boyles scored 25 points in South Carolina’s 66-63 loss to No. 1 Auburn on Jan. 11. Jamarii Thomas leads the Gamecocks in assists at 3.3 per game.

South Carolina men’s basketball roster

South Carolina men’s basketball schedule

South Carolina men’s basketball statistics

Scouting report: Kentucky

Kentucky has lost four of its last five games. The Wildcats are 15-7 overall and 4-5 in the SEC. They are 24th in the KenPom rankings for adjusted overall efficiency. They are No. 2 in adjusted offensive efficiency but 108th in adjusted defensive efficiency. UK is 22nd in the NCAA NET rankings with a 7-6 record in Quad 1 games.

Otega Oweh is the only SEC player to score in double figures in every game. The Oklahoma transfer leads UK in scoring at 16.0 points per game. Amari Williams is the Cats’ leading rebounder at 9.1 per game. The Drexel transfer became the fourth Wildcat in program history to record a triple-double when he scored 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and made 10 assists in UK’s 98-84 loss at Ole Miss on Tuesday.

Kentucky men’s basketball roster

Kentucky men’s basketball schedule and results

Kentucky men’s basketball statistics

Kentucky fans react in the final seconds of a game against Arkansas at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.
Kentucky fans react in the final seconds of a game against Arkansas at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com
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This story was originally published February 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM.

John Clay
Lexington Herald-Leader
John Clay is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Central Kentucky, he covered UK football from 1987 until being named sports columnist in 2000. He has covered 20 Final Fours and 42 consecutive Kentucky Derbys. Support my work with a digital subscription
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