Kentucky – South Carolina 80-57
LEXINGTON – February 8, 2025 – Michael Willis
Kentucky snapped their two-game losing streak earlier today when they defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 80-57. Prior to the game it was announced that Jaxson Robinson was a “game time decision” if he would play or not. At the time it wasn’t clear if Lamont Butler would play after missing the last 5 games due to a shoulder injury which would leave the Cats without three of their point guards, including Kerr Kriisa. However, just a couple hours before the game it was announced that Butler would play and Robinson was in the starting lineup just before the ball was tipped.
The Wildcats played much better defense in the first half allowing South Carolina to score only 11 points in the first 11:30 of the game. However, Kentucky could not find the bottom of the basket themselves, but a 13 to 2 run gave the Cats a 19-11 advantage early. Unforced turnovers were a problem for Kentucky in the first half with several errand passes or dribbling the ball off their own feet. When the Cats went into another scoring slump Andrew Carr stepped up and scored 7 straight points to maintain the 8-point lead. Amari Williams, who was held scoreless for the first 19 minutes of the half, scored the last 5 points of the game and gave the Cats 33-19 led over the Gamecocks at the half.
The Cats picked up right where they left off and scored the first 4 points of the half. The teams traded baskets for the first 10 minutes of the second half until Kentucky made a 15-1 run that put them out of South Carolina’s reach. Kentucky’s better effort on defense and taking care of the basketball gave them the 80-57 victory.
Lamont Butler made his presence felt on the court. Not only did he score 8 points in his 23 minutes, his consistent defense was contagious to the rest of the team whom improved since the Ole Miss game. It was obvious that Jaxson Robinson was still dealing with wrist pain scoring only 6 points. He also grimaced several times as he grabbed his wrist and walked to the bench.
Otega Oweh led the Wildcats in scoring with 17 points, but it Koby Brea that Mark Pope bragged on during his post-game press conference. Pope said that he had two good defensive practices the past two days and it showed on the court. Brea had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and a career high 6 assists.
Kentucky meets the Tennessee Volunteers for the second time this season. After defeating the Vols 78-73 just a couple weeks ago, Tennessee will be looking for revenge when they come to Rupp Arena Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.