The South Carolina men's basketball team fell to the Kentucky Wildcats 80-57 on Saturday to continue the program's historic 0-10 start to conference play.
“Today, we didn’t play well, we didn’t play well enough," head coach Lamont Paris said.
South Carolina started the game outscoring Kentucky 11-10 by the 12-minute mark in the first half, however, this would be the only time the Gamecocks led the rest of the afternoon.
Kentucky's offense would get into rhythm with six minutes to go in the first half, outscoring the Gamecocks 14-5 over the stretch and taking a 33-19 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Gamecocks would turn the ball over on multiple occasions and would end the game with nine turnovers. South Carolina also gave up several easy baskets, with the Wildcats able to score on dunks and layups, Paris said.
“We let a couple of guys get away from us," Paris said. "... They capitalized on that, and we just weren’t able to keep pace offensively.”
South Carolina was able to cut the deficit to just 9 points in the second half with around 10 minutes left in the game, but the Wildcats would answer the call by going on an 11-0 scoring run to help push the lead back into double digits and pull the game safely away from the Gamecocks.
Searching for a signature win
The last time South Carolina beat a ranked team was Dec. 17 against No. 25 Clemson 91-88. In that game, sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles scored 15 points in the second half and overtime combined, and senior guard Myles Stute sunk five threes to secure the in-state rivalry win.
The Gamecocks have also not won a game since the turn of the new year.
South Carolina has previously had success inside Rupp Arena under Paris. In his first season with the Gamecocks, Paris led his Gamecocks to an upset road win, marking him one of just three coaches in program history to win a game in the historic venue. Heading into Saturday's contest, the Gamecocks had two consecutive wins over Kentucky.
The contest now marks the 10th ranked game that the Gamecocks have played in the 2024-25 season. South Carolina has come within 5 points of beating several of these ranked teams including No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 22 Mississippi State, No. 1 Auburn and No. 6 Florida.
Thomas and Pringle lead the way
Senior guard Jamarii Thomas scored 11 points but was subbed out with foul trouble in the first half. With him being pulled, the only basket from South Carolina the rest of the half was a free throw from graduate forward Nick Pringle.
Pringle led the Gamecocks Saturday in rebounds with nine and finished the game with 9 points, shooting 3-6 from the field.
Murray-Boyles led the team with 14 points and went 5-13 from the field as well as 3-5 from the free throw line. The next closest scorer for the Gamecocks was senior guard Jacobi Wright with 12 points and one assist.
Lack of depth
Senior guard Myles Stute, who is out indefinitely with a lower-leg blood clot, has left a gap to fill on the team's starters. Paris said Thursday evening during his radio call-in show, Carolina Calls, that the loss of Stute is a significant disadvantage to the team.
"He just knows how to get the floor spaced properly when a guy like Collin is out there," Paris said.
South Carolina struggled with bench production, with freshman guard Cam Scott being the only Gamecock to score off the bench. The Wildcat's bench was able to out score the Gamecocks 39-4.
What’s next?
South Carolina will be back home against Ole Miss on Feb. 12. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be broadcasted on the SEC Network.