Kentucky Basketball: First Half Notes Vs South Carolina
Kentucky Basketball: A weird first half in Rupp saw UK dominate, lose Fox, pile up fouls, and then a South Carolina run
Jan 14, 2017; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari talks with forward Edrice Bam Adebayo (3) and forward Wenyen Gabriel (32) during the game against the Auburn Tigers in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Auburn 92-72. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
It had the making of an absolute blowout. The Cats defense started out stifling the Gamecocks, turning South Carolina over and leading to Kentucky fast break points. Wenyen Gabriel was everywhere, De’Aaron Fox was knifing into the lane, and the 3s were falling at will.
Then a collection of influences dramatically changed the momentum of the game. Fox went down with an ankle injury. Bam Adebayo and Isaiah Briscoe went to the bench with foul trouble. And South Carolina finally imposed its greatest will, showing its chops as a top 10 defense in the country. And in seemingly an instant, South Carolina had cut Kentucky’s once double digit lead down to a single possession.
But Kentucky answered, turning to a big lineup with Isaac Humphries, Derek Willis, Gabriel, Malik Monk and Dominique Hawkins. Kentucky slowed down the tempo offensively, turning to Monk to create or come off screens, and the freshman answered big on late possessions, ultimately leading the Cats with 15 points at the break. Willis hit a couple of shots, and Hawkins calmed things down taking over the point guard duties, while Kentucky switched to a 2-3 zone with the big lineup.
South Carolina leaned heavily on Sindarius Thornwell, who is having a career day, leading all scorers with 20 points on 50-percet shooting, along with 9-10 from the free throw line.
But the biggest issue for Kentucky has been South Carolina’s defensive pressure, which really effected Kentucky after Fox left the game. The Cats have 12 turnovers, while the Gamecocks have five steals in the first half.
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In the second half, Kentucky needs to lock down Thornwell and take care of the ball offensively. Monk will give us plenty of firepower, but the team needs to execute in the half court. If Kentucky does that, they will get the win and maintain control in the SEC.
