South Carolina basketball is 10-12 and 0-9 in conference play following another close loss to the Texas A&M Aggies. The Gamecocks have not won a game since beating Presbyterian on December 30th at Colonial Life Arena.

The nine-game losing streak has all but killed any postseason chances for USC. However, in the era of the transfer portal, there is always something for which to be playing. The next opportunity for South Carolina to get back to winning basketball will come on Saturday against Mark Pope’s No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats.

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Resume Check: Kentucky Wildcats

Record: 15-7 (4-5 in SEC)
AP Ranking: 14th
Last Week: Loss to Arkansas 79-89 in Lexington; Loss to Ole Miss 84-98 in Oxford
Previous Meeting: South Carolina won 79-62 in Columbia during 2023-2024 season

Under first-year coach Mark Pope, Kentucky basketball has been ranked in every AP poll this season. The Wildcats don’t have their typical roster loaded with five-star freshmen, but Big Blue is still a good team destined for the NCAA Tournament. However, Kentucky enters this weekend on a two-game losing skid. Unfortunately for South Carolina basketball fans, though, that losing streak is much shorter than the Gamecocks’ nine-game stinker.

Kentucky went 11-2 in non-conference play, including wins over Duke and Louisville. The ‘Cats did lose to Ohio State and to the Clemson Tigers, a team South Carolina beat in December. Since SEC play has started, UK has been up and down. Mark Pope’s team has wins over top-10 teams Florida, Texas A&M, and Tennessee but losses to Georgia and Arkansas.

Heading into Saturday’s contest against the Gamecocks, the Kentucky Wildcats are the SEC’s second-most proficient offense (87 points per game). Only the lightning-quick Alabama offense scores more points in the Southeastern Conference, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are the only non-SEC team that puts the ball in the basket more frequently. The ‘Cats score very efficiently, making 48.5% of their shots and 38% of their 3-point jumpers. Those numbers are second and first in the conference, respectively.

However, in stark contrast to the offense, Kentucky’s defense hasn’t been very good. Hampered some by their quick pace, the Wildcats are surrendering 77.5 points per game, better than just Alabama.

Kentucky is a good rebounding squad, and post player Amari Williams is second in the league, averaging 9.1 per contest. He’s not just a rebounder, though, as Williams can do a little bit of everything. He logged a triple-double against Ole Miss and leads the Wildcats in rebounding, blocks, and field goal percentage, all by a large margin.

Williams (10.4) is one of six Kentucky players who average at least 10 points per game. Andrew Carr (10.0), Koby Brea (10.8), Lamont Butler (13.2), Jaxson Robinson (13.6), and Otega Oweh (16) join him in double-figures.

Coach Pope placed two players on the team’s SEC-mandated availability report earlier this week. Both Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa missed the Ole Miss game. Kriisa has been out more than half of the season, while Butler hasn’t played in a week thanks to a shoulder injury. Big man Andrew Carr has been dealing with a back injury but played a full load of minutes on Tuesday.

South Carolina and Kentucky will tip off at Noon on Saturday. ESPN2 will broadcast the Rupp Arena-hosted contest, while the ESPN app will make it available for streaming.