DeMarcus Cousins recorded his 17th double-double of the season

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Patrick Patterson agonized for a month over the one blemish on No. 2 Kentucky‘s otherwise perfect season — a loss to South Carolina on a night when he had just five points, his worst outing by far.

“It was just pitiful on [...]]]> Associated Press

DeMarcus Cousins recorded his 17th double-double of the season

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Patrick Patterson agonized for a month over the one blemish on No. 2 Kentucky‘s otherwise perfect season — a loss to South Carolina on a night when he had just five points, his worst outing by far.

“It was just pitiful on my part,” he said. “No energy, no offensive presence, no defensive presence. I was extremely frustrated.”

Determined not to repeat it in Thursday night’s rematch with the Gamecocks, Patterson responded with a season-high 23 points — many of them in the clutch — and Kentucky coasted to an 82-61 victory.

The Wildcats (27-1, 12-1) need just one more victory or a Vanderbilt loss to clinch at least a share of their 44th Southeastern Conference championship. Vanderbilt beat Georgia 96-94 in overtime Thursday, delaying the Kentucky celebration for at least another game.

Like its last meeting with Kentucky a month ago, South Carolina (14-13, 5-8) proved a pesky opponent at times. However, Kentucky had too much offensive firepower, going on a late 13-0 run that turned what was then a 10-point lead into a blowout.

Defensively, Kentucky gave up 26 points to the SEC’s leading scorer, Devan Downey, but little else.

“When you have Patrick playing the way he’s playing, it takes the heat off everyone else,” coach John Calipari said. “I’m so proud of him and what he’s doing. We need him to be this.”

South Carolina never led, and every time it started to chip away, the Wildcats had an answer and usually it was from Patterson. He scored the first points of the game on a 3-pointer and didn’t slow down.

Kentucky had a 15-point lead early in the second half, but twice Patterson responded when the Gamecocks cut it to six — first with a dunk, then a three-point play. South Carolina got no closer.

The veteran forward has often been overshadowed this year by star freshmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, but this was Patterson’s night to be clutch.

Behind Patterson and eyeing payback, Kentucky was psyched in this one from the opening tip.

Sam Muldrow’s dunk midway through the first half cut the early Kentucky lead to 23-21, but the Gamecocks would score just five more points before halftime. Three came on a long heave from Downey at the buzzer that made it 37-26.

Other than that, Kentucky closed the half on a 14-2 run, punctuated by a putback from DeAndre Liggins off a miss by Wall and a bank shot by Bledsoe.

“We wanted to set the tone early, and that’s what we did,” Liggins said. “We didn’t stop. We kept on going, kept our foot on the gas pedal.”

As for Patterson, Liggins said he was “humble,” and afterward, he seemed to live up to that label.

“It was just the luck of the draw,” Patterson said. “The ball bounced my way and, lucky enough, I was able to put it in the basket.”

Downey, who scored 30 points in the previous meeting in Columbia, shot for an even higher percentage in this one, going 9 of 25, but the team made fewer than 40 percent of its shots and only four of 20 3-point attempts.

“It was just like we expected,” Downey said. “We knew they were going to come out and play off of so much emotion. We knew there were going to be runs.”

Although South Carolina kept the game close early, that was when the Wildcats turned in some of their most acrobatic plays.

Cousins followed Patterson’s opening 3 with a driving layup, drawing a foul in the process. He missed the free throw but got his own rebound and scored again. Cousins had 19 points and 11 rebounds to increase his UK freshman record for double-doubles to 17. He also set a UK freshman record with his 285th rebound this season.

Then came Kentucky’s nightly showstopper, Wall, who grabbed a steal and sprinted the other way, finishing with a reverse layup, not even looking at the basket in the process.

Those plays gave Kentucky an early 11-2 lead. South Carolina cut it to 16-15 after consecutive baskets by Downey and a reverse layup by Lakeem Jackson, but Kentucky got some cushion in a hurry thanks to Cousins.

First, he used two hands on a thundering dunk, then just needed one the next time down court, slamming home an alley-oop pass from Wall.

In the last game against South Carolina, Kentucky had just claimed the No. 1 spot in the polls and even got a pregame pep talk from President Barack Obama, who called to thank the Wildcats for a fundraising effort to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti.

There was no such hoopla around this one, although Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was among those in attendance and he heard roars from the Rupp Arena crowd when he was introduced.

South Carolina coach Darrin Horn said he certainly noticed improvement in the Wildcats from the last meeting.

“I think they are better, without question,” Horn said. “I think individuals and collectively they have a better feel of what they want to do.”

South Carolina (14-12, 5-7 SEC) at Kentucky (26-1, 11-1 SEC), 9:00 PM ET, February 25, 2010 Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — If No. 2 Kentucky was playing for style points, South Carolina already erased the ultimate one last month: a potential zero in the loss column.

While some of the Wildcats [...]]]>

South Carolina (14-12, 5-7 SEC) at Kentucky (26-1, 11-1 SEC), 9:00 PM ET, February 25, 2010 Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — If No. 2 Kentucky was playing for style points, South Carolina already erased the ultimate one last month: a potential zero in the loss column.

While some of the Wildcats (26-1, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) acknowledge they wouldn’t mind exacting a little payback on Devan Downey and Co. in Thursday’s rematch at Rupp Arena, coach John Calipari says it’s too late in the season and his team is too good to be worrying about style points — and certainly revenge.

He wants a top seed in the NCAA tournament but figures if the wins keep coming — even occasionally ugly ones — that will take care of itself.

“If we win it at a halfcourt bank shot, I’ll be happy,” Calipari said Wednesday.

South Carolina (14-12, 5-7), behind Downey’s 30 points, handed Kentucky its only loss last month with a 68-62 upset in Columbia — the Gamecocks’ first win over a team then nationally ranked No. 1.

Going in, conditions seemed ripe for yet another Kentucky cakewalk. The undefeated record. The return to the top of the polls. Even President Barack Obama’s call that afternoon to congratulate the Wildcats on a fundraising effort for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

But then, the buzzer sounded. Fans rushed the Colonial Life Arena floor (sparking a $25,000 fine), and Kentucky’s record was perfect no more.

“You want to get them back more than anything,” freshman forward Daniel Orton said. “It gets the Adrenalin running.”

Calipari wants his team to feel the Adrenalin but insists the motive shouldn’t be revenge. South Carolina was on a three-game losing streak entering the last meeting with the Wildcats and is on another such streak now.

Kentucky will be heavy favorites yet again, and while Calipari acknowledges another upset is always possible, he’s more concerned about showing progress. That starts with stopping Downey, who leads the SEC in scoring and who managed his typical 30 points against the Wildcats even when missing 21 of his 29 shots.

“Downey’s going to take 30 shots,” Calipari said. “That’s what he’s going to do. Guard him.”

Easier said than done, even for Kentucky’s much-bigger defenders. Orton says he has been practicing defensive against the Wildcats’ own shifty guards, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. Sometimes, the circus shots just fall in — and that’s what happened with Downey late in the last game.

Orton also says there may have been some hometown officiating down in Columbia.

“Down there we couldn’t even touch him really,” Orton said. “Everything we did to him was a foul. Maybe we’ll have a little more leeway this time.”

Guard DeAndre Liggins says he sees no reason why Kentucky should allow Downey to light up the scoreboard again.

“We’d done a good job, but he’s the leader of that team,” Liggins said. “He takes the most shots. The other guys know that. We’ll have to do a good job of stopping him and making other people beat us.”

Downey’s heroics against Kentucky include one of his career highlights last year at Rupp, when his late bucket helped the Gamecocks pull out a 78-77 victory.

Although Calipari says he got “scared” after watching game tape from last month’s loss, he realizes the Wildcats are rolling right now. After knocking off Vanderbilt in Nashville Saturday, Kentucky’s lead in the SEC East is two games, and it would take a monumental collapse for college basketball’s all-time winningest team to avoid winning the regular season conference championship.

Some pundits have even argued the Wildcats’ No. 1 seed is inevitable, although Calipari insists he doesn’t agree. Still, he says, the focus now is on surviving and improving. His team is young, with three freshman starters — including Wall, who could be a top overall pick in the NBA draft and figures to push Downey for player of the year honors.

Kentucky’s other two freshmen, Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins, have had occasional on-court flare-ups with their tempers. Those are the things that need to get corrected before tournament time, Calipari says.

“We have to be mature,” he said. “We don’t want to put ourselves in a position to lose a national championship opportunity because in a 30-second decision you can’t keep your wits about you.”

Eastern senior Papa Oppong led all scorers with 20 points, which was one point shy of his career high.

RICHMOND, Ky. — Papa Oppong scored 20 points and Justin Stommes added 16, including a go-ahead layup with 21 seconds left Saturday night, to lift Eastern Kentucky past Jacksonville State 66-65.

Stommes’ layup for the [...]]]> Associated Press

Eastern senior Papa Oppong led all scorers with 20 points, which was one point shy of his career high.

RICHMOND, Ky. — Papa Oppong scored 20 points and Justin Stommes added 16, including a go-ahead layup with 21 seconds left Saturday night, to lift Eastern Kentucky past Jacksonville State 66-65.

Stommes’ layup for the Colonels (17-8, 9-4 Ohio Valley Conference) came after both teams missed shots on two consecutive possessions.

Dominique Shellman had given the Gamecocks (10-13, 6-7) a 65-64 lead by making one of two free throws with 2:22 remaining to break the game’s 10th tie.

Jacksonville State twice led by six points in the second half, only to see Eastern Kentucky come back. The Colonels held a seven-point lead, 57-50, with 6:56 left but couldn’t hold it.

Both teams shot over 50 percent in the second half — Eastern Kentucky at 54.2 percent (13-for-24) and Jacksonville State at 52.2 percent (12-for-23).

Trenton Marshall scored 19 points and Nick Murphy 15 to lead the Gamecocks.

Maze Stallworth poured in a season high 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and tallied 11 rebounds to lead Morehead State to a 94-75 victory over Jacksonville State Thursday night in Johnson Arena.

MOREHEAD, Ky. — Maze Stallworth scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help Morehead State defeat Jacksonville [...]]]> Associated Press

Maze Stallworth poured in a season high 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and tallied 11 rebounds to lead Morehead State to a 94-75 victory over Jacksonville State Thursday night in Johnson Arena.

MOREHEAD, Ky. — Maze Stallworth scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help Morehead State defeat Jacksonville State 94-75 on Thursday night.

The Eagles (16-7, 10-2 Ohio Valley Conference), averaging six 3-pointers a game, made a season-high 13 of 27 (48.1 percent) against the Gamecocks (10-12, 5-7).

Morehead State held a 25-7 rebounding advantage in the first half, building a 52-36 halftime lead.

The Eagles outrebounded Jacksonville State 41-20 in the game, which helped lead to 19 more shots than the Gamecocks.

Demonte Harper scored 18 points and Kenneth Faried had his 17th double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, before fouling out with 11:16 remaining.

Nick Murphy scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who shot 55.8 percent from the field (24 of 43). Jeremy Bynum added 15 points and Dominique Shellman 14 for Jacksonville State.

Calipari called the Wildcats' loss a "collective effort" in which they got "out-hustled and out-coached on all fronts." He reserved the toughest criticism for himself.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — John Calipari says the day after his top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats were knocked from their unbeaten perch, he got a call from the last coach who [...]]]> Associated Press

Calipari called the Wildcats' loss a "collective effort" in which they got "out-hustled and out-coached on all fronts." He reserved the toughest criticism for himself.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — John Calipari says the day after his top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats were knocked from their unbeaten perch, he got a call from the last coach who lost after climbing to No. 1 in the polls.

Texas coach Rick Barnes, whose Longhorns were No. 1 until back-to-back losses last week allowed Kentucky to overtake them, told Calipari that being at the top meant being “under attack.”

The first-year Kentucky coach had warned his players about that, but Tuesday night they experienced it firsthand during South Carolina’s 68-62 victory. The Gamecocks had lost their previous games against top-ranked teams.

“We saw it,” Calipari said Wednesday night, calling into his radio show during a recruiting trip. “It was like more than we could believe. We weren’t ready for that. You’re under attack, and you’ve got to step it up.”

With the Wildcats’ loss, no unbeatens remain in men’s Division I college basketball. Texas had the only other perfect record a week ago, before defeats against Kansas State and Connecticut changed that.

Calipari called the Wildcats’ loss a “collective effort” in which they got “out-hustled and out-coached on all fronts.” He reserved the toughest criticism for himself.

“The reason this job and this coaching profession isn’t for everybody is because of times like this when you take it on the chin,” he said.

Barnes is just the latest celebrity to call the Kentucky coach. Also Wednesday, he spoke with comedian Bill Cosby, who relayed: “I want you to tell your team they have to play like they’ve been there.”

On Tuesday, hours before tip-off, President Barack Obama rang Calipari and the players, mostly to praise them for raising more than $1 million for earthquake relief in Haiti but also warning them about the perils of being No. 1.

Thus, the loss came with plenty warning, Calipari said, who urged his team to use it as a teachable moment.

“I kept telling everybody, ‘We’re going to get bit,’” he said. “‘You’re going to let somebody hang around that you’re better than, and we’re going to get bit.’ That was that game.”

Kentucky's Demarcus Cousins (15) battles for the ball with South Carolina's Sam Muldrow (44) during the first half.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Top-ranked Kentucky found out it’s got some growing up to do. And college basketball will most likely find a new No. 1.

Devan Downey scored 30 points and South Carolina sent Kentucky to [...]]]> Associated Press

Kentucky's Demarcus Cousins (15) battles for the ball with South Carolina's Sam Muldrow (44) during the first half.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Top-ranked Kentucky found out it’s got some growing up to do. And college basketball will most likely find a new No. 1.

Devan Downey scored 30 points and South Carolina sent Kentucky to its first loss of the season 68-62 on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats (19-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) moved atop the rankings this week for the first time since 2003. They were cautioned by no less a fan than President Barack Obama earlier Tuesday to keep their focus and play with the same passion that brought them to the top.

The president or Kentucky didn’t count on Downey, the SEC’s leading scorer to break the 30-point mark for the fourth time in six league games for South Carolina (12-8, 3-3).

“This is what happens when you have young guys who think we’re are going to win at the last minutes of the game,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.

It has been Wildcat youngsters such as John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins that have fueled the program’s best start in 44 years. South Carolina showed there’s still a place for a couple of smart, savvy senior guards such as Downey and Brandis Raley-Ross.

Raley-Ross had 17 points, the most he’s scored in an SEC game this season as South Carolina won its third straight over Kentucky.

“Those guys are very talented,” Downey said of the Wildcats. “But they’re also freshmen and this was a hostile environment.”

The president said as much earlier Tuesday when he called to congratulate the Wildcats on raising more than $1 million to help earthquake victims in Haiti, reminding Kentucky that South Carolina was a difficult place to play.

Obama, though, also thought – like most everybody else who follows the game – that the Wildcats would have little trouble with undermanned South Carolina.

“Yeah, I’m aware of it, but I’m kind of scared to mention something about this president,” Downey joked. “I don’t want anybody knocking at my door. I don’t have anything to say about Obama.”

DeMarcus Cousins matched his career best of 27 points to lead Kentucky, which had been the nation’s last unbeaten team.

Fans rushed the Colonial Life Arena floor when the buzzer sounded, Downey hugging whomever he could and screaming, “I told you so!”

Giddy fans came up to South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman, handing him dollar bills to pay the anticipated fine the SEC levies for swarming the court.

First offense is $5,000, escalating to $50,000 for repeated violations.

“I’ll handle this one,” Hyman said.

With Downey, there could be more upsets and celebrations ahead.

He had seemingly hit a game-winner at Florida on Saturday, scoring on a driving layup with 5 seconds left until the Gators’ Chandler Parsons outdid him with a winning 3-pointer.

This time, though, Downey and the Gamecocks would not be stopped – even after the Wildcats fabulous freshmen of Wall and Cousins seemed to take things over.

The pair combined for 13 points during a 14-3 run midway through the second half that put the Wildcats up 47-42. That’s when Downey took over.

South Carolina’s senior had a three-point play and two foul shots to tie it up.

Downey had another three-point play with 4:06 left to give the Gamecocks the lead for good at 54-51.

“It’s been my thinking all year,” South Carolina coach Darrin Horn said. “If it’s close, we’ve got No. 2 (Downey) and we’ve got a shot.”

Wall’s three-point play with 40.1 seconds left brought Kentucky within 62-61. But Raley-Ross followed with two free throws to restore the edge.

Cousins had 12 rebounds to go along with his points, which tied his best performance set earlier this season against Seton Hall.

Cousins said the Wildcats needed to learn from their mistakes in time to reach their ultimate goals.

“I wanted to be undefeated, and No. 1 was all good, but No. 1 is not a championship,” Cousins said. “And we’re playing for a championship.”

Maybe the Wildcats were distracted by their head-in-the-clouds moment earlier Tuesday when President Obama called.

How else to explain this one?

The Wildcats were ragged and out of sync. They were outrebounded 41-35 by the Gamecocks. They missed from close range, Darnell Dodson even missed an all-by-himself layup after a midcourt steal.

Wall, who Obama greeted with “What’s going on all-star?” when they spoke by phone, was 6 of 16 from the field with four of Kentucky’s 15 turnovers.

Wall ended with 19 points.

“What I keep saying,” Calipari repeated, “we may have been undefeated, but we were lucky to be undefeated. I was being truthful.”

No Wildcat could corral Downey.

While the Gamecocks’ senior didn’t have his shooting touch (9 of 29), he went 10 of 11 at the free throw line.

“Lets be honest,” Downey said. “No one gave us a chance.”

They will now, especially with Downey in the lineup.

(1) Kentucky at South Carolina, 9:00 PM ET, January 26, 2010 The Colonial Center, Columbia, SC

COLUMBIA, SC — South Carolina’s Devan Downey always feels like he’s the best point guard on the court. Tuesday night’s game against Kentucky and freshman sensation John Wall is no exception.

“Yes, sir, I still feel that way,” Downey [...]]]>

(1) Kentucky at South Carolina, 9:00 PM ET, January 26, 2010 The Colonial Center, Columbia, SC

COLUMBIA, SC — South Carolina’s Devan Downey always feels like he’s the best point guard on the court. Tuesday night’s game against Kentucky and freshman sensation John Wall is no exception.

“Yes, sir, I still feel that way,” Downey said on Monday. “If you’re on the floor and don’t feel you’re the best, what are you doing out here?

“You have to play with that swagger. It starts with confidence. If you don’t have confidence, you don’t have anything.”

Downey may be averaging 31.6 points in five Southeastern Conference games. He may also be leading the league in steals (3.6 per), three-pointers (3.8 per) and sheer determination. Because of Dominique Archie’s season-ending injury and the dismissal of Mike Holmes, Downey has little help, as suggested by no other Gamecock averaging more than 8.8 points per SEC game.

“He’s willing them by himself,” Auburn Coach Jeff Lebo said. “When everybody knows he’s going to get the ball, and he’s still doing it, that’s incredible.”

(Speaking of incredible, the SEC has not named Downey its Player of any Week this season. Meanwhile, Wall has won the Freshman of the Week award four times. Teammate DeMarcus Cousins won it for last week.)

But North Carolina Coach Roy Williams memorably contributed to the hyperbole surrounding Kentucky’s standout freshman by saying Wall is the best point guard prospect since Jason Kidd. Surely many observers believe Wall will be the best point guard in Colonial Life Arena when Kentucky plays South Carolina.

“A lot of people are going to think that,” Downey said, betraying not a trace of irritation. “But you know what I’m coming into the game thinking.

“And that’s not a shot at John. He’s a great player. I don’t care if I go against LeBron or Kobe, I always think I’m the best point guard on the floor.”

Of course, Wall versus Downey is not LeBron versus Kobe. As Wall noted, he’s not likely to defend Downey throughout the game nor he is looking at the game as a one-on-one duel. That would be music to the ears of UK Coach John Calipari, who hinted at possibly playing a zone to keep Downey from getting into the lane.

“I’m trying to get our guys to just understand it’s not about stats, not about the one-on-one,” Calipari said. “It’s about us doing this together and taking on what they’re supposed to be doing and then doing it great.”

But as Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy noted, Wall-Downey makes for an “intriguing matchup.”

It’s fifth-year senior (Downey) against freshman (Wall). “There’s a lot of stuff he knows that I don’t know,” Wall said in conceding the advantage. “I’m still learning.”

It’s size (Wall is 6-foot-4) against lack of size (South Carolina lists Downey at 5-9, 170). Wall said he disliked going against smaller, quick players. “That’s too low to get down and guard him,” he said. Downey found Wall’s combination of speed and size daunting. “He’s very, very fast,” he said of Wall. “Usually you’re used to small guys like myself being fast. Bigger I’m used to. But just as fast, I’m not quite used to. It’ll be an adjustment.”

It’s Wall leading a talented ensemble against Downey, by necessity an exquisite soloist facing stacked defenses. In five SEC games, Downey has accounted for 45.1 percent of his team’s points, 37 percent of the shots and 39.7 percent of the three-point attempts.

“We had two guys on him the whole time, so basically his 36 were on two guys,” Florida Coach Billy Donovan said of last weekend’s game. “I’ve been in the league 19 years, and the closest I’ve seen to that was when Chris Jackson scored 44 (actually 41) against us when I was an assistant at Kentucky, at Rupp Arena.”

Downey, the SEC’s third-leading scorer and league leader in assists last season, is better than ever, South Carolina Coach Darrin Horn has said. More efficient (46.8 percent shooting overall, 44.2 percent from three-point range). Better able to incorporate his skills into the team concept.

Lebo laughed when recalling an NBA friend, former North Carolina teammate Joe Wolf, advised simply denying Downey the ball. “Why don’t you deny Kobe the ball?” Lebo replied.

“It’s frustrating as a coach. You spend all your time trying to stop him and he does it to you. I kind of know how pro coaches feel going against the Kobes and LeBrons of the world because he’s playing like a college one right now.”

Patterson eager

Patrick Patterson cited South Carolina’s 16 blocks and 77-59 victory over UK in Columbia last season as a “huge driving force” for the Cats.

“We know we played horrible down there,” he said, “and they just wanted it more.”