Good morning, folks! It\u2019s Gameday once again \u2014 and we\u2019re about as close to must-win territory as possible for the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats. <\/p>\n
South Carolina comes to Rupp Arena today as the only team in the Southeastern Conference without a league win. The Gamecocks are 0-9 against conference foes, but that record is somewhat<\/em> misleading. Lamont Paris<\/a><\/strong>\u2018 team has faced six ranked SEC opponents, losing five of those games by a combined 18 points. Alabama was the lone outlier with a 20-point win. South Carolina also has a common non-conference opponent with Kentucky in Clemson, but the Gamecocks won that game while the \u2018Cats did not. <\/p>\n All this being said, South Carolina is still far from being considered one of the SEC\u2019s best. KenPom<\/a> ranks the Gamecocks 77th in the country, second-to-last ahead of lowly LSU. This group holds a 10-12 record on the season for good reason. South Carolina performs at its \u201cbest\u201d when away from home. Rupp Arena should be buzzing as the fan base tries to cheer Kentucky back on track. <\/p>\n If there was any matchup for the Wildcats to get back on track, this is the perfect one. Outside of sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 who will<\/em> be a problem as a future first-round NBA Draft pick \u2014 South Carolina doesn\u2019t have a wealth of depth or talent. The Gamecocks rank last in the SEC in offense and turnover percentage and next-to-last in effective field goal percentage and pace. They struggle to score and defend \u2014 not a recipe for success. <\/p>\n All this is to say Kentucky needs this victory in the worst way. Losing four of the last five at this stage in the season isn\u2019t a good feeling. The Wildcats\u2019 resume is still in good shape in regards to making the NCAA Tournament, but these are the games that can drop you a seed line (or even two). Lamont Butler<\/a><\/strong> is listed as questionable. That\u2019s good news after missing the last three games. He solves a ton of UK\u2019s problems on both ends of the floor. But Jaxson Robinson<\/a><\/strong> is also questionable. We\u2019ll know for sure if they\u2019re going to play closer to tipoff. Kentucky is still a double-digit favorite by both the bettors and<\/em> computers.<\/p>\n \u201cI love when the story gets murky,<\/strong>\u201d Mark Pope<\/a><\/strong> said Thursday. \u201cI love when you start to doubt. Those are my favorite times because that\u2019s when really special things happen<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n The story is certainly murky right now. Let\u2019s see how Pope and his team respond. <\/p>\n