Kentucky-South Carolina State Preview

The South Carolina State Bulldogs of the MEAC are off to a rocky start this season as they currently sit on an 0-3 record. The Bulldogs come into their tilt versus the Wildcats with a lot of issues to address in short order.

They opened their season up against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and after appearing as if they would get blown out after the first ten minutes of the game, they clawed their way back into a contest in which the lead would change hands three times before the end of the first half.

South Carolina pulled away early in the second half, and at that point, the Bulldogs were unable to cover enough ground until it was already too late. They would go on to lose this game by three points, and unfortunately for South Carolina State, that has been the highlight of what is starting off as a forgettable season.

They would go on to lose the next two games against Tennessee State, and Duquesne by 19 and 25 points respectively.

No disrespect to the struggling South Carolina State program, but it is unlikely that they will get their season on track against a Kentucky Wildcats team that comes into this contest with a 2-1 record and now appears to be working with a full deck. The Wildcats faced the Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday evening, and for the first time, we got a glimpse at how this program looks with the compliment of a complete roster.

Although it is easy to be disappointed after an abysmal shooting performance and we have questions about lineups and go-to playmakers in late-game situations after Tuesday’s performance, a lot of fans will rest a little easier with Gonzaga looming on Sunday knowing that Oscar Tshiebwe is now health and in mid-season form after posting an impressive 22 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks against an impressive Michigan State interior that certainly made Oscar the focus on defense the moment he stepped onto the floor.

Looking at this game against South Carolina State, this is simply not a great match-up for the Bulldogs. They are a program that has struggled to shoot the ball well this season, posting a 39.5% field goal percentage, 32.8% 3PT percentage, and a paltry 54.8% FT percentage on the season. To compound the issue, the Bulldogs only have three players over 6’6 that could possibly take the floor on Thursday.

Dallas James, the 200-pound 7-footer, is currently averaging 8 minutes per game and is shooting 20% from the field. Isaiah Turner, the 6’10 and 240-pound forward is likely the best-equipped big man on this roster to face a Kentucky frontcourt headlined by Oscar Tshiebwe. He has shown a bit of an ability to step away from the basket and is likely the most physically prepared for this match-up. Looking at the roster, the star of the show for South Carolina State has been the 6’6 sophomore forward, Davion Everett.

Everett has been a breath of fresh air for a program that has struggled to find any bright spots up to this point. 2nd on the team in points at 12.3 per game, leading the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game, and shooting an impressive 71% from the field and has sunk 5 of his 6 free throws up to this point in the early juncture of the season, Everett has answered the call as well as could be expected for his program.

The reality is this game is going to be much more about Kentucky and how locked in they are after a deflating double-overtime loss against the Spartans on Tuesday. Fans are left with a bitter taste in their mouths after an affair that left Kentucky struggling to capitalize on key possessions down the stretch. There are questions about free throws, which have been unimpressive to this point, as Kentucky is only shooting them at a 62.7% clip so far this season.

There are also questions about which players not named Oscar Tshiebwe that Kentucky will rely on to take over down the stretch. In the frontcourt, Ugonna Onyenso had been sensational up until the game against Michigan State, in which he played one minute.

Lance Ware played for 15 minutes and was a very active defender, but 2 points and 3 rebounds to go along with 4 fouls for 15 minutes of play is not a performance that you can count on to carry you very far. Jacob Toppin very early on in exhibitions looked like a very different player than he has been for the past couple of games.

Toppin has loads of potential but needs to become comfortable doing uncomfortable things before he will meet that potential. The honest answer may be that Calipari doesn't have a clear picture of what he wants to do with the frontcourt when Tshiebwe is out of the game.

In the backcourt, simply put, guards must make shots. After the way that Reeves and Fredrick have looked as shooters for quite some time now, nobody expected both of them to be almost completely ineffective in this game, but with 10 points and 3-14 shooting from the field between the two of them, it's a bit surprising that Kentucky took this game into double-overtime. It would almost take the best player in the country to keep a team in the game when your two best shooters have that kind of performance, but I also do not feel that we should expect that to happen often, if at any other point in the season. We do know what this team looks like when it is struggling to hit shots though.

The game on Thursday should essentially be a tune-up for Kentucky, and it will be used as an opportunity to answer some questions that came as a result of the Michigan State game. This is a chance for the team to get lineups right and collect themselves before going on the road to what will be a very tough environment in Spokane against the Zags on Sunday. It also offers the fans a glimpse into how this team responds to adversity. Do they dwell on the gut-wrenching loss taken on Tuesday and play down to the competition and go into the Gonzaga game with very little momentum, or do they rebound in a big way and come out completely prepared to right the ship as big games loom ahead? At the very least, we can expect that to be answered tomorrow at 7:00 PM (EST) on the SEC Network.