After Tuesday's stunning 79-62 loss at the hands of unranked South Carolina, Kentucky head coach John Calipari warned his team that the blueprint is being established for future opponents.
"I saw men, and I saw boys," the UK boss said of the beating his team endured at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia. "They just played so much rougher than us... It was a little rough, and things got out of whack. That happens to young teams at times.
"Every team is going to play us this way: go beat 'em up."
The older and more physical South Carolina squad, bolstered by a number of experienced transfer portal additions, controlled the tempo from opening tip to final buzzer, frustrating the No. 6 Wildcats on both ends of the floor.
Kentucky, which entered the night leading the nation at 91.6 points per game, got off to a frustrating start. The Cats made only two of their first 10 shots from the 3-point arc and missed 11 of 13 shots at the rim in falling behind by eight points at the half. South Carolina ended the half on a 17-5 run over the final 9:02.
"You can't win a game like this," Calipari said of the troubling offensive numbers. "... When you're this young, you try to avoid (the contact). 'I'm going to make this cute.'"
Kentucky hung within 40-38 with 15 minutes remaining, but the Gamecocks put the game away with a 22-6 run over the next seven minutes.
Grad senior guard Ta'Lon Cooper scored eight of his game-high 20 points during the key run. The Gamecocks also got 14 points apiece from guards Meechie Johnson and Jacobi Wright. The trio of Cooper, Wright, and big man Josh Gray combined for 43 points after averaging 17.4 on the season.
"They definitely gave it to us down the stretch," said UK senior guard Antonio Reeves, who noted the Gamecocks were the most physical team they've faced this season.
South Carolina (16-3, 4-2 SEC) held Kentucky to 40% from the field and just 4-of-13 from the 3-point arc. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks shot 48% from the field knocked down 11 of 24 shots from deep.
Kentucky (14-4, 4-2 SEC) was led by freshman guard Rob Dillingham with 16 points. Reeves followed with 15 points, and senior forward Tre Mitchell added 13.
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...
KEY MOMENT:
Kentucky trailed only 40-38 with 15:02 remaining, but the game unraveled from there. Over the next seven minutes, the Cats gave up three treys and an old-fashioned three-point play as part of a 22-6 run by the Gamecocks. Ta'Lon Cooper had eight of his game-high 20 points during the key stretch.
GAME BALL:
Ta'Lon Cooper, South Carolina -- The grad senior guard entered the night averaging a modest 9.3 points per game, but exploded for 20 against UK on an 8-for-11 shooting performance. He also pulled down six rebounds and dished out five assits.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Time in 91 seasons of SEC play that Kentucky has allowed 77 or more points to each other its first six SEC opponents.
3rd - Time in history that South Carolina has won back-to-back games over Kentucky and the first since a three-game stretch from the 2008-2010 seasons.
7:8 - A rare minus assist-to-turnover ratio for UK, only the second time this season the Cats have had more miscues than assists (Florida - 6:9).
-21 - Kentucky's deficit at the 3-point line. The Gamecocks made 11 treys, while the Cats knocked down only four.
36-33 - South Carolina rebounding advantage, led by Collin Murray-Boyles with nine.
63 - Offensive possessions for UK today, 11 under its season average in a slow-paced game.
QUOTABLE:
"You've gotta watch the tape and know I can't play this way... We've got to do some things in practice to make this rougher." -- UK head coach John Calipari
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday at Arkansas. The struggling Razorbacks (10-8, 1-4 SEC) will play Wednesday at Ole Miss before playing host to the Cats. Tipoff for UK and Arkansas is slated for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.
