< PreviousMike Pratt previews the South Carolina game 8 @KentuckyMBB 10 @KentuckyMBB 2020 UK Sports Partnership Football Program Ad (8.5x11) 265-20801.indd 12020 UK Sports Partnership Football Program Ad (8.5x11) 265-20801.indd 111/13/20 11:01 AM11/13/20 11:01 AMWEEKNIGHTS 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY 9:00 a.m.110920 BBN Tonight RUPP Ad.indd 1110920 BBN Tonight RUPP Ad.indd 111/9/20 4:39 PM11/9/20 4:39 PMAround the SEC Around the Country 2020-21 SEC Standings Team SEC Overall Home Road Alabama 15-2 20-6 12-1 6-3 Arkansas 12-4 20-5 15-1 5-4 LSU 10-6 15-8 11-2 3-6 Florida 9-6 13-7 6-3 5-4 Tennessee 9-7 16-7 12-3 4-4 Missouri 8-7 15-7 8-3 6-4 Ole Miss 9-8 14-10 9-4 5-6 Mississippi State 8-9 14-12 9-6 5-3 Kentucky 7-9 8-15 4-6 4-7 Georgia 7-10 14-10 12-4 2-6 Auburn 6-11 12-14 7-5 3-8 South Carolina 4-11 6-13 3-6 2-6 Texas A&M 2-7 8-8 6-4 2-3 Vanderbilt 3-12 7-14 6-7 1-7 Scoring Player-Team ...................................................................PPG Cameron Thomas, LSU ..................................................22.8 Scotty Pippen Jr., VANDY ...............................................20.5 AJ Lawson, USC ............................................................17.4 Moses Moody, ARK........................................................17.0 D.J. Stewart Jr., MISS ST .................................................16.4 Rebounding Player-Team ...................................................................RPG Dylan Disu, VANDY ........................................................9.2 Tolu Smith, MISS ST.........................................................8.5 Emanuel Miller, TAMU ....................................................8.1 Toumani Camara, UGA ...................................................7.7 Jeremiah Tilmon, MIZZOU ..............................................7.6 Assists Player-Team ...................................................................APG Sahvir Wheeler, UGA ......................................................7.1 Scotty Pippen Jr., VANDY .................................................5.2 Ja'Vonte Smart, LSU .........................................................4.1 Jalen Tate, ARK ................................................................4.0 Dru Smith, MIZZOU .......................................................3.9 Steals Player-Team ................................................................... SPG Dru Smith, MIZZOU .......................................................2.0 Justin Kier, UGA ..............................................................1.8 Herbert Jones, ALA ..........................................................1.7 Scotty Pippen Jr., VANDY .................................................1.7 Scottie Lewis, UF .............................................................1.7 Blocks Player-Team ...................................................................BPG Isaiah Jackson, UK ..........................................................2.7 Colin Castleton, UF .........................................................2.3 Abdul Ado, MISS ST ........................................................2.0 Connor Vanover, ARK ......................................................2.0 Yves Pons, UT .................................................................1.6 2020-21 Associated Press Rankings As of Feb. 28, 2021 (week 15) Team Record Points 1 Gonzaga (59) 24-0 1,571 2 Michigan (4) 18-1 1,512 3 Baylor 18-1 1,450 4 Illinois 18-6 1,350 5 Iowa 18-7 1,266 6 West Virginia 17-6 1,210 7 Ohio State 18-7 1,163 8 Alabama 19-6 1,130 9 Houston 20-3 1,109 10 Villanova 15-4 942 11 Florida State 14-4 897 12 Arkansas 19-5 847 13 Kansas 18-8 785 14 Creighton 17-6 669 15 Texas 14-7 650 16 Oklahoma 14-7 584 17 Oklahoma State 16-6 553 18 Texas Tech 15-8 494 19 San Diego State 19-4 406 20 Loyola Chicago 21-4 367 21 Virginia 15-6 362 22 Virginia Tech 15-5 335 23 Purdue 16-8 192 24 Colorado 19-7 150 25 Wisconsin 16-9 106 14 @KentuckyMBB (standings and statistics through March 3 games)From Press Row 16 @KentuckyMBB Kentucky Welcomes South Carolina UK will play the Gamecocks for the first time this season. South Carolina enters the fi- nal weekend of the regular season 6-13 over- all and 4-11 in SEC play. Kentucky owns a 52-13 all-time record vs. the Gamecocks, including 28-2 in Rupp Arena. South Carolina defeated the Wildcats 81-78 last season on a buzzer beater in Co- lumbia, South Carolina. UK is averaging 69.4 points per game and shooting 32.2% from 3 and 73.4% from the free-throw line over the last five games. Ken- tucky had scored 80 or more points in three straight games vs. Arkansas, Auburn and Van- derbilt after doing it just twice prior to that stretch. The Rule of 76? With the way the defense has played this season, Kentucky doesn't have to be great of- fensively to win. It just can't be poor. UK is 7-1 this season when scoring at least 76 points but only 1-14 when scoring 75 or fewer after a 70-62 loss to Ole Miss on Tuesday. In a bit of a statistical oddity, the Wildcats had not scored between 66 and 75 points un- til scoring 70 and 71 in back-to-back games at No. 18/16 Missouri and against No. 11/10 Tennessee in early February, both losses. Kentucky scored at least 80 points in three consecutive games (Feb. 9-17) after reaching that total just once -- in the season opener -- in the prior 17 games. Too Close to Call One thing that has been consistent for Kentucky this season has been playing in close games. The Wildcats have been on the positive side of a few of them, but far too many times for their liking on the wrong side this season. Kentucky has been involved in a one-possession game at any point within the final four minutes of regulation in 13 of its last 21 games. For just the second time in the program's storied history, UK has lost three one-point games this season following its 81-80 loss to Arkansas. The Wildcats also dropped three one-point heartbreakers during the 1957-58 season. What's worse: The one-point losses are far from the only "could-have- been/ should-havebeen" wins (more on that below). Kentucky had three consecutive South- eastern Conference games decided by four points or fewer vs. Arkansas, Auburn and Vanderbilt for the first time since Feb. 13-25, 1984 vs. Florida, Vanderbilt and Georgia. Historically, the Wildcats have been de- cent in one-possession games under John Calipari. In fact, UK is 32-29 (52.5%) in Cali- pari's 12 seasons in games decided by three points or less (that includes the 2-5 mark this season). In games decided by just two possessions, or six points or fewer, Kentucky is 66-50 (56.9%) under Calipari. Only the 2014-15 team -- who won its first 38 games -- finished the season with a perfect record in both forms of the down- to-the-wire games and the 2012 squad's only blemish was the infamous last-second 3-pointer at Indiana. The 2013-14 team, which made a mem- orable run to the NCAA national champion- ship, was 2-2 in three-point games and 2-7 in six-point games during the regular season before finishing 4-2 in one-possession games and 6-9 in a two-possession contests after the memorable postseason run. The Brandon Knight-led 2010-11 group was just 1-5 in one-possession games during the regular-season and 4-6 in two-possession games. That squad made Calipari's first Fi- nal Four as Kentucky's head coach winning a pair of one-possession games during the tournament run, while also losing by just two for a chance to play for the title. UK is 6-1 under Calipari following a one- point loss, including 2-1 this season. Clarke Remains Sidelined Freshman guard Terrence Clarke has not played since Dec. 26 at Louisville with a right leg injury. He has not been medically cleared to return to action and head coach John Calipari said on Feb. 8 he is expected to miss an additional four weeks after a recent medical evaluation. “Terrence wants to play so bad," Calipari said. "We want him to play. I want him to play. I want to coach him and get him on that court. But there were tears today, his and mine. It looks as though they want him out four weeks. Maybe something could happen sooner but they (the doctors) don’t believe so. It’s crushing to these kids” Clarke is third on the team in scoring with 10.7 points per game in addition to 3.0 re- bounds per game. He had started six of seven games prior to his current absence, includ- ing a 22-point, three-assist game vs. Georgia Tech. Coupled with Keion Brooks Jr. missing the team's first nine games, the Wildcats have yet to play a game this season in which they have had their full scholarship roster. Next >