Sunday column came a day early. Justin will make this a content item later, but wanted to post it here before he does so.
No John Calipari, no problem.
With its head coach sitting in the locker room after being ejected just three minutes into the game, Kentucky proceeded to play its best 37 minutes of the season and wax South Carolina 89-62 in front of 18,000 fans in Columbia Life Arena.
The game was Frank Martin’s biggest yet as the Gamecocks head coach. Now four years into his tenure in Columbia, Martin has South Carolina playing the best basketball it has seen in years. Two impressive wins over LSU and No. 15 Texas A&M, along with the fact the Gamecocks were a perfect 13-0 at home, had the Gamecocks in a position to take sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference.
It was a chance to make a statement in front of a national audience and show they were for real, and not just a beneficiary of a not so difficult schedule.
The result around 2 p.m. on Saturday was a team that has long crushed the souls of conference opponents did it once again. Kentucky showed it's not only the best team in the SEC, but the Wildcats are also firmly entrenched as a team that should be considered as a national championship contender. South Carolina, while much improved, was smacked down so much by the Wildcats that confidence going forward could be an issue.
“Kentucky came in here and proved a point and put a couple of black eyes on us,” Martin said after the game.
As time passes and more blowouts pile up, it’s evident that Kentucky’s meltdown two weeks ago against Tennessee—after leading by as much as 21-points in the first half—was nothing more than a fluke.
Since losing in Knoxville, Kentucky has dispatched Florida by 19 points, Georgia by 34 points and South Carolina by 27 points.
The main reason for the blowouts? Guard play.
Against South Carolina, Tyler Ulis did it all, but what’s new? Saying Ulis is consistent is like saying the future is unknown or the sun will rise tomorrow—these are things we know and understand.
Ulis knocked down jumpers with the shot clock winding down. He threw lobs from half court and he threw lobs off the backboard like he was playing the once-popular video game NBA Street. He was the man who calmed Kentucky down when Calipari was ready to slug it out with official Doug Sirmons.
“When you see your coach get tossed that early, you know he’s fighting for you,” Ulis said. “So you have to fight for him.”
Sports Illustrated writer Andrew Sharp recently said NBA phenom Stephen Curry is in “God Mode” right now. All other players are compared to Curry’s (ridiculous) standard and none live up to it. In college terms, Tyler Ulis is the “point God.” He’s always the smallest guy on the floor but he’s also the smartest. It’s borderline shocking when he makes an errant pass or makes the wrong decision.
The trust level between Ulis and the staff is so great that after Calipari was ejected, associate head coach Kenny Payne gave Ulis “the green light” to run the offense.
Seriously, Payne could have used Saturday as an audition to land his own head coaching gig one day. He could have drawn up plays and tried to put a stamp on the offense, but Payne did the smart thing— he handed the keys over to his point guard and just worried about stopping the other guys.
“I can’t begin to tell you how important that is for any coach, but especially for this team because he guides the other four guys that are on the floor with him and he makes their game easier,” Payne said.
If Calipari is wise then he’ll let Ulis run the offense more often. The 5-foot-9 sophomore carved the Gamecocks up to the tune of 27 points and 12 assists, with just one turnover, and cemented his spot as a National Player of the Year candidate.
But Jamal Murray, Ulis’ partner in crime in the backcourt, was just as special. The freshman Canadian isn’t always as consistent as Ulis, but his scoring ability is what makes this team potentially elite. He’s dropped in at least 20 points in four straight games. On Saturday, he went 4-11 from 3-point land but still found a way to pour in 26 points.
At one point, Murray was fouled on a jump shot (the shot went in) and went down holding his right hand. In a season where several players have missed time with injury, it’s understandable for those in Kentucky to say a silent prayer to the basketball gods and hope for the best.
It only took a few minutes for the Commonwealth to let out a huge sigh of relief as Murray drove to the basket and put South Carolina defender Justin McKie on a poster.
The dunk, with his right hand, was so violent that it made the viewer question whether he was ever really hurt, or just reminding fans that without him, getting title No. 9 is probably unattainable.
“Murray’s good,” Payne said of Murray’s health. “He’s good. Played a hell of a game too.”
No game is ever perfect and Saturday was no different. Kentucky struggled to rebound at times as South Carolina collected 16 offensive rebounds. Foul trouble hindered the front court for much of the first half—both Skal Labissiere and Isaac Humphries had three fouls in the first 20 minutes—but the Wildcats were so dominant that it almost wasn’t noticeable.
“I have never been more proud of a team,” Calipari said on Twitter after the game. “They are now empowered. They've proven that they don’t need me and I love it.”
Calipari, now with an empowered team, should follow Payne’s strategy —give the ball to the best backcourt in college basketball and stay the hell out of the way.
No John Calipari, no problem.
With its head coach sitting in the locker room after being ejected just three minutes into the game, Kentucky proceeded to play its best 37 minutes of the season and wax South Carolina 89-62 in front of 18,000 fans in Columbia Life Arena.
The game was Frank Martin’s biggest yet as the Gamecocks head coach. Now four years into his tenure in Columbia, Martin has South Carolina playing the best basketball it has seen in years. Two impressive wins over LSU and No. 15 Texas A&M, along with the fact the Gamecocks were a perfect 13-0 at home, had the Gamecocks in a position to take sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference.
It was a chance to make a statement in front of a national audience and show they were for real, and not just a beneficiary of a not so difficult schedule.
The result around 2 p.m. on Saturday was a team that has long crushed the souls of conference opponents did it once again. Kentucky showed it's not only the best team in the SEC, but the Wildcats are also firmly entrenched as a team that should be considered as a national championship contender. South Carolina, while much improved, was smacked down so much by the Wildcats that confidence going forward could be an issue.
“Kentucky came in here and proved a point and put a couple of black eyes on us,” Martin said after the game.
As time passes and more blowouts pile up, it’s evident that Kentucky’s meltdown two weeks ago against Tennessee—after leading by as much as 21-points in the first half—was nothing more than a fluke.
Since losing in Knoxville, Kentucky has dispatched Florida by 19 points, Georgia by 34 points and South Carolina by 27 points.
The main reason for the blowouts? Guard play.
Against South Carolina, Tyler Ulis did it all, but what’s new? Saying Ulis is consistent is like saying the future is unknown or the sun will rise tomorrow—these are things we know and understand.
Ulis knocked down jumpers with the shot clock winding down. He threw lobs from half court and he threw lobs off the backboard like he was playing the once-popular video game NBA Street. He was the man who calmed Kentucky down when Calipari was ready to slug it out with official Doug Sirmons.
“When you see your coach get tossed that early, you know he’s fighting for you,” Ulis said. “So you have to fight for him.”
Sports Illustrated writer Andrew Sharp recently said NBA phenom Stephen Curry is in “God Mode” right now. All other players are compared to Curry’s (ridiculous) standard and none live up to it. In college terms, Tyler Ulis is the “point God.” He’s always the smallest guy on the floor but he’s also the smartest. It’s borderline shocking when he makes an errant pass or makes the wrong decision.
The trust level between Ulis and the staff is so great that after Calipari was ejected, associate head coach Kenny Payne gave Ulis “the green light” to run the offense.
Seriously, Payne could have used Saturday as an audition to land his own head coaching gig one day. He could have drawn up plays and tried to put a stamp on the offense, but Payne did the smart thing— he handed the keys over to his point guard and just worried about stopping the other guys.
“I can’t begin to tell you how important that is for any coach, but especially for this team because he guides the other four guys that are on the floor with him and he makes their game easier,” Payne said.
If Calipari is wise then he’ll let Ulis run the offense more often. The 5-foot-9 sophomore carved the Gamecocks up to the tune of 27 points and 12 assists, with just one turnover, and cemented his spot as a National Player of the Year candidate.
But Jamal Murray, Ulis’ partner in crime in the backcourt, was just as special. The freshman Canadian isn’t always as consistent as Ulis, but his scoring ability is what makes this team potentially elite. He’s dropped in at least 20 points in four straight games. On Saturday, he went 4-11 from 3-point land but still found a way to pour in 26 points.
At one point, Murray was fouled on a jump shot (the shot went in) and went down holding his right hand. In a season where several players have missed time with injury, it’s understandable for those in Kentucky to say a silent prayer to the basketball gods and hope for the best.
It only took a few minutes for the Commonwealth to let out a huge sigh of relief as Murray drove to the basket and put South Carolina defender Justin McKie on a poster.
The dunk, with his right hand, was so violent that it made the viewer question whether he was ever really hurt, or just reminding fans that without him, getting title No. 9 is probably unattainable.
“Murray’s good,” Payne said of Murray’s health. “He’s good. Played a hell of a game too.”
No game is ever perfect and Saturday was no different. Kentucky struggled to rebound at times as South Carolina collected 16 offensive rebounds. Foul trouble hindered the front court for much of the first half—both Skal Labissiere and Isaac Humphries had three fouls in the first 20 minutes—but the Wildcats were so dominant that it almost wasn’t noticeable.
“I have never been more proud of a team,” Calipari said on Twitter after the game. “They are now empowered. They've proven that they don’t need me and I love it.”
Calipari, now with an empowered team, should follow Payne’s strategy —give the ball to the best backcourt in college basketball and stay the hell out of the way.
Last edited:
