Just when the South Carolina men’s basketball team seemed broken, beaten — at its lowest point — Lamont Paris led the Gamecocks to his first signature win as head coach.
Tuesday night’s game at Rupp Arena was a battle of two humbled teams. The mighty Kentucky Wildcats entered the contest coming off a 26-point drubbing at Alabama, while the Gamecocks suffered their worst SEC loss in program history at the hands of Tennessee on Saturday.
The Gamecocks shook off the embarrassment of that loss and responded in resounding fashion by defeating John Calipari’s Wildcats, 71-68. The win was just the third-ever victory for the Gamecocks at Rupp Arena and first since 2009. The Gamecocks (8-8, 1-2 SEC) had lost eight straight games in Lexington before Tuesday and are now 3-29 at Rupp all time.
