Kentucky hits new low in sobering home loss to South Carolina

What do you even say at this point? The worst conference loss of the John Calipari era, and it really isn’t close. Kentucky didn’t lead a single second against the worst team in the SEC, down 13-2 in the first four minutes and as many as 15 points in the opening half. Trail by 10 going into the break, cut it to six to open the second, then allow it to get back to 11 with four minutes to go.

Sure, you get it down to one with under a minute left and have a shot to tie it twice in the final ten seconds, but it shouldn’t have even gotten to that point. Kentucky shouldn’t have needed a comeback effort or last-second heroics. South Carolina entered the game ranked No. 263 in the NET, second-worst in the Power Five behind only Louisville (No. 344). The Gamecocks average 64.3 points per game and shoot 39.6% from the field and 31.1% from three on the year. Their losses include Colorado State by 32 points, Davidson by nine, Furman by 19, George Washington by 24, UAB by 14 and East Carolina by eight.

Tennessee beat the brakes off of them, a 43-point curb-stomping on USC’s home floor. That’s what a competent SEC team is supposed to do to the Gamecocks.

Because they’re f****** terrible.

Yet here we are, trying to put words on paper explaining how something as unfathomable as losing to South Carolina at home is possible. How do you let that team shoot 48.2% from the field and 55.0% from three on 11 makes — six coming from one player? How do you turn the ball over just six times while forcing 15 and still lose? Or nearly triple up the Cocks in bench points (31-11) and lose?

The reality is brutal and quite sobering: Kentucky is pretty damn miserable too. And if you’re having worst-team-in-the-SEC debates, the Wildcats almost certainly have to be in the conversation at this point. I mean, they’re 1-3 to open conference play, with the lone victory being a near-choke effort at home against LSU. They weren’t competitive at Missouri and Alabama — SEC teams with a pulse — and then got punked on their home floor against a team without one in South Carolina.

So what does that say about Kentucky? Where is its pulse? Certainly not on the bench, where energy and fight were major concerns once again. Body language was bad and team chemistry remains an absolute disaster. Do they even believe a turnaround is possible? The current mood certainly isn’t positive.

“This sucks,” senior guard CJ Fredrick said after the loss. “There’s no other way to say it. It stings. You never want to lose on your home court. This one is going to sting.”

John Calipari used the phrase “undermanned” twice during his postgame press conference. Kentucky was down Jacob Toppin entering the game and Cason Wallace was limited to eight first-half minutes with back spasms. Two starters missing most or all of the matchup isn’t ideal, but it’s not a valid excuse for the team’s play. Brennan Canada and Kareem Watkins could have produced on the floor against this South Carolina team. Hell, even Oscar Tshiebwe called for the team’s walk-ons to get some run if the starters aren’t going to put forth the effort necessary to win.

“If somebody is not willing to fight to give what we need, I’m gonna ask Coach to put him on the bench,” Tshiebwe said. “If we’re gonna lose with the people who are fighting, even the walk-ons, we’re gonna lose with them but at least we’re fighting.”

Tshiebwe isn’t alone in this, either. For a second consecutive game, the 6-foot-9 center was absolutely torched defensively, exposed in the pick-and-roll and off the dribble. The blueprint for slowing him down offensively was already out there — roll the UCLA tape — and now, the defensive struggles are clear on film. Alabama head coach Nate Oats said it first on Saturday — “I don’t think he’s very good guarding ball screens” — followed by South Carolina coach Lamont Paris saying the same on Tuesday.

“I wanted to try to get into the ball screens,” he said. “It appeared in the last game that there was maybe a little indecision on what they wanted to do on the ball screens. … I wanted to have Tshiebwe have to move and make decisions.”

Just a year after running away with consensus national player of the year honors, Tshiebwe is being played off the floor for the Wildcats. And it puts Kentucky in quite the predicament moving forward considering, well, everything is built around No. 34.

“I mean, everybody’s going at Oscar, so we’ve got to figure out some stuff,” Calipari said.

The team’s best player becoming a liability on both ends was a plot twist no one saw coming. And unfortunately, there isn’t an immediate backup plan that comes to mind regarding production and star potential. When so much of what you do revolves around Tshiebwe and it gets shut down in such alarming fashion, especially midway through the season, it’s a detrimental setback. Kentucky has no choice but to go back to the drawing board at this point.

What does that look like? It’s hard to say considering how putrid the all-around defensive effort has been as of late. “I thought that we would be a hell of a defensive team and we’ve got to shore that up, because that’s the basis of what we do,” Calipari added.

Thing is, Kentucky should be a hell of a defensive team. All of the physical tools are there to be one. You’ve got all of the size, length and athleticism in the world. What’s missing, though, is heart. The team is missing shots and letting it translate to poor effort on the other end, something that just can’t happen. They’re just not engaged and mental lapses are consistent, if not constant. It’s a key reason why Kentucky is simply a bad team right now and will continue to be until the Wildcats lock in.

Tshiebwe got his 19 points and 12 rebounds, knocking down free throws and cleaning up on the glass. Fredrick returned to game action after missing two weeks with a dislocated finge, scoring 14 points on 6-9 shooting and 2-4 from three. Antonio Reeves knocked down some mid-range jumpers en route to 13 points, as well. 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals for Sahvir Wheeler.

That’s all great, but none of it matters. The individual stats are irrelevant when the team isn’t even close to sniffing the NCAA Tournament at this point — the selection committee would laugh at Kentucky’s resume at this point. And unfortunately, next up is a trip to Knoxville to take on a Tennessee team ranked No. 2 in the NET.

It’s a matchup in which Volunteer legend Chris Lofton will have his jersey retired into the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena. Think the Wildcats are winning that one?

You’re not alone in your thinking.

Calipari wants Kentucky fans to “stick with these kids” and direct any and all frustrations his direction. “If you want to be mad, be mad at me,” he says. He doesn’t have to tell Big Blue Nation twice — they’ve made that abundantly clear on social media, comment sections and message boards.

He’s “on a mission” to “keep teaching and keep working with them and keep believing in them,” Calipari says. “That’s what they need from me.”

If that’s what it takes to build back chemistry and get the team spirit where it needs to be, because from the outside looking in, it appears he’s lost this group.