KSR Gameday: Kentucky looks to get back on track vs. South Carolina at Rupp Arena

Good morning, folks! It’s Gameday once again — and we’re about as close to must-win territory as possible for the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats.

South Carolina comes to Rupp Arena today as the only team in the Southeastern Conference without a league win. The Gamecocks are 0-9 against conference foes, but that record is somewhat misleading. Lamont Paris‘ team has faced six ranked SEC opponents, losing five of those games by a combined 18 points. Alabama was the lone outlier with a 20-point win. South Carolina also has a common non-conference opponent with Kentucky in Clemson, but the Gamecocks won that game while the ‘Cats did not.

All this being said, South Carolina is still far from being considered one of the SEC’s best. KenPom ranks the Gamecocks 77th in the country, second-to-last ahead of lowly LSU. This group holds a 10-12 record on the season for good reason. South Carolina performs at its “best” when away from home. Rupp Arena should be buzzing as the fan base tries to cheer Kentucky back on track.

If there was any matchup for the Wildcats to get back on track, this is the perfect one. Outside of sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles — who will be a problem as a future first-round NBA Draft pick — South Carolina doesn’t have a wealth of depth or talent. The Gamecocks rank last in the SEC in offense and turnover percentage and next-to-last in effective field goal percentage and pace. They struggle to score and defend — not a recipe for success.

All this is to say Kentucky needs this victory in the worst way. Losing four of the last five at this stage in the season isn’t a good feeling. The Wildcats’ resume is still in good shape in regards to making the NCAA Tournament, but these are the games that can drop you a seed line (or even two). Lamont Butler is listed as questionable. That’s good news after missing the last three games. He solves a ton of UK’s problems on both ends of the floor. But Jaxson Robinson is also questionable. We’ll know for sure if they’re going to play closer to tipoff. Kentucky is still a double-digit favorite by both the bettors and computers.

“I love when the story gets murky,” Mark Pope said Thursday. “I love when you start to doubt. Those are my favorite times because that’s when really special things happen.”

The story is certainly murky right now. Let’s see how Pope and his team respond.

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Kentucky vs. South Carolina: How to Watch, Listen

• Time: Noon EST
• Television: ESPN2 (John Schriffen, Daymeon Fishback)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 84
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard. KSBar and Grille is always an option, as well. Doors open early (breakfast will be served) with the pregame show going live at 9:30 a.m. EST.

1975 national runner-ups will be at Rupp

During today’s game, the University of Kentucky will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1975 men’s basketball team, arguably the greatest collection of athletes to play at this school that did not claim a national championship. The late Joe B. Hall led Kentucky to a 26-5 record and an SEC title that season before coming up short against John Wooden and UCLA in the title. It was Wooden’s last game as a coach and the last of his 10 NCAA championships.

UK will honor the likes of Kevin Grevey, Jimmy Dan Conner, Rick Robey, Bob Guyette, Mike Flynn, and more at halftime. Limited quantities of a poster commemorating the 1975 team will be distributed for free before the game on the concourse behind section 11 while supplies last.

Read more about the historic run of the 1975 Kentucky Wildcats in this detailed redemption story from UK statistician Corey Price.

Saturday’s Top 25 CBB schedule

TIME (EST)/TV	MATCHUP
12:00 PM | ESPN2	South Carolina @ No. 14 Kentucky
12:00 PM | ESPN	No. 4 Tennesee @ Oklahoma
12:00 PM | ESPN+	TCU @ No. 8 Iowa State (College Gameday)
12:00 PM | FOX	Oregon @ No. 9 Michigan State
1:00 PM | NBC	No. 21 Wisconsin @ Iowa
1:00 PM | CBS	No. 24 Michigan @ Indiana
2:00 PM | FOX	No. 11 Marquette @ Creighton
2:00 PM | ESPN	No. 16 Kansas @ Kansas State
3:30 PM | SEC Network	No. 10 Texas A&M @ No. 15 Missouri
4:00 PM | ESPN2	No. 6 Florida @ No. 1 Auburn
4:00 PM | ESPN+	No. 5 Houston @ Colorado
6:00 PM | SEC Network+	No. 22 Mississippi State @ Georgia
6:00 PM | BTN	No. 23 Illinois @ Minnesota
6:30 PM | ESPN	No. 2 Duke @ Clemson
8:30 PM | ESPN	No. 3 Alabama @ Arkansas
8:30 PM | SEC Network	No. 25 Ole Miss @ LSU
10:30 PM | ESPN	No. 13 Texas Tech @ No. 20 Arizona

Another softball doubleheader on deck

Kentucky softball kicked off its 2025 season on Friday in Clearwater, FL with a pair of blowout wins. The Wildcats are in the Sunshine State for the FCA Lead-Off Classic — a five-game, three-day weekend event to get the schedule rolling. Kentucky opened the day with a 7-0 win over Pitt followed by a 12-4 run-rule victory over Notre Dame a few hours later.

KSR’s new softball intern, Eleanor Beavin, who you might know from her stellar career with the Kentucky volleyball program, has a full recap of everything that went down here.

The Wildcats will be back in action again today for another doubleheader, as well. Kentucky takes on Morgan State at noon EST and Southern Miss at 3:00 p.m. EST. UK will wrap up the weekend on Sunday morning with a ranked matchup against No. 8 Duke. You can live stream every game through the GameChanger app (for FREE) by simply making an account.

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