South Carolina has been tricky road trip for Kentucky under John Calipari

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Frank Martin is in year 10 at South Carolina, and winning consistently has been difficult. The Gamecocks are 166-143 (74-96) in Martin’s tenure with a Final Four appearance but the 55-year-old owns eight seasons with 13-plus losses.

Despite the inconsistency, Martin has found ways to beat Kentucky.

Carolina joined the SEC for the 1991-92 season, and since then there has not been much success against the Big Blue. Kentucky currently owns a 53-13 series lead over the Gamecocks with just one loss at Rupp Arena. However, Martin has found success in Colonial Life Arena.

The former Kansas State head coach owns a 3-7 record against Kentucky with each victory occurring at home. The Gamecocks have won two in a row at Colonial Life Arena in the series and are hopeful that the trend continues on Tuesday evening.

South Carolina desperately needs a win sitting at 13-9 (4-6) with consecutive double-digit league losses to Mississippi State and Tennessee. Martin and his club are hopeful that more home magic can arrive as Kentucky rolls into town.

South Carolina has been rocky for John Calipari

During his tenure at Kentucky, John Calipari has mostly owned every opponent in the SEC both at home and away. That holds when South Carolina comes to Rupp Arena as the Wildcats own an 8-0 record under Cal with an average margin of victory of 24.4 points.

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The same has not been true on the road.

Devan Downey went crazy in 2010 to give South Carolina a huge upset over undefeated Kentucky. A reeling Kentucky team could not get out of Colonial Life Arena in 2014. In 2018, the Wildcats blew a 14-point second half lead as South Carolina outscored UK by 19 in the last 10 minutes. Two years later, Kentucky blew another 14-point lead to drop their first league game of the season on the way to another SEC title.

Even in wins, things have not gone well for Calipari as the head coach was tossed immediately 9n Kentucky’s impressive 89-62 victory in 2016. Colonial Life Arena has not treated the Wildcats well.

On Tuesday evening, Kentucky will roll into the building with a 19-4 record and a No. 5 ranking in the AP Poll. The Wildcats currently look like one of the best teams in college basketball. With the defense rounding into form, the Wildcats appear to be a team that could be about to go on a special run.

But first Kentucky must get a win against South Carolina on the road and snap a losing streak at Colonial Life Arena.