RECAP: Kentucky Rains Threes in Season-Ending Rout of South Carolina at Rupp

Davion Mintz received the green light to make it rain at Rupp Arena, helping the Cats run away with one of their biggest wins of the season, a 92-64 victory over South Carolina in the regular season finale.

Mintz left the halftime locker room on fire. The senior who spent most of the game playing point guard went wild, burying five three-pointers at the start of the second period, with three coming in consecutive possessions to give Kentucky a 19-point lead and effectively leave South Carolina in the rearview mirror.

Mintz scored 20 points in only 28 minutes, knocking down 6-of-11 three-point attempts, but he wasn’t the only Wildcat lighting it up from downtown.

B.J. Boston’s fourth three-pointer of the night gave Kentucky six treys in the first six minutes of the second half. He made two more to match Mintz’s six threes, scoring 21 points on 13 attempts from the field. Yes, two Kentucky basketball players made six three-pointers in a single game. It was the first time all season two Wildcats scored 20 points or more. Kentucky was 13-of-27 from behind the three-point line (48.1%), propelling UK’s offense to a 92-point performance, the most points scored in a game this season.

Kentucky has now defeated South Carolina eight straight times at Rupp Arena. The 28-point margin of victory is the largest against an SEC opponent since Feb. 2019, the last time the Gamecocks traveled to Rupp Arena. Most importantly, the Wildcats got confidence from a feel-good win right when they need it most. Here’s how it all unfolded.

A Different, Fast Start  

The Wildcats have employed nine different starting lineups in 24 games this season. This time Devin Askew was not running the point, sidelined for Jacob Toppin after failing to make a field goal in consecutive games. Moving Mintz to point appeared to work right away.

Kentucky made four of their first five field goals thanks to a couple of good looks at the basket from Isaiah Jackson and a pair of three-pointers by Boston, giving UK an early 15-10 advantage. The Cats did not immediately throw it into cruise control.

South Carolina forward Jaylyn McCreary bullied his way into eight points in a four-minute stretch, while the Wildcats struggled to finish through contact at the rim. McCreary was South Carolina’s second-leading scorer with 14 points, but he only played 14 minutes. Frank Martin’s rough-and-tumble style kept it close, just not for long.

Sorry, Jimmy 

The BBN received an unexpected treat at the start of the game, and it wasn’t just Mintz playing point guard. Karl Ravech began the ESPN broadcast riding solo as technical difficulties sidelined Jimmy Dykes for the first eight minutes of the game. When he did return, it was the dial-up version of Dykes. He should not have waited so long to take the jet out of its hanger.

Streaks Snapped 

The game was well in hand for most of the second half, giving Calipari an opportunity to let Askew play out of his slump. The point guard made his first shot in three games, scoring six points, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists, without a turnover in 14 minutes of action.

There was a much longer streak broken Saturday afternoon at Rupp. Cam’Ron Fletcher slammed one home, scoring his first points since the opening weekend of the season against Richmond. Everybody got in the action. Zan Payne scored his first career points while sharing the floor with Riley Welch, Brennan Canada and Kareem Watkins.

Isaiah Jackson Avoids Foul Trouble 

It’s amazing what happens when the powerful Kentucky forward is actually in the game. Time and time again dumb whistles force him to the sideline. That was not the case Saturday afternoon.

Jackson was efficient, knocking down 5-of-8 shots to score 13 points. He also blocked a shot, stole a couple passes and grabbed 10 rebounds for just his second double-double of the season.

A Feel-Good Finish 

Kentucky’s 2020-21 season has been defined by nail-biting shortcomings. Oddly enough, the bookends of the regular season were each 25+ point blowouts.

The Wildcats have rediscovered some confidence, particularly in their shooting ability, as they enter the SEC Tournament, their final NCAA Tournament lifeline. Confidence isn’t the right word to describe what Kentucky got from the feel-good win over South Carolina. Confidence is a feeling can be fleeting. It certainly was after the February three-game win streak was snapped against Florida. Kentucky now has something much more valuable: hope.

Hope is a powerful feeling, a tool that can move mountains. Kentucky’s previous blemishes can remain in the past. The Wildcats are looking forward, playing one game at a time with the hope that their next basketball game will be their best yet.

“It’s never too late. I’ve got faith,” said Davion Mintz. “God is real and things happen for a reason. If we have a chance to go out there and play for 40 minutes, it’s never too late. We’ll see next week.”