5 Things To Know About South Carolina State
Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, your University of Kentucky Wildcats (2-1) will take on the South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-3) at Rupp Arena. The game will be televised on SEC Network with our beloved Tom Hart on the call alongside Pat Bradley.
Brandon Ramsey already gave you a very in-depth scouting report on the Bulldogs, but if you just want the Cliffs Notes version, you’re in luck. Here are five things you need to know about tonight’s game.
1. This game is part of the Tribute Classic
Did you know this game is part of the Tribute Classic? Did you know there even was a Tribute Classic? Me neither. The multi-team event features Kentucky, Duquesne, South Carolina State, and North Florida. The Cats beat Duquesne 77-52 last Friday night, play South Carolina State tonight, and North Florida next Wednesday. The Tribute Classic is sponsored by Kentucky Tourism and, based on this graphic, appears to be a tribute to the 1978 National Championship team and/or Joe B. Hall? I’m not sure.
Here’s how the rest of the Tribute Classic has unfolded thus far. North Florida has yet to get in on the fun.
- Kentucky 77, Duquesne 52
- Duquesne 96, South Carolina State 71
- Thurs., Nov. 17: Kentucky vs. South Carolina State
- Sat., Nov. 19: South Carolina State vs. North Florida
- Mon., Nov. 21: Duquesne vs. North Florida
- Wed., Nov. 23: Kentucky vs. North Florida
2. SC State is 0-3 and lost to Duquesne by 25
As you can see, South Carolina State and Kentucky have both played Duquesne so far. The Cats beat the Dukes by 25, 77-52, while the Bulldogs lost to the Dukes by the same margin, 96-71. It was SC State’s third loss of the season.
- 80-77 loss to South Carolina
- 80-61 loss to Tennessee State
- 96-71 loss to Duquesne
What does it say about South Carolina that SC State only lost to them by three?
3. Per KenPom, they are one of the worst teams in college basketball
Kentucky is now No. 2 in the KenPom ratings, with Texas taking the top spot following its win over Gonzaga. South Carolina State is 347th (there are 363 teams in Division I college basketball). The Bulldogs rank 341st in Offensive Efficiency and 351st in Defensive Efficieny. The only metrics in which they rank in the top 100 are turnover percentage (16.5%, 96th) and steal percentage (5.9%, 38th). With only three games, that’s a very small sample size, but still.
The Bulldogs are led in scoring by guard Lesown Hallums (12.7 points per game) and forward Davion Everett (12.3 ppg). Everett leads the team in rebounding (6.3 rebounds per game), followed by 6’10” forward Isaiah Turner (6.0 rpg). The Bulldogs also have a seven-footer on the roster, Dallas James, but he’s only averaging 0.7 points and 3.0 rebounds thus far.
4. They have a first-year head coach from the Bob Huggins’ coaching tree
The Bulldogs are led by Erik Martin, who played for Bob Huggins at Cincinnati when the Bearcats went to the Final Four in 1992. After playing overseas, Martin came back to the States and got into coaching, serving as an assistant at Cincinnati State before joining Huggins’ staff at Kansas State and later West Virginia. In July 2022, he took the job at SC State, promising to bring Huggy Ball to the Bulldogs.
“I definitely want to press,” Martin said. “I want to get up and down and be a fast break team. Obviously, with playing for and coaching with Bob Huggins, my defense is going to be somewhat similar to his where it is going to be hard to score on us.”
5. It’s a BIG spread
Kentucky opened as a 38.5-point favorite vs. SC State, the largest spread by far this season. That’s a lot of points, but the line has already moved to -41. KenPom is predicing a 90-54 win, giving Kentucky a 95% chance of winning.
After Tuesday night’s double-overtime disappointment, I’ll take an easy Thursday night romp at Rupp.
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