Top-ranked Kentucky found out it's got some growing up to do. And
college basketball will most likely find a new No. 1.
Devan Downey scored 30 points and South Carolina sent
Kentucky to its first loss of the season 68-62 on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (19-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) moved atop
the rankings this week for the first time since 2003. They were
cautioned by no less a fan than President Barack Obama earlier
Tuesday to keep their focus and play with the same passion that
brought them to the top.
The president or Kentucky didn't count on Downey, the SEC's
leading scorer to break the 30-point mark for the fourth time in
six league games for South Carolina (12-8, 3-3).
"This is what happens when you have young guys who think
we're going to win at the last minutes of the game," Kentucky coach
John Calipari said.
It has been Wildcat youngsters such as John Wall and DeMarcus
Cousins that have fueled the program's best start in 44 years.
South Carolina showed there's still a place for a couple of smart,
savvy senior guards such as Downey and Brandis Raley-Ross.
Raley-Ross had 17 points, the most he's scored in an SEC game
this season, as South Carolina won its third straight over
Kentucky.
"Those guys are very talented," Downey said of the Wildcats.
"But they're also freshmen and this was a hostile environment."
The president said as much earlier Tuesday when he called to
congratulate the Wildcats on raising more than $1 million to help
earthquake victims in Haiti, reminding Kentucky that South Carolina
was a difficult place to play.
Obama, though, also thought -- like most everybody else who
follows the game -- that the Wildcats would have little trouble
with undermanned South Carolina.
"Yeah, I'm aware of it, but I'm kind of scared to mention
something about this president," Downey joked. "I don't want
anybody knocking at my door. I don't have anything to say about
Obama."
Cousins matched his career best of 27 points to lead
Kentucky, which had been the nation's last unbeaten team.
Fans rushed the Colonial Life Arena floor when the buzzer
sounded, Downey hugging whomever he could and screaming, "I told
you so!"
Giddy fans came up to South Carolina athletic director Eric
Hyman, handing him dollar bills to pay the anticipated fine the SEC
levies for swarming the court.
First offense is $5,000, escalating to $50,000 for repeated
violations.
"I'll handle this one," Hyman said.
With Downey, there could be more upsets and celebrations
ahead.
He had seemingly hit a game-winner at Florida on Saturday,
scoring on a driving layup with 5 seconds left until the Gators'
Chandler Parsons outdid him with a winning 3-pointer.
This time, though, Downey and the Gamecocks would not be
stopped -- even after the Wildcats' fabulous freshmen of Wall and
Cousins seemed to take things over.
The pair combined for 13 points during a 14-3 run midway
through the second half that put the Wildcats up 47-42. That's when
Downey took over.
South Carolina's senior had a three-point play and two foul
shots to tie it up.
Downey had another three-point play with 4:06 left to give
the Gamecocks the lead for good at 54-51.
"It's been my thinking all year," South Carolina coach Darrin
Horn said. "If it's close, we've got No. 2 [Downey] and we've got a
shot."
Wall's three-point play with 40.1 seconds left brought
Kentucky within 62-61. But Raley-Ross followed with two free throws
to restore the edge.
Cousins had 12 rebounds to go along with his points, which
tied his best performance set earlier this season against Seton
Hall.
Cousins said the Wildcats needed to learn from their mistakes
in time to reach their ultimate goals.
"I wanted to be undefeated, and No. 1 was all good, but No. 1
is not a championship," Cousins said. "And we're playing for a
championship."
Maybe the Wildcats were distracted by their
head-in-the-clouds moment earlier Tuesday when President Obama
called.
How else to explain this one?
The Wildcats were ragged and out of sync. They were
outrebounded 41-35 by the Gamecocks. They missed from close range,
Darnell Dodson even missed an all-by-himself layup after a midcourt
steal.
Wall, who Obama greeted with "What's going on all-star?" when
they spoke by phone, was 6 of 16 from the field with four of
Kentucky's 15 turnovers.
Wall ended with 19 points.
"What I keep saying," Calipari repeated, "we may have been
undefeated, but we were lucky to be undefeated. I was being
truthful."
No Wildcat could corral Downey.
While the Gamecocks' senior didn't have his shooting touch (9
of 29), he went 10 of 11 at the free throw line.
"Lets be honest," Downey said. "No one gave us a chance."
They will now, especially with Downey in the lineup.
