Seniors Step Up in Win Over South Carolina

Facing the Southeastern Conference’s only other unbeaten team Saturday night, Kentucky had a number of factors go against it.

Mychal Mulder missed the game with an illness. Star freshman point guard De’Aaron Fox played just eight minutes before having to leave with a right ankle injury. Sophomore leader Isaiah Briscoe was held scoreless. As a team, the Wildcats turned the ball over a season-high tying 17 times.

And yet when the final horn sounded, Kentucky (17-2, 7-0 SEC) scored the most points and shot the highest field-goal percentage by a South Carolina opponent all season in an 85-69 victory.

“That’s a team that’s going to win a lot of games,” UK head coach John Calipari said of No. 24/24 South Carolina (15-4, 5-1 SEC). “There was a lot of stuff that happened in our league today. Crazy. But let me say this, it’s happening all over college basketball. It is hard to be at your best every game and if you’re not, you get beat. And that’s the hardest thing in what we’re doing with all these young kids.”

With so many factors going against the youthful Wildcats, seniors Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis provided a steadying presence throughout the game.

Hawkins played 28 minutes, the most he’s ever played against an SEC opponent and the second most in his entire career. While Briscoe struggled against the Gamecocks’ top-ranked defense, committing a career-high seven turnovers, Hawkins stepped up with seven assists and just two turnovers, one of which came with 51 seconds left in a 20-point game.

“I just felt like I needed to do a little bit more,” Hawkins said. “I definitely knew that Coach was going to put me at point guard since De’Aaron was out. I just wanted to take care of the ball and get other players involved.”

Calipari said after the game that he’s not exactly sure the extent of Fox’s injury, but there was no swelling to the Houston native’s ankle, which was placed in a boot at halftime. Without him, Hawkins made sure the UK offense continued to plug away.

“Dom was terrific,” Calipari said.

“Dom always steps up,” said Malik Monk, who scored a team-high 27 points on an efficient 14 field-goal attempts. “Whenever we need something, that’s who we count on, so he’s great to have on the team.”

Hawkins faces Fox, Briscoe, Monk and the Wildcats’ first unit each day in practice as the second unit’s point guard, so Saturday’s situation wasn’t completely foreign to him, but the 6-foot guard typically plays more off the ball during games. The key to always being ready at a moment’s notice, he said, is remaining patient.

“I never know when my moment’s going to come,” Hawkins said. “I’m always ready for it.”

Willis followed up his 13-point game at Mississippi State on Tuesday in which he hit 3-of-4 3-point attempts, with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds against South Carolina. It’s the second consecutive season the 6-9 forward has played well against the Gamecocks. He knocked down 3-of-4 3-pointers at South Carolina last year in a 27-point victory.

“He always kills us,” South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said. “Willis always gets us. … Give that kid credit. Upperclassman making plays to help his team.”

One of those plays was an emphatic dunk by Willis early in the second half.

With Kentucky leading by seven points, Hawkins found Willis streaking down the lane. The athletic forward caught Hawkins’ pass and jumped from the SEC logo to throw down a one-hand slam over South Carolina forward Sedee Keita. The play got the season-high crowd of 24,389 at Rupp Arena on its feet and prompted as big of a roar from the Mt. Washington, Kentucky, native as he’s bellowed out in his entire career.

“It was just one of those situations,” Willis said. “I haven’t really posterized someone I don’t think probably since last year. It’s been a while. It just kind of got me going. I feel like it got the energy of Rupp Arena all there. Woke the game up. I was excited for sure.”

The win over South Carolina was the latest game in which the Cats have faced in-game adversity and still came out with the win. Whether it was foul trouble to its backcourt against Vanderbilt and Auburn, frontcourt foul trouble against Mississippi State, or Saturday’s shorthanded game with Mulder’s sickness and Fox’s injury, the Wildcats have shown their resolve over the last two weeks.

“You never know who’s going to be in foul trouble or injured,” Hawkins said. “To be able to have a bench to step up big is very important to be able to win a national championship because everybody that goes in has to play their role as well anybody else can.”