March is still five days away. It feels like it’s already here for the Kentucky Wildcats.
They need to win this game Tuesday night. Whether or not it’s a must-win game by technicality, it’s a game they need to win. The Wildcats need to see a win on the board, hoping it will spark a late-season run. There are still plenty of opportunities in front of this Wildcats team, but time is running out.
If they’re still angry from Saturday, good. They need to carry that anger into Tuesday night’s game and each of the remaining four regular-season games. This team can still win out. But they need to clean up the turnovers, stop falling behind by so many points, and finish. It’s not far-fetched to say this team is closer to being really good than falling onto the NCAA Tournament bubble.
South Carolina is at the bottom of the SEC. They have struggled mightily this season, with a 3-11 record in SEC play. The Gamecocks have been dominated in a lot of SEC games this season.
Still, though, Kentucky needs to take them seriously. This is South Carolina’s Super Bowl. Kentucky is coming in reeling. Don’t give the Gamecocks and their home crowd any hope that they can win this game. Show you’re better than them. Talk is cheap. It’s time to back it up. Winning time is now.
Players to Watch on South Carolina
1. No. 5: Meechie Johnson — 6-2, 192 lbs. R-Sr. Guard; CLEVELAND (Ohio State Transfer)
Stats: 17.1 pts, 3.3 rebs, 115 ast.-58 TO, 36 stl, 42% FG, 33.3 3-PT FG%, 82.4 FT%, 31.4 mpg
Johnson is back with the Gamecocks after playing for Ohio State last season. He has scored in double figures in every SEC game but one this season and has five+ assists in nine SEC games this season.
In 2023-24 at South Carolina, Johnson was Second Team-All SEC and a finalist for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year.
This is Johnson’s sixth season playing college basketball.
2. No. 55: Mike Sharavjamts — 6-9, 195 lbs. Sr. Guard; ULAANBAAATAR, Mongolia (Utah Transfer)
Stats: 11.1 pts, 5.4 rebs, 26 blk, 48.3 FG%, 32.9 3-PT FG%, 88.9 FT%, 30.2 mpg
The first Mongolian citizen to earn a Division I scholarship, Sharavjamts has played on four different teams in four seasons in his college basketball career. He started at Dayton in 2022-23, earning A-10 All-Rookie honors. From there, Sharavjamts transferred to San Francisco, averaging 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game and helping the Dons to 23 wins and a berth in the NIT. Last season at Utah, Sharavjamts had nine games with five+ assists.
Sharavjamts has seven games in SEC play, scoring in double figures, and he has three games with multiple three-pointers in league play. Durability is also a big part of Sharavjamts’s game, going 30+ minutes eight times this season.
3. No. 4: Kobe Knox — 6-5, 200 lbs. R-Sr. Guard; TAMPA, Fla. (South Florida Transfer)
Stats: 10.7 pts, 3.5 rebs, 50.3 FG%, 30.2 3-PT FG%, 78.8 FT%, 29.8 mpg
Kevin Knox II’s and Karter Knox’s brother, Kobe, is in his first season with South Carolina. He was a member of Grand Canyon’s 2023 NCAA Tournament team and South Florida’s 2024 American Conference regular-season title team.
In 2024, he played and started all 33 games, averaging 8.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, scoring in double-figures 12 times. The season prior, Knox played in 34 games (16 starts) for the Antelopes, shooting 50.4% (FGs) from the floor and 41.0% (3FGs) from behind the arc. He averaged 5.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, helping GCU to the WAC Tournament Title and the program’s second all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Knox has 10 games shooting 50 percent or better in SEC play, and he has eight double-digit scoring games.
4. No. 31: Elijah Strong — 6-8, 250 lbs. Sr. Forward; CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Boston College Transfer)
Stats: 10.7 pts, 2.6 rebs, 46.1 FG%, 29.6 3-PT FG%, 78.2 FT%, 17.6 mpg
Playing two seasons at Boston College to start his career, Strong averaged 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 45.2% (95-of-210 FGs) from the floor and 36.2% (25-of-69 3FGs) from behind the arc in 2025. He scored in double figures 11 times.
This season, Strong has five double-digit scoring games in his last six overall and three games with three or more three-pointers. Strong has played 20+ minutes in 7 games.
5. No. 15: Eli Ellis — 6-0, 192 lbs. Fr. Guard; HICKORY, N.C.
Stats: 9.4 pts, 2.9 rebs, 40.8 FG%, 28.2 3-PT FG%, 86.2 FT%, 27.3 mpg
The fourth four-star or better to sign with the Gamecocks since Lamont Paris took over as head coach, Ellis was ranked No. 69 nationally via 247Sports, the No. 9 point guard for the class, and the No. 3-ranked player in the state of North Carolina.
Ellis has six games in SEC play and four games with multiple three-pointers. He’s also played 30+ minutes twice in conference play.
6. No. 13: Grant Polk — 6-6, 197 lbs. Fr. Guard; GAINESVILLE, Va.
Stats: 4 pts/gm., 1.3 rebs, 37.4 FG%, 31.9 3-PT FG%, 8-9 FT, 13.9 mpg
Polk was a three-star prospect via 247Sports and the No. 5-ranked player in the DC metro area. He’s played double-digit minutes in six SEC games this season, including two games with 20+ minutes.
Head Coach: Lamont Paris (4th Season, 61-64; 9th Season Overall, 148-136) — 51 years old
For those who may not know, Lamont Paris was an assistant coach for Wisconsin in 2014 and 2015. Kentucky played Wisconsin in the Final Four in both of those seasons.
Paris was the 2024 SEC Coach of the Year, leading South Carolina to their first NCAA Tournament since their magical Final Four run in 2017. The Gamecocks won 26 games that season, including 13 in the SEC, and their 15-win improvement from the previous season was second-best in the country.
Prior to South Carolina, Paris was the head coach at Chattanooga for five seasons, leading the Mocs to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the SoCon Championship Game.
At Wisconsin, the Badgers reached six Sweet 16s in seven seasons, finishing in the top four of the Big Ten in each season. Prior to that, at Akron, the Zips went to the NCAA Tournament in 2009.
Paris is a native of Findlay, Ohio, and played college basketball at Wooster, earning MVP and captain honors in his senior season.
1. Come out and set the tone
Don’t let South Carolina hang around. If you’re up big early in the second half, knock them out.
2. Impose your will on the glass
Box out, go after offensive rebounds, and find a way to out-tough South Carolina.
Make it hard for the Gamecocks to get into a rhythm on their home floor. That will take the crowd out of the game and extinguish any hope the Gamecocks have of winning.
This is your best offense. Get out and run and speed the game up early.
Score Prediction: Wildcats 86, Gamecocks 73
It’s simple. The Wildcats need to win this game. Just win, baby! The Wildcats need to be in Postseason mode starting Tuesday night.